Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-01
RAILWAY FOLKS AND FACTS
 ss The TippIe at GfeenvNIe to Be Improved at Once BY THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY Alabama Coal to Have Greatly Improved FaciI hes for Reaching the Outside World.
 Personal and General


 WL.le the subject of the proposed ca nal is being agitated with view to find- ing an outlet for Alabama coal, work on a reality is being pushed to completion which will prove of the very greatest benefit not~only to this city, but the en- tire mineral district of the state.
 In the Tifnes-Demecrat of April 26 ap- pears the following item:
 "A few days ago representatives of the Southern Railway company and of the West Alabama Coal association met in Washing ton. D. G. on what at the time appeared to be rather secret mission. Besides the officials there were several southern capitalists and not a few bus mess men present, among whom was Mr K. c. Dunn of this city.
 'The conference covered some little time, and one press dispatch sent out said there was big deal on foot, being backed by the Southern railway, which looked toward a western outlet for the Alabama coal fields. But the railroad men and the coal miners were not dis4 turbed in their deliberations, and when they adjourned an agreement had been reached and a contract properly signed by which the Southern Railway com pany should put in a new coal tipp1e at Greenville Miss, the western terminal oA tiihl iiHc, COotlilB ilOl leSS Indn 3fU,UUU and by which line of coal barges, num- bering about 100, should be placed on the Mississippi river to carry the Alabama product to New Orleans and distribute it up and down the tributary streams.
 Tt Is one of the greatest projects of re- cent announcement in the coal world and Indirectly involves a vast sum of money. 1t is one the Southern railway has been working on for a long time but never before could the railroad and the West Alabama Coal association get to- gether. The Southern railway system comprises some 5000 miles of line, and for months it has been attempting to get cheap New Orleans outlet for it's Ala bama coal
 "rhe West Alabama Coal association is composed of these four coal companies: The Virginia and Alabama Coal com pany, the Corona Coal and Coke com pany, the American Coal and Coke com pany and the Kohinoor Coal Mining com pany, and this new enterprise will be conducted under the name of the above association, for the joint account of the Southern Railway company.
 MT. r. c. Dunn returned from Wash ington yesterday, and when seen by the Times-Democrat representative he was very enthusiastic over the outcome of the Washington conference. and unhnsi- tatingly pronounced the new line of barges between Greenville, Miss, and
 
 lures of the new commercial era for this city.
 You see,' said MT. Dunn, this makes one of the strongest coal routes in this section, and 1t means a great deal more for New Orleans, and, in fact, the whole state of Louisiana, than you would at first think. In the first place it insures to this entire section of the country a regular supply of coal all the year round i; for transportation south of Greenville Is never affected by low water It means that the sugar planters of the state can never again be imposed upon and made to pay from $6 to $10 per ton for their coal It means a reduction this year of cents per barrel, or A cents per ton, to the sugar planters of this state, who use an- nually about 650,0o0 tons, or net saving to them for this one season of $2S6, 900. It means a guarantee to all foreign ships coming into the port of New Orleans that they can always get their coal supply at a reasonable price, which will be a great CT inducement for them to come to this port, and it will keep in the south some of the millions of dollars that have annually been sent from this state alone
 When asked If there was not a preju- dice on the part of some of the coal con- sumers against Alabama coal he said that such was the case, but that 1t may be interesting to those who still retain that prejudice to know that for several years past every railroad coming into the city of New Orleans has used nothing but Alabama coal as well as the largest plants in the city.
 'The tlpple at Greenville Miss, will be a concern with screens and baskets for letting the coal down into the barges, and will be completed by June 15. MT. Dunn said he had been greatly interested in the struggle for cheaper fuel in New Orleans and had watched with interest how the price of eastern coal had been steadily forced down from year to year, until the largest manufactories here now get their coal for about $2.75 per ton. Mir Dunn Is firmly of the opinion that the new line of barges on the Mississippi means a still greater reduction. which will be decided benefit to New Orleans and Louisiana, as nothing Is more conducive to prosperity than cheap fuel"
 As has been stated in these columns, the West Alabama Coal association com- prises the leading mining companies of Walker county. The association has its office In Birmingham, and a State Herald reporter called at the office and gleaned a. few facts in reference to the above ar ticle, as follows:
 The Southern Railway company will begin at once the erection of an immense screen at the tipple already built at Greenville. A screen, as is well known, is used to separate the several grades of coal When this additional work is com pleted the total cost of the plant in round
 
 tant piece of work will be the arranging of the tipple so that barges can be loaded at any stage of water.
 The plant is built on an estimate of a minimum of 150.000 tons of coal per an- mum, as less amount of coal handled would not prove remunerative.
 The coal to be furnished the tipple by the several mines in the association will be based on their respective out puts. These mines represent total out- put of 600,00O tons per annum which can be increased indefinitely. therefore there is no apprehension of a shortage, no mat ter how much may be the demand for coal. Besides it affords large opening for an increase in the output of all the mines, with no fear of glutting the local market.
 It would be well, perhaps, to know that the product of the Walker coal fields re- sembles very much that of the Pittsburg district, and, being hard. bears handling and shipping without loss from breakage and stands stacking without deteriora- tion.
 Perhaps the greatest and most impor- tant item in connection with the erection of this tipple at Greenville will be the