The age-herald., 1900-07-17
CLAIMED TO BE
 A COAL OPERATOR Shrewd Scheme of an Alleged
 Capitalist. NEGOTIATED MANY LOANS Papers Have Printed Mary Stories of Big Sales of Alabama Coal. All
 of Which Were Found
 Untrue

For some weeks past the American papers
 have been publishing a storyfto the effect
 that a large quantity of Alabama coal had
 been sold in Europe for delivery at an early
 date. There has been no such sale and
 there is no probability of any being made
 under the existing conditions
 The story, however, has widely adver-
 tised the Birmingham district and its coal
 product, but aside from this nothing else
 has resulted or is likely to result soon. The
 following is sample of the publications
 that have appeared in the American news papers bearing on the sale purported to
 have been made:
 Birmingham, Ala, claims to be sending
 coal considerably farther than Newcastle.
 The Alabama newspapers are exploiting
 letter to the Chicago Tribune from Berlin,
 which. among other things, says: "The
 Birmingham coal agent, who, g: already
 related in these cables, has placed an order
 for 100000 tons in Germany, has received
 numerous requests from manufacturers for
 samples and information. The result of the
 tour of investigat tion he is making will un-
 doubtedly be as large as the entire output
 of the mines of the Rhenish and Westphal-
 ian syndicates. Indeed, nearly all the Ger
 man mines have contracted to deliver their
 output for fixed prices until April 1901. Until
 then American coal can find a market far
 above German prices"
 Has Been No Such Sale
 There has been no such sale as reported
 in the above. The person in Germany who
 is representing himself as a coal operator
 in Ia b,,cip here. His name is M. Gumpf.
 MT. Gumpf was in Birmingham last win
 ter and remained in the city the greater
 part of two or three months. While here
 he is said to have represented himself as
 the agent of sack manufacturing concern
 in Europe and placed an order for a large
 quantity of sacks with one of the local
 grain dealers. This order was afterwards
 countermanded after an investigation by
 the local company
 MT. Gumpf also claimed to have invented
 a new process by which he could make iron at a nominal cost and by which he claimed he would revolutionize the iron in dustry of not only this country, but of the whole world. He spent several weeks in Birmingham and the district, during which time he claimed he was prosecuting his experiments along the line of his new invention. It is incidentally stated that while making these experiments he nego- tiated several loans for various amounts, and that he forgot to settle these before
 leaving Birmingham. Those to whom he confided his invention were greatly im- pressed by what he said, and for a time
 there were some who believed he would hi, T that iron of a grade equal to that made in
 the Birmingham district at present could be made for mere trihe above the cost of the raw materials. He spoke in glowing terms of the fabulous wealth his invention would bring to its possessor when it should
 be demonstrated to be a success. Dr. Gumpf Went to Europe Leaving Birmingham MT. Gumpf went to
 Europe and there began operations on a gigantic scale He there represented him.
 self as the senior member of the firm of Gumpf and Gunter, second largest coal and iron operators in the Birmingham district. Following shortly after his arrival in Ger many the press was given a story to the effect that a sale of 100000 tons of Ala
 bama coal had been placed in Europe This
 
 next heard of in Berlin, where he secured an order for 100000 tons of bituminous coal for delivery in June and subsequent
 months in 1900. The price to be paid for this coal was stated to be $2. 50 f. o. b. cars at Pensaloca, Fla.
 This latter sale being reported inquiries were made of the local coal operators re- garding same. The inquirers wanted to know if the sale was bona fide one, and if so what were the prospects for other sales in the future. Investigation revealed the fact that there is no such firm or cor poration in Birmingham or the Birming- ham district by the name of Gumpf and Gunter, and that MT. Gumpf does not rep resent any local coal company.
 Advices from Germany, where MT. Gumpf seems to have been operating most suc- cessfuiIy state that he claims to be rela- | tive of Baron Erlanger, distinguished | family in Germany. Baron Erlanger is one | of the principal owners of the Queen and | Crescent system and has other possessions | in this country.
 Inquiries among local coal and iron com | panies yesterday failed to elicit any infor- | nation respecting MT. Gumpf, but several | of them remembered him. They all agreed, | however, that no Alabama coal had been | sold for exportation to Europe and that there was not likely to be any soon. They
 stated that whatever coal might be ex- | ported to Europe from the United States would go through the ports of the North | Atlantic, and that Alabama coal could not | be shipped through those in competition with Pennsylvania and West Virginia coals
 on account of the difference in freight | rates.