The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-18
PRESIDENT DON H. BACON WASO ON
 WITNESS STAND NEARLY ALL DAY.
COMPANY A OF WOODLAWN
 HAS BEEN MUSTERED OUT

Company A, Third regiment Alabama National guard. was mustered out of serv- ice last night at it's armory in Woodlawn by Captain Walter E. Gardner, quarter master and commissary of the regiment. and Captain Hughes B. Kennedy, adju- tant.
 The property of the company. including the guns, uniforms and other equipment, was delivered to Captain Gardner, by whom it will be held until it is decided in which part of the Birmingham district to muster in another company.
 The company was mustered out as direct result of the lack of interest and poor discipline which it has shown re- gently. While it was in encampment at Montgomery with the Third regiment re- gently it made the poorest showing of any of the companies, and Adjutant Gen eral Brandon at once decided to muster it out
 Orders for mastering out were issued about month ago. but were not exc cuted at once, owing to the inability to
 s-s-s-s-...-.s- ton. The ships carrying from 5000 to 5000 tons are loaded in 50 to 50 minutes. (Mr. Bacon describes process of ore ship load ing) The modern vessel is being un- loaded at a cost of 2.10 cents per ton Until about three years ago the ore was shoveed into buckets and hoisted. The price then was F cents per ton and 4 cents per ton for running back into the doolr fr,fa Yl-. unload the ore by machinery entirely.
 The Furnaces.
 When I came here in 1901 the Tennes- see company did not have and has not now modern furnace. Roughly speak ing the daily production of the best fur naces in the Pittsburg district is TOO to 800 tons day. We cannot get such pro auction here, as ore is too lean. It is necessary in order that the Birmingham district shall remain in the business that new and modern furnaces be built. The companies must rebuild present furnaces or build new ones. Many up-to-date fur naces have just been finished in the Pittsburg district and the middle west. and some here.
 The coal mine equipment is the same now as when I came here in 1901. To put mines in proper condition will in- volve great outlay.
 To put our iron mines on a parity with others there will be a total outlay neces- sary of not less than SS50,OOO. At the coal mines we must sink two or more shafts. installing electric power and this would cost s5OO.Ooo It would be we'll to have electric equipment at other mines as for example the Blue Creek
 Cost of Modern Furnaces.
 The company has fourteen furnaces. five at Ensley, five at Bessemer, two in Birmingham and two in Oxmoor. To make these furnaces modern it will cost the Tennessee company not less than $50O,0O0 per furnace. The cost of our new furnace at Ensley is $542,0O0. We are preparing to discard all our blowing en- zines. We ought to be able to blow fifteen to eighteen pounds at all times and twenty to twenty-five pounds in an emergency. We have only one that will blow thirteen pounds and many that will not do eight to ten pounds.
 For the year ending January 1, 1902, our total net earnings was $76000O We used it all for Improvements. During the year ending January 1. 1903, we made $1,- S6o00o and used it all for Improvements. During the first six months of 1903 we