The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-17
Properties Being Put in Shape
 for Economical Production NEW FURNACES FOR ENSLEY
The Work of Development and Ex. ransion on Broad and Solid Lines Being Steadily Pushed-A
 Full Financial Exhibit.

Chairman Don H. Bacon of the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company has completed his report for the year ending December s1 1902, and it will be submitted to the stockholders at their annual meet ing in April The full text of the report and the financial statement of the com pany follow:
 To the Stockholders of the Tennessee
 Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
 The efforts of your directors and officers have been largely given to the putting of your properties in shape for eeonomical production. Considerable has been accom- nIisbed in this direction and much re- mains to do.
 Since 1899 this company has owned furnace plant at Sheffield, Aia.' anu comparatively small ore body. Addltionai boilers. engines and other equipment were needed at the furnaces, but the outlay was not warranted by the ore at com mand, and to acquire quanuty to iast for many years would have meant large investment. The distance was too great to permit large investment ne distance was too great to permit ship- ments from your ore mines near Birmlhs- ham, and it was necessary to suppy coAe from the Birmingham district. with rail movement of 1S9 miles. Your dlrectors' therefore sold your Sheffield property and will use the money toward the erec- ton of new furnaces at Ensley, where
 aat close proximity.
 Larue New Furnaces.
 It has been decided to erect immeolateiy a large furnace at Ensley and later to re- plaee four of the stacks now there with others of much greater capacity. The new furnaces will have ample boiler stove and blowing power they will have bins for ore, stone and coke, SKID holsts and other labor-saving devices ana VIII be up-to-date in design and detail. A wa ter-purifying plant has been placed Ill service at the Ensley furnaces and has reduced the fuel consumption, increased the efficiency of the boilers and decreased the repairs heretofore necessary.
 Your Oxmoor furnaces were idle rom March, 1901, until November, l9O2' since which date one stack has been in blast.
 Coke oven gas, which has heretofore been a waste product at nearly all of your ovens. is now used to make steam for hoisting and pumping. and will soon steam the boilers that are to run the eiec- tric power and light station, now being constructed to supply all of our furnaces. mills and shops at Ensley.
 Generators and motors have been or dered for the equipment of some or your coal mines with electric haulage and light, and at other coal mines hoists, boilers and compressors are being placed.
 Red Mountain Ore.
 Your iron mines on Red mountain are being equipped almost throughout with compressors and hoists of the best de- sign, the former with power far beyond those now in use, and the latter with rope capacity for hoisting ore from depth of 450O feet. It was found necessary to discard nearly all of the boilers because of their weakness. New boilers, that are ample in power and economical In the use of fuel, are now in place. The water for the supply of the boilers and for gem eral use on the mining locations Is pumped for a distance of nearly mile, and 1t was necessary to lay pipes Of larger capacity than those heretofore in use, and to set up new boilers and pumps. Before the end of the present year these mines will be prepared to make larger product than heretofore, and at greatly reduced cost Machine and blacksmith shops have been erected at the iron mines in which is now done the work that has heretofore been done at some distance, at great cost, and often at a serious loss, by reason of delay. A number of dwellings have been erected, so that our employees may be more comfortably housed. Hos pitals have been built. at which our em- nlovees receive as prompt and skilled at- tention as is provided by the most careful emnlover. It is the intention to offer the advantages of the hospitals and of the services of the surgeons and physicians to our employees at the Bessemer and i Oxmoor furnaces.
 | Brown Ore at Greeley. On land owned by this company at 1 Greeley. twenty-seven miles from Bir- mingham. large bodies of brown ore have been opened and shipments rom them to your Birmingham furnaces will be in- creased. A steam shovel is used Tor removing the dirt that overlies the ore, which largely reduces the cost. Later a shovel will be used for mining, and saving effected thereby.
 With better methods, reduction in the cost of mining limestone. amounting to "A cents per ton. has been, effected, and 1t