Birmingham state herald., 1897-01-26
BIRMINGHAM STATE HERALD TUESDAY. JANUARY ae,

there are four openings into II, all De- ing drifts. Two hundred men are efn- ployed here, about twice as many as were employed yeaS ago. The output is between 450 and 300 tons per day. These mines are ventilated by a fur mace, and their general plan of opera ton and the conditions about the mines are practically the same as those at the Pearson mines.
 New Castle Mines, New Castle, Ala These mines are operated by the Mnner Coal, Iron and Railway company John T. Milner, president. There are three openings here into a vein of thirty inches. These mines were idle for eight years and until about year ago, when the company re-opened them, undetermined the system and established many sub stantial improvements. The fan system of ventilation is used here. The company has 150 men on its pay roll and gets out about 800 tons of coal per day There are good school and church facilities and no complaints were made by the operat- ives.
 Brookwood mines, Tuscaloosa county, are operated by the Standard Coal com pany F. M Jackson, of Brookwood, gem eral manager This company has hand some mine and POP fine coke ovens. The seam here Is only twenty-efght to thirty, eight inches in thickness, but operations are conducted on a much more elaborate scale than at the three mines last men tioned. The company works 400 men, 300 miners and 100 about the washer, sefc. There are two drifts and two slopes open ing here. About half of the mlnerst are white and half colored. Some complaint was made as to the ventilation Of these mines. Both the fan and furnaces are used, but 1t was complained that not withsta ndlng the ventilation was not ef- fective. No explosive gas has ever been noted about the mine, however. Your committee went into the openings about the tfme.that the blasting was done and could not, therefore, from personal ob- servatiOn, learn much about the atmos- phere of the mine ordinarily. The sub- Joined testimony of MT. Jackson before the committee will throw additional light on this subject.
 The Standard company consists of east ern capitalists who have invested S5O0,0 in the property and own 1t without mort gage or other incumberance. There are excellent school and church facilities at this mine, and the miners -e expressed themselves as entirely satisfied with their lot excepting as to the ventilation of the mine
 Adger, Johns and Sumpter.--The Ten nessee Coal, Iron and Railway company own here about as fine a piece of coal mining property as exists in the world. It is what Is known as the New Castle seam, and averages eight feet in thick ness. It is coking coal and is pronounc- ed to be as good as the best. The com IlllleS lInS ptCl6O llic OPGHii6 fdts<AN6Sh- It is a slope and is equipped with the latest and most approved appliances This mine employs 145 miners and about 100 other workmen. It Is splendidly ven tilated by two sixteen feet fans. This lS said to be the ideal mine in the district, and miners are always anxious to secure places there. This condition Is ascrioed largely to the effective work of Superin- tendent Rogers and Mine Boss James Hillhouse. ST., who have done great ser vice for their company, and for the mines. The company's books show that last month the average days work for each man who dug coal was seven and -four tenthS cars, estimated at a ton eacn Johns and Sumpter are located mile ana two miles respectively from Adger, and are almost identical from standpoint of size, production, equipment and gen eral conditions. The workmen at these places are provided with excellent schools arid churches, many own their own homes, and they are entirely satis- fled, excepting as to one thing. They contend that the coal should be weighed instead of being measured. The conr pany has a system of measuring their product in the cars when they come rom the mine, 1t being estimated that the car. holds ton. The committees secretary upon instructions from the committee, went to Adger several days subsequent to the inspection, and without notice to any parties, weighed what he esteemed to be an average car of the coaEz IL weighed, subtracting 73 pounds of slate, 2,07250 pounds. There were no track scales, and the coal was weighed, barrel by barrel, 50 that the inconven- fence made 1t impracticable to weigh eX- ceeding one car. It may be possible that the secretary, unwittingly, selected more or less than an average car. The result, however, is given for what 1t Is worth along with the testimony on this sub ject recorded at the committees sitting in Birmingham.
 Blocton mines, Bibb county operated by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway company--Thera are three splendid mines here. Slope 1. enters the Woodstock vein. which is three feet, six. inches in thickness. Slopes and B. enter the Un- derwood vein, which is five and a. half feet in thickness. There are about 900 miners employed in the three mines. which have total annual output of something like 750,Ooo tons,5s Slope No. is ventilated by fan, and Nos. and 3 by two fans each. Explosive gas has been found in No. 2. The miners here live comfortably, and have exceptionally good church and school facilities few own their homes. The coal is weighed here. The miners generally appear to be satisfied, although one or two complained of the ventilation. The companyis now at work improving the ventilation, how ever. About 70 per cent. Of the work men in these mines are white
 Belle Ellen, Bibb county. operated by the Bessemer Land and Improvement company, L. W. Johns, superintendent. This is apparently one of the best regu- lated and equipped mines the committee visited It is drift opening in the Un- derwood seam. which is four to seven feet thick, and is excellently ventilated by fan Miners here report that they make as much as $2.25 in the rooms, at 40 cents per ton. and s to S3.25 in the headings. From this, however, about 30 cents per day must be subtracted for powder and other expenses. Only about 100 miners are employed here, about eigh- ty of them being white men. None of them own their houses; but they report that the company charges them reason- able rent, and reasonable prices at the commissaries. Good schools are main tained, to which the company subscribes. The vein here is six to seven feet thick, and the mine is lighted by electricity.
 Prices Mine, Walker County. y.-Operat- ed by Thomas Price 6 Co.,. is small drift affair. working only twenty men. Conditions here are necessarily crude, but everything is moving along smoothly, and no complaints were made by the men. G o
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