Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-14
AS ID COAL IN ALABAMA Facts and Figures That Are AS-
 founding Indeed. CAHABA AND COOSA FIELDS History of the Development of hining-Pro- duction and Value of 0utput-0ther
 Interesting Statistics.

The following is from advance sheets of the sixteenth annual report Of the geological survey, prepared by E. M. Parker of the interior department;
 Total product in 1894. 4,397, ITS short tons; spot value, $4,0S5,5S5.
 Coal Fields of Alabama.
 The great Appala chian coal field, which follows that mountain system and de- rves it's name from it. finds it's southern terminus in Alabama. The Alabama fields have been fully describd by Prof. Eugene A. Smith of the University of Alabama in Mineral Resources, 1892, and need only be briefly mentiond here. Lo- cally they are divided into three regions, named many years ago by Professor TuOmey from the rivers which drain them, the Cahaba, the Coosa and the Warrior. The coal field occupies large part of the northern half of the state. It enters at the northeast corner. eX- tends southea sterly. the eastern or south- eastern border reaching to the western central portion of the state near Tuska- loosa. From there it's border line extends in a northwesterly direction until 1t nearly touches the Mississippi state line; thence runs nearly due east about half way across the state, and then north eaSterly to the Tennessee state line. The Warrior region is by far the longest, containing 7S10 of the S660 square miles underlaid by coal measures Included in this is the Lookout mountain region, which runs a narrow belt from the Geor- gia line parallel to the warrior neld proper, and separated from it by valley drained by branches of the Coosa river at it's southern end and of the Tennessee river at the north.
 The Cahaba and Coosa fields, contain ing 435 and 415 miles, respectively. eX- tend in nearly parallel, narrow belts along the southeastern border of the Warrior, and are separated from it by the valley in which the city of Birmlng- ham is located, and from each other by the valley of the Cahaba river. Refer ence to the accomp; lying map will show the location of these fields Because or the demand created by the war coal was mined in Alabama during it's existence, but the first product of which there is any record from the Alabama fields was obtained in 1870, when 13,20O tons were mined. In 1882, the first year covered by the first volume of Mineral Resources, the output was S96000 short tons. The maximum product in any one year was in 1892, when it reached the remarkable total of 5529312 tons, an increase In eleven years of 4,633,S12, or 5171 per cent. The output in 1892 was more than siXty times that of 1882. In 1894 the product had fallen, as a result of hard times and the great strike, to 4.397 ITS tons, but even this shows an output nearly fifty times that of 1882, the first year recorded in thls series
 Deyelopment of Alabama Coal Mines.
 The pioneers in development of Ala bama coal lands after the close of the war were not rewarded with success The value of the coal had been demon- strated and those who undertook to work the mines which had supplied the Confederate government with coal, and to open new prospects, looked naturally to remunerative business. In this they frNrN e ct paralyzed from the effects of the war, and there were no manufacturing indus tries to encourage the development Of the natural resources. They had the goods, but no market Ten years after the close of the war the coal fields of Alabama, which are now yielding from 4OOO 900 to 5,O00O00 tons annually, did not reach a yearly product of 100000 tons. From 1876 the industrial development of Birmingham and vicinity began, and coal mining was put on remunerative basis In 1883 the product exceeded 1,5000 tons, the intervening years showing a steadily increasing output. The output in 1884 is given at 2,240,000 short tons, and in 1895 at 2492,000 short tons. There is little doubt but that these figures are considerably in excess of the actual out put. Dr. Ashburner, in his report for 1886. says that they were estimates based on information from various sources, the information being chiefly estimates of other persons.
 No satisfactory reason is given for the remarkable increase of nearly 50 per cent in 1884 over that of 1883. nor for the 600,- 900 tons decrease in 1886 from 1885, More than this, pr. Ashburner states that the statement for 1886 was compiled from di- rect returns of producers to the geologi- cal survey. the survey being assisted in the work by Professor Smith. state geol- ogist. Since 1886 the annual increase in product up to 1892 is reasonable, and the natural result of industrial activity. In 1888, the year of the great boom at Bir- mingham, new mines were opened and the capacity of the old ones was in- creased so that the product increased in that year nearly 100000 tons, or about 50 per cent over 1887. Although the boom itself collapsed, as most boomS will there were established at Birmingham Besse- mer and neighboring cities iron and steel and other manufacturing industries, which. encouraged as they are by favor able conditions for cheap production, are permanent This is shown by the con- tinued increase in the annual production of coal up to 1892 (see table, page -), by the increase in the production of iron ore from 675,O00 long tons in 1887 to 1.742 40 long tons in 1892, by an increase in the manufacture of pig iron in the same pe- riod from 292.762 short tons to 1,025,132 short tons, and by a similar progress in other industries. The decreased product
 
 disturbance, but to general trade de- pression throughout the United States, and to the prolonged strike of the latter year. which is treated elsewhere.
 The improvements on the Warrior riv- CT, conducted by the United States gov ernment and consisting of a series of dams for slack-water navigation, are expected to do much toward extending the use of Alabama coal. One of the dams (of which there are to be five) is finished and two more are nearing com pletion, and it is expected that they will be ready for use by September 1. When this means of transportation has been accomplished it is claimed that coal can be freighted from the Warrior field to Mobile for 50 cents per ton. It is stated that similar improvements will be made on the Coosa river, which will afford wa ter transportation to the Coosa fields.
 Production.
 In 1893 the amount of coal produced in Alabama was 5136 935 short tons, having a spot value of s50967s2. The output in