The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-05
OPENING MINERAL
 LANDS IN ETOWAH
CHICAGO CAPITAL IS DEVELOPING VALUABLE PROPERTY NEAR AL. TooNA-sUPT. ROBINSON RE- sIGNs-oTHER NEWS.

Gadsden, September 1. = Especially = George Van Zandt Chicago capitalist. who owns extensive mineral lands in the western portion of Etowah county, is busy opening up some extensive coal mines near Altoona There are 750 acres in one tract of land near Altoona, which contains two large workable seams of the very best coal for steam and coking pur- poses, while 600 acres of the land carry both seams. At present twelve openings are being made and 1t is proposed to get out 1000 tons daily. As soon as the mines are opened and put in full working order fully 800 miners will be employed and some two hundred cottages will be erect ed. Within the next ten days the Louis- vile and Nashville will begin laying side tracks to the mines and will be ready to haul the coal by the time the mines are open. MT. Van Zandt also owns large body of fine coal lands near Aurora. on Sand mountain. further north, and these will be opened in a short while M A. Woods is also opening up some fine coal mines near Altoona and in a short while Altoona will be one of the largest SodiiHS itBlOuS III the state.
 D. E. Robinson, who has been super intendent of the open-hearth furnaces be- Ing constructed by the Alabama Steel and Wire company in this city, has resigned ms position to accept one with the United states Steel corporation. As yet he does not know whether he will be employed at the homestead plants or the new ones now being built. Mr. Robinson was with the tennessee Coal and Iron companys steel works at Ensley before he became associated with the SchuIers and also built the steel plant at Fort Payne. As yet no successor has been named for Mir hopinson and may not be until the con- struction is further advanced.
 J. K. Lenning who has for the past three years been the local freight agent here for the Louisville and Nashville, has been promoted to a splendid position In the division offices at Anniston and will leave Gadsden just as soon as his successor is named.
 Sam Massey, who operates a saw mill at Long Hollow, near Guntersville, lost his mill by fire last Thursday night, and he has strong suspicious that it was the work of an incendary. In the course of business MT. Massey has had some Iiti- gation, and as a consequence he has in- cured the enmity of some of his neigh bors and employees. Thursday, while he was away across the river looking for a new location, some one set fire to his plant, and the saw mill. machinery and stock were consumed by fire. His loss will reach some $3OO0 with no insur- ance.
 Labor conditions at the steel plant now are better than they have been since the plant was located here, and the work Is progressing nicely. A full complement of men are now engaged, and Ritter x Con- nelly are moving forward with the struc- tural iron work in a hurry. The big build ings are going up rapidly
 At the close of the cotton season here August 21 there was not single bale of cotton in the Gadsden warehouses, while the receipts were considerably less than was ever known before, being less than COCO. It is expected that the receipts this year will go over the 10000 mark.