The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-12
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
BROADENING or THE MARKET
 FUR COAL.
Alabama Miners and Operators Com plimented on the Spirit With Which They Met to Settle
 Wage Dispute.

Alabama Miners and Operafors Com
 plimented on the Spirit Win
 Which They Met to Settle
 Wage Dispute.
 
 Baltimore, Sept. n.-(Special. )--Re- calling a statement made about twenty years ago by H. M. Chance. of the Penn sylvania Geological Survey. that the out put of bituminous coal in the country might by 1910 reach 200. o0.0o0 tons. that Pennsylvania might get up to 70.000 900 tons, though the growth in West Virginia might cut this to 5s00o.0oo tons, F. ,E. Seward writes in this weeks issue of the Manufacturers' Record that as matter of fact in 1902 the output of Pennsyivania had grown to es.0oo.000 tons, of West Wifi ginia to 25,5Oo.ooo tons. and of the whole country to 254.0oo00o tons. He adds:
 ''As our production of coal increases we will naturally have something beyond home requirements. and there will be an opportunity to send coal abroad. We should have trade to Mediterranean ports. Within the past month have had many inquiries from abroad. These show that interest Is again awakening, and as our prices are getting dow nto normal we ought to be in a position to do business again. I have always been firm believer in the possibilities of shipping our coal to the continent of Europe.
 Another market which is surely open to us is that of Mexico The largest users of coal in Mexico are the railroads and industrial centers. The requirements are purely along the lines of securing cheap coal for manufacturing purposes which make the question of supplies an impor- tant one to almost every new undertak- ing. At present the principal quality of coal used Is medium-grade bituminous steam coal. The grades imported into Mexico are Pocahontas, McAlester. Pair mont, Davis. Alabama, New Mexico and Texas. The coals of the southwest reach Mexico by rail. but the Northern coals of the United States are shipped largely from the Eastern seaboard at Tampico. Prices of coal range from $3.75 to A.75 per ton at Laredo, to $15 and $20 in the more inaccessible places. The average price at Fl Paso is from $ to H gold. Belgium. Germany and England have been making efforts to introduce coal into Mex leo, but with very little success. as the American coal of the same quality has had the advantage of the economy de- rived from the short haul.
 There are new concerns opening up territory in West Virginia, and this coal will be wanted when 1t Is ready, for as the old mines are worked out there must be new ones opened. for coal does moi grow again; there Is no new crop on the old ground. as in corn or cotton. Ever on the Kanawha' this is true, and there fore one need not be surprised to learn that such an extensive concern as tho Marmet Company has recently acquired another big tract of coal lands on the Kanawha river. The last purchase is l.. 900 acres in extent and lies seventeen miles from Charleston. The newly-acquir ed land is only few miles from the pur. chase of the company in that vicinity made year ago. The latest deal includes many coke ovens, and the concern will be in shape to do an extensive business 1T that line.
 "The coal roads are getting in shape tt do an increased business. as there ii likely to be very active trade this fal and winter. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad officials report a large quantity of coa being moved and that the company's ia cilities for handling the coal are bettel than ever before. They say there ar' more cars and locomotives in use thar at any other time in the history of thu | road. and there Is absolutely no danger of a short supply by reason of the roat not being able to move the product from the mines to the market. The Norfolk ant W cotcfh Out6tOWh sHC POoStuiti I ties of a single-track road, and to mee this new condition a considerable amour of double-tracking has been done. Simul
 taneously with the progress of this worl i changes in alignment are being made | Curves are being taken out and grade | cut down and the whole road is beint | whipped. into such shape as will enabl
 fhe handling of maximum train loads a the minimum of expense. This will meal large dividends later on, but for thu present it seems to be considered tha | the interests of stockholders can best b. served by putting earnings back into tn | property.
 Nov that there has been settlemen | of the wage question in Alabama, on may expect to see a larger output o coal. It Is expected that the demand fo | coal will continue to improve until ther | will be need for more than can be gottel out. It Is feared that another car short age Is going to be on this coming win ter which will cause iron and coal price | both to go up. The coal production Il | Alabama to-day Is greater than 1t ha been in four months. Preparations ar being made to increase this quantity al ready, the Pratt Company soon to be il a position to have daily output, and ol a large scale, of coal from it's mines il Jefferson county. The Bessemer Land am Improvement Company will also be read, to mine coal from recently opened mine on a large scale in the next few weeks The Southern Railway will build a 12 mile extension in Bibb county to reacl some undeveloped coal fields, and in re turn there will be big development.
 Settled labor conditions in Aiabam will be productive of further developmen there. One of the results of the awar' by the wage-scale arbitration commission made itself manifest when it was state' that Pennsylvania coal operators wer looking out for place for the location o a large mine As soon as the award wa announced a representative opened nego tiations for any available lands tha might be found. As soon as the. location is selected one of the largest mines in thu district will be opened. It Is stated thu eagerness with which both sides agreed to arbitration of their difficulties had it weight in determining the investment O considerable capital in the Birmingham district It was one of the clever thing that work was not suspended while thu matters in dispute were under investiga tion This most reasonable condition sure ly reflects great credit upon all persons concerned or connected in any way witt the coal industry of Alabama"
 The Art of Getting to Sleep.