The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-02-18
THE POLITICS OF ALABAMA
AND THE COAL AND MINERAL
LANDS NEAR BIRMINGHAM.
The Reese Process for Making Steel
and the New Phosphate That
Results From Ii.
looRnEspoxpENcE Op rHE ArrEAL.l

BIRMINGHAM, ALA, Ala, February
15.-The meeting here last week OF
individual and corporation holders OF
coal lands in the Warrior basin was an
attempt to place the property in shape
to command a market. 1t seems
none of the holdings are in sufficient
area to Justify purchase for practical
mining, although they aggregate 25O,-
600 acres. Capt. Joseph +. Johnston,
president of one OF the banks here,
whilom chairman of the State Demo-
cratic Executive Committee, and a
forceful man in all enterprises in
which he may become interested,
originated the plan of solidifying
these coal properties in corporation
control so as to justify mining capital
in taking hold of them, and throwing
thus greater supply of coal on the
market. There is a manifest jealousy
of the increase Of political influence
growing up in this manufacturing sec
ton of the State felt by the old cotton
plantation belt. The Montgomery
.4drertiSer, which holds itself out as the
organ of the Democracy of the State,
rushed breathless into an attack a col
umn and half double-leaded editorial
against this proposition of the coal
land proprietors. There was nothing
in the move itself more than ordinary
business, and nothing to excite the Id
Uertiser except the pending campaign
for State officers, and the growing vote
and influence of the manufacturing in
terests. in this part of the State. This
heartless corporation of coal men"
was. only Il peg to hang an argument on.
The approach of the time when
Memphis and Birmingham will be
united by an air line railroad, means Il
great deal in the solid solid character
of Birmingham real estate Investments
The Elyton land Company is selling
from $4,000 to $4,000 per diem in valua-
BILE lots, while private spectators buy
more than they sell. The Elyton Land
Company grows rich by selling its
property at reduced rates on long
time, 1t pays enormous dividends.
Starting out with some 100000. in
vested in land, it has sold more than
half the land, while the other half is
worth S5,000,0O0, and the original
has been paid back in dividends at
least four times over 1t is very lib
eral to its vendors, both in prices and
terms for payments.
Mr.. Reese, the inventor of the Basic
process of making steel from iron ores
heavily charged with phosphorus, as
ours are, explains that the lime used be-
comes impregnated with the phospho-
rus by the elimination of the latter.
The lime then appears as a highly
valuable phosphate, suitable for fer
tilization of lands. He claims that the
value of this phosphate alone will be
about 81 per ton of steel ingots. Bir-
mingham, therefore, is destined to de-
velop an unexpected industry of large
proportions in this fertilizer. The
older plantations of the Mississippi
Valley need this assistance already.
The daily papers are both urging
the Alabama Congressman to move to
place the proceeds of the sales OF
! 100000 acres of government mineral
lands, the last the government owns
in the State, in the hands of the State
to establish here a great polytechnic
school. There is large white farm
ing population in different parts of the
State which ought to be educated in
| the industrial arts and offered the po-
sitions in manufactures certain to
spring up in the mineral region, which
otherwise foreign labor must fill.
AURELIUS.