The age-herald., 1900-04-26
WILL ORGANIZE
 A LOCAL COMPANY
To Manufacture Etiquette Coal
 from Slack.
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY
Gardner Corning, Inventor of the Pro- cess, and His Associate Looking Over the Field-Has Proven
 Great Success

The presence in Birmingham this week of Gardner Corning, inventor of the new American briquette coal, c. R. Brodix and J. w. Mercy is significant, and may result in the establishment in Jefferson county of a large and economic industry. MT. Corning is secretary and treasurer of the Etiquette Coal company of New York, which is op- eratng the parent plant in Chicago, and MT. Brodix and MT. Mercy are interested in the same business. These men came from New York to Birmingham for the purpose of looking over the situation here abouts, with the view of organizing the Southern Etiquette Coal company, and con structing and operating a large plant in this vicinity. MT. Corning and MT BrodiX have returned to New York, but MT Mercy continues here to push the enterprise. It only remains for the moneyed men of the Birmingham district to manifest an inter- est in this briquette coal industry and sub scribe to a portion of the stock of the pro- jected company in order to make 1t marked and quick success. It is proposed
  plant The parent company in New York, owning the secret process of briquette coal making and the American and foreign pat ents will take and hold large block Of stock, but the policy will be to have majority of the stock held by local sub scribers, just as is the case with the Chi cago company, operating the original plant.
 MT Mercy said yesterday that the Bir- mingham district was naturally an inviting field for an industry such as the manu- facture of briquette coal from coal dust or slack While there would be large local demand for the output, the export trade would also be very large. Mexico and Cuba would be eager customers from the start, and after the Nicaragua canal is built large cargoes of briquette coal would be shipped across the Pacific. Im- mense quantities of briquette coals are turned out and consumed In Europe, but the old process in vogue there is exceed ingly crude and altogether inferior to the kindred American commodity controlled by the Etiquette Coal company of New York The demand for this fuel is increas- ing all along the Mediterranean and in the Orient, Recently inquiry came to the Chi cago factory from Smyrna.
 How It is Made
 Etiquette coal is a clean, smokeless, cin- derless, efficient fuel manufactured from slack and pressed comparatively into uni form shapes of elliptical form, a little larger than a goose egg. The binder or cementing material contains a good deal of bitumen, just is the case with the old European methods, but the nature and proportion of the binder used in the Corning process is secret, and it is this "binder" which makes it vastly superior, both in fuel quality, toughness and econ omy. to anything in the old world
 MT. Mercy has canvassed Mobile as To- cation for the southern plant. As an ex- port point, Mobile present great advant- ages, of course. But Birmingham having the raw material, being located in the min ing field where a great volume of slack or coal dust is practically wasted, would per haps present the strongest claims from the view point of economy.
 It is proposed to give the southern cor poration exclusive control of the territory made up of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Florida and it would have also all the export business from Gulf points.
 This briquette fuel is already used ex- tensivey by the Illinois Central railroad. and all the other big lines are coming to 1t on account of its smokeless and cinder- less character. The navy has investigated this Corning process and would be among the largest customers of the Birmingham plant.
 It is said to be beautiful grate fuel. Three or four briquettes make hot and glowing fire, very much like anthracite coal. In Chicago, even at the high rate of raw material, IA briquettes purchased for one cent prove ample for cooking break fast or dinner Each briquette weighs 51s ounces. b. Fitzgerald general superin- tendent Of the Chicago Junction Railroad company, writes that he has used the briqueetes on locomotives, finding them most efficient fuel, substantially smoke less ,and quick and high steam getters.
 when we can depend upon your output" said he, flor constant supply we will be glad to introduce the fuel on our line" Chief Engineer of the Navy
 EiiSineer-iH-CnleI MelVelle or the United States navy, states that the navy will be glad to avail itself of large supply of this fuel as soon as it can be manufactured at or near tide water.
 Etiquette coal is not so modern as some persons might think. Patents were allowed in this country, as far back as 1887. They followed an older European process MT. Corning worked on his patent for eight years before he perfected it, and it has been in operation in Chicago just five or six months. It is this patent that has at- tracted capital and aroused the industrial world. Tracy, Boardman & Platt, attorneys of New York, say these letters patent are very broad and comprehensive. In confer ence with the principal examiner of the patent office in Washington, investigation shows that the Corning process is one which none of the nrior -pa tents even s,,o-