The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-12-14
BIRMINGHAM
and VICINITY
A GLANCE AT THE MINERAL
WEALTH OF ALABAMA.
The Region Where Iron and Coal and
Limestone May Be Found in the
Same Neighborhood-Why Iron Is
Produced at Birmingham at Cost
Less Than at Any Other Point.


This mineral section comprises twenty
eight counties, with an area of 1000
square miles. or two-ffths of the state
and a population of 850.0OOor about 50,
600 less than one-half of the state
population. What gives this section
special prominence from a commercial
and industrial standpoint. are its vas
beds of coal. iron ore and limestone
almost ineXhaustible. The coal field:
are divided by geologists into three dis
tricts: the warrior" has $500 square
miles, with fifty seams of coal: III,
"Cahaba," 400 square miles. with twen'
~ seams of coal and the "Coosa' field:
have $50 square miles. These three
fields contain in round numbers 100000
100000 tons of available coal-a sutlic.
lent amount. mining at the rate of TO-
600 tons u day to last 1850 years be-
fore eXhausting it's supply-a sufficient
amount to supply the worlds consump-
ton at present for generations to come
These estimates are given for the pur-
pose Of impressing the possibilities of
coal supply from the coal fields of Ala
hama. This coal is superior for steam
and domestic purposes. and for the
manufacture of gas and coke.
THE BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT.
Located in the central southern part
of this mineral section, is what is
known as the Birmingham district. en-
bracing an area of $500 square miles,
with a population of 30 people. The
city of Birmingham is it's financial GEN.
ter and distributing point. The btu
minous fields. already in working. COW
q Il t,,;,,
$1,000, 100000 tons, embracing all the
bituminous varieties. In close proXim-
ity to the coal are iron mines and i'm
mense beds of limestone. the iron ore
yielding from forty to forty-tive per
cent. of pig iron.
The ore supply of this district is prin-
cipally derived from the red fossilifer-
GUS ores of RED Mountain" northeast
of the city-the veins measuring some
twenty feet thick at the outcrop, eX-
tending at an angle of twenty degrees
to an unknown depth. Some of these
slopes have been driven down Il thous-
and feet. with no deterioration in quail
ity or diminution in the size of the vein
and no indication of either Nature
has laid up here in this Red Mountain,
alone, a supply for generations.
This mountain. we are told. carries
this vein of like good and thickness
for a distance of ten miles northeast
and fifteen miles southwest of Birming-
ham. \ rough calculation shows that
his one magnificent vein. If mined to
ii depth of only 1000 feet. would supply
all the present furnaces of Alabama for
II period of $40 years. The ores of this
district are classified as red" and
"brown'-thc former subdivided into
two grades known as hard" and
soft Limestone and dolOmte in vast
stratas are still more bounteously be-
slowed than coal and iron ore. In the
northern states of Pennsylvania, Ohio.
Indiana and Wisconsin are found mar
VelOuS deposits of coal and iron ore
which comprise the basis of the iron
industry at Pittsburg, Homestead. etc.
but at birmingham and vicinity there
exists not only ineXhaustibe deposits
of both coal and iron ore but also vast
beds of limestone, all within stones
throw of each other.
A remarkable feature to relate is that
Il visitor can stand in certain localities
upon a. twenty foot vein of iron ore,
and from the open mouth of iron mines,
cast a stone by hand into that of Il
coal mine and without moving from his
tracks, toss another pebble into Il
quarry of limestone. lying near at
hand, while in the valleys around is
limestone enough to tluX the ore of the
world and above all can see corn and
cotton growing on top of the coal, ore,
and limestone measures. We are told
that one great Red Mountain iron ore
vein runs parallel with the Alabama
Southern railroad for 164 miles, averag-
ing in thickness over twenty feet, by
two miles wide, with an average analy-
sis of fifty per cent. of metallic iron.
1t is this close proximity of these, as
one says. "Three Graces," which makes
it possible to produce iron at Bipming-
ham at less cost than ut any other
point known to man on the surface of
the earth.
1t is confidently asserted by the
"Commercal Club" of this city, and
those in position to know, that pig
iron can be put on the cars at Brming-
ham at IL net cost of $4,000 six dollars
per ton, and steel at eleven dollars
when quotations have been elsewhere
nearly doubled 1t is thus seen that
Birmingham's present position in the
commercial world AS Il producer of
coal, coke, pig iron, and steel, and as il |
railroad center of much Importance is |
directly attributable to the limtless de- |
pOsts- of coal, iron ore. and limestone |
of the district. She Is sending ore to |
Tennessee, pig iron to cultured Bos- |
ton, to the granite hills of New |
Hampshire, to frigid Maine. to torrid |
Mexico and to the Pacific coast. The |
claim Is made that the Birmingham |
district furnishes over three -fOurths of |
the pig iron that Is yearly exported |
from the United States: altogether 22S- |
200 tons of pig iron of which 10000 tons |
are sent from this district 1t takes |
less to put ton of Alabama pig iron |
IN dock at Liverpool, Genoa. Amster- |
lam, Trieste, Marsailles and Hamburg, |
Copenhagen, where it now goes i'm |
arSer quantities than 1t does to New |
York. The rail rate to the Gulf per |
ton lSl.50) Is cheap and the cotton ves- |
sells need Alabama steel and iron for |
ballast, Alabama steel is now invading |
the markets of Pittsburg and other
northern producers just as its iron has |
found its way into the worlds markets |
for the last six years.
THE CITY'S GROWTH.
Birmingham, from the very begin
ming of the present industrial life of |
Alabama, has taken the lead and main
tanned II. Her growth, as if by magic, !
during the past decade. has been the
wonder of the times, and to day the
leading city of Alabama, "A great in
dustrial beehive. and the one of the
chief centers of the industrial, South.
This American Birmingham. like Bir-