Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-20
THE STATE OF WALKER.


spirit of all this rural reglon--it was in
those days that this ancient county was
ofttims dignifed by this significant des-
ignation, 1.-THE State Of Walker
And yet who ever dreemed even when
SO pleasant and prophetic an appellation
was applied, that the day would dawn
in the Closing years of the century, when
old Walker would be one of the most
conspicuous and important counties of
our glorious old commonwealth? No one
in those far away times ever paused to
contemplate, ever even dreamed of the
untold wealth that lay hid beneath her
ancient hills, no one ever sought to reveal
something of the vast riches that slept
unseen in her silent wales. And yet to-
day the immense coal fields OF Walker
is one OF the wonders of the times.
have not the statistics at hand to tell
the vast output of ali the coal plants OF
Walker, but this much may be confidently
into millions OF tons. This very plant
the Galloway mines-where l have been
sojouTning a few days is prepared to put
upon the markets of the south and west,
coal IN quantities so surprising in size
as almost TO stagger the faith OF those
unacquainted with its large proportions
and ample preparations. The present
company was organized in 1890. but such
has been it's push and progress such its
prudent and prosperous management
that now it is said it could, if the situation
called for 1t, put upon the market not
less than 1900 tons every day in the year,
Sundays excepted, and this it could do
for thirty years to come without trans
crossing the limits of its present posses
sions. | was told today that there are
only two other companies in Alabama
whose capacities equal the capacity Of the
Galloway mines Of Walker. These two
are the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail-
way company, and the Sloss Steel and
Iron company. That might the better
comprehend the capacity of the Gallo
way mines was told just now by a per-
fectly reliable gentleman. one who
knows, that the present output for one
month, were all its five mines well under
way, would fill to its full, train Of open
cars ten miles in length.
The company claims to mine as fine
coal as Alabama affords, and its popular
ity and its many markets seem to justify
the contention. It's chief market, of
course. is Memphis, but much Of it goes
to Atlanta, and still more to Mo-
bile, Pensacola and New Orleans.
The mines are dependent for an outlet
into the world upon the Kansas City
road, and are connected Herewith by
switch three miles in length. This great
railway finds in the Galloway mines one
of its very best patrons. This generous
patron, SO 7 am credibly informed, fur
nishes SO per cent. Of the entire freight
along this portion of the line! From Cal
loway to the nearest point on the rail-
way between Sheffield and Jasper, only
four miles intervenes. The wonder is
kifat this little gap is not filed since,
am told, the route is entirely practicable
and the money for the construction of the
little branch can be had for the asking
and on reasonable terms.
The entire five mines of the company
are all operated from the Office at TINS
Acknowledgements the superintend-
ency of Bryan w. Whitfield, MISSISSIPPI
plan by education, but q patriotic Ala
bamian by birth and citizenship He is
the inventor of an elevator that seems to
do its work with wonderful success and
saving the labor of five men. He is also
the inventor of another machine OF stu
greater merit. It is q minin9 machine. ON
neither of these devices has the ingeni-
Gus inventor asked a patent. They are
open not only to his own company, Out
to others as well.
| awaited myself today of an opportu-
nifty to go down into mine No. d." THIS
is a shallow mine, only about SO0 feet
deep, ludicrously shallow when compared
with the celebrated Belgian mine which
carries YOU a mile down into the bowels
of the earth. There are Some mines IN
this country 1.5o0 feet deep, but for one
/ do not care to make deeper descent
into subterranean caverns than the one
! made today. 1t is certainly q strdnse
sensation. one experiences when once
The finds himself shut in by impenItra-
BILE walls of supernal blackness. You
look at the sWaying lights on the neadS
of the stalwart miners; you listen 10 tne
unearthly clatter and changing or the
underground machinery; you wonder at
the loud shouts of the merry muleteers;
you turn toward the rattle and clatter
of the rumbling cars as they roll out OF
the deeper darkness beyond and above
lit all you give heed to echoing calls and
commands of the towering bosses beside
No n follow feels at first
as though the burden of breathing was
too much III quarters so close and stormy
no wonder If he experience sudden
and fervent desire to ascend in haste
to the sweet sunlight and solubrious Sc
renety of the silent skies and the blessed
earth above.
But after all there is nothing like get
ting used to thing, and so it was. L
had hardly been an hour in that new
world Of strange sounds and unearthly
sights before | began to enjoy, after a
manner, the first degree of initiation
into the mysteries of underground min
ing. One time I'VE were sweeping along
at the rate of twenty miles an hour on
a little cable car four feet wide; halted
for a moment we transferred to another
car of like dimensions, but pulled by
big black mule, whose slow trot Through
the deep darkness was urged at every
step by the vociferouS commands of the
happy little driver Often we squatted
down with nGa0S DOWeQ low tnat Iney
might not be broken by bumps from
above, and every here and there we
peered into the long, dark rooms"
w here the dim lights showed the brave
miners busy breakinug loose the great
Jumps of coal from their ancient fasten-
ings, strange sensation indeed, all this
proVokes-an experience never to be for
got. 1t is like being suddenly trans
formed to some wild. wierd world whose
feeting shadows and shostly phantoms
smile for your fainty feelings and make
merry with your fears II any one shall
wish for a more forceful impression Of
such underground exploits, let him do
as this scribe did or else let him take q
dip into Dantes Internal Regions.
While waiting for the CARS a gen
tleman whom [ had once met on the sur
face of the earth, approached and spoke.
was curious to know how he so readily
recognized me while the darkness was
so great about us that I could not dis
tinguish a feature of his face. 'It is be-
cause ! can see you" was his prompt ex-
PLANTATION. So much for getting used to
your environments and adopting your
self thereto
do these people really like this UNDER
l,..ls aEl-N flr11f