The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-04
NEW ORLEANS As A COAL DEPOT.
The Mineral Resources Of Alabama to he
Made Available - Interesting Corre-
spOBdence Between the Hen. Chas.
Cavanac and DIR. M0hr, of Mobile.

NEW ORLEANS, November D. 1877.
Or. Chas Mohr Mobile, Ala;
Dear SRI avail myself Of this, the first favor.
able opportunity since my return, of addressing
you q line or two upon the topic of our CONVEX
eattcn touching the locality and extent Of the
various coal and iron mines OF your State, and
Also 10 ask ii you would be good enough TO fur
uish me with copy Of your report concerning
nafne coupled with such other information and
& suggestions 90 you mag deem important.
II ID time that the commercial and manufacture
Ing interests Of our two sections should initiate
the movement looking to an early, IL not immedi-
ate Development OF these two important necess-
ties. The machinery for factories can not be
built without the one, nor operated without the
other. The growth and prosperity of Southern
cities must remain impoverished and stunted, or
altogether blighted unless they are converted
Into manufacturing centres; the satisfying suo-
! Cegs which has followed the erection and estab.
lishnnant ofcotton factories in Georgia, especially
Enthusiastically roint out the only road of recuper-
ation and solid prosperity. The incalculable
mineral resources that sumber beneath 80 many
Hundred thousands of acres OF your State will
awaken into wealth at the call Of manufacturing
interestes Given market and transit to il and
the stir Of life and activities of enterprise, will at
once be heard and felt.
AZ steam lie rapidly superseding the agency of
sails throughout the maritime world, the strong
currents OF our river and gulf, the Gains and
trade winds Of the lower ATTITUDES, with our dis
tAnce. from the worlds markets, renders it i'm
RVkUtfye tuhb NeW OTi6Huh bDOuI0 %
A coALINa DEPOT.
-FOUR mines. by reason of their proximity, need
only developing to make this available, and at
cost considerably less than that of any port on
0ur seAboard. England, France and the United
States have all found 1t necessary to secure such
stations In foreign countries, and no commercial
city OF any pretensions is now without one.
We have quite number of first class foundries
already In successful and profitable operation
Shat are now compelled to transport their iron
down the river more than two Thousand miles
and their coal to work IL up the same tedious.
are within five hundred miles of the point for
utilization, snd practically the water risks are
correspondingly diminished. in fact, lowered
TO THE ZERO POINTS
Of liability 10 loss or damage.
The consumption OF coal here for home use for
the shipping interest and for the sugar CROP which
now mainly relies on coal instead Of wood Is
simply immense, and IL all comes from the mines
Of the Upper Ohio river. This trade, with at
tendant reciprocal advantages, ought and will
Accrue TO your own capital and enterprise, If q
moderate exertion be stimulated to secure 10.
/ feel the assurance that il by our efforts this
s'new departure" may be insugufsted, we can
enjoy the consolation of knowing that our lives
will have proved OF worth and account to our
homes and fellow citizens.
Trusting to hear from you when your convent.
ence will permit, remain very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
OdAs. CAvANAC.
REPLY OF DIR. MoHR.
MOBILE November %, 1877.
Hon. Chas Cavanac, Department of Commerce
New Orleans. La:
Dear Sir-Your esteemed letter of the 9th inst.
came duly to hand. l am sorry to say that in
response to 1t feel myself unable to give you the
information as fully as you desire, and
- the Importance Of the subject demands.
4 have never visited the coal and iron regions of
This State, and consequently have had no oppor-
tunities for studies In the Geld which would en-
able me to speak from practical experience.
For the fullest information about oar coal and
iron interests In all the details OF natural re-
sources, their development, industry and COM
merce. can refer you to none more experienced
than Prof. Gessler, chemist of Birmingham, Ala
He is an expert who devotes himself entirely to
the development Of the iron industry OF the State
Before the industrial convention held last Sep
tember 10 Blount Springs, this gentleman deliver
% IN address on the subject. which am certain
contains all the information you seek. cannot
sAy whether Is has ever been published. / have
no doubt that the author would gladly send Won
3 copy OF IL. The geological excursion / made
LIST summer extended exclusively over the re-
gi0n or the metamorphic rocks In this State with
its important lodes Of copper ores, known as
Smith and Woods mines in Cleburne County
The works ut the latter mines are very extern
Give, representing large outlay OF capital and
furnished with all the latest improvements in
mining and the metallurgical processes of melt
ing the ores into matt containing sixty per cent
OF metallic copper. The veins Tor lodes) are i'm
bedded In an argilaceous hard slate. the ores
above water level consisting mostly of black ores,
more or less oxidized. and small quantities OF
csrbonates and luprites. Those below
CONSIST OF YELLOW COPPER
pyrites: that is, the combined suIphurets of con-
per ami iron, containing from twenty to thirty
per cent OF copper, remarkably free from admix-
lures Of other metals, such as lead, anthony or
arsenic, circumstance which lie TO be regarded
~ OF great advantage.
The states binding the metsliferous deposits
contain from TX to Q per cent OF copper, and are
worked with the poorer and richer oxydes and
sulphurets, serving at the same time to form q
deck 10 a. TO bring the iron into the Stag. The
mass OF the ore ct the furnace assays on an aver
age per cent OF copper. This compares favor
ably with the best of copper mines in the old
world or In this country considering the facilities
with which the great, one might almost SPY mex
haustible, quantities of ores, stored mp in these
rndes, csn be mined.
Smiths mine, about two miles from Woods
le, has been reopened since last year with fair
sspect of success, and is now worked by the
aak Alabama CoDper Mining and Melting Uonl-