The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-10-25
MR. SAYRE PLEASED
 WITH THt DISTRICT
Accompanied by Other Capital
 ists He Makes Inspection
GREAT MANY MINES OPEN
He Says Birmingham Is Only Fulfill ing Predictions He Made Several Years Ago-Tells Good
 illustrative Story.

Robert sayre president of the sayre Mining and Manufacturing company and one of the pioneer capitalists interested in the Birmingham district, and A. N. cleaver and W A. Lathrop. both promi- nent men in the Lehigh Valley district of Pennsylvania. have returned to the city from their tour of inspection of the sayre properties at Sayre, a small station in Jefferson county, on the North Alabama road
 Mr. Sayre organized a company about year ago to develop the coal proper ties he owns, and now tho company Is getting out and shipping about 300 tons of coal a day. A nice town has been built and there are about 80 miners houses, two churches, and all the office buildings necessary for operating the plant In the next year or two MT. Sayre hopes and ex- poets to be mining S0OO0o tons annually from this place. Other Improvements will be made rapidly.
 The company controls about 2ioo acres of coal lands at Sayre, and MT. Sayre owns about 13,0O0 acres In that neighbor- hood himself. The lands operated by the company belong to him. A shaft has 5een sunk 12Oo feet Into the vein. The town ot Sayre Is just two and one-half miles from Littleton. on the Warrior river, and the sayre property extends about six miles along the river.
 MT. 5ayre Talks.
 In speaking of the improvements in that locality, MT. Sayre said yesterday:
 Tn the past year or so a great many mines have been opened up along this branch road of twenty-four miles. built by the Louisville and Nashville, anc now there is a mine about every three miles along the road. They are all doing well. and are the result of the movement we started In that direction.
 "As to Birmingham, 1t is only fulfill ing the predictions I made for 1t as far back as 1869, when I first came to this portion of the country and bought up furnace coal and iron properties. It has had the most remarkable growth of any city I know of. Mir. Lathrop, president Of one of the biggest companies In the Lehigh valley, Is here for his first trip, and he is wonderfully impressed. He says he never believed or realized the immense resources of this district before he came here and saw with his own eyes. He is thoroughly capable of realizing the con ditions as he Is a coal man himself.
 A Good Story.
 'I once heard a story which I believ, illustrates the coal and iron ore beds of Alabama better than anything else As all students of iron and coal know there are deposits all along from Penn sylvania south through Virginia, Tennes see and other southern states. It varies in width at different places. In Alabama 1t spreads out. The story goes that wher the gods sent out their messengers to dis. tribute the metals they sent woman through the portions of the earth which is now America. She carried the ores and metals in her apron and scattered them all along through the states until she came to Alabama, when she grew tired and Just dopped what remained right there.
 "I was one of the the directors in the Pioneer Mining and Manufacturing com pany, coming here with George Thomas 1 Tn 1SbJ Ae 0au 10 COiue Dy SidBe d poi tion of the way, and finally bought up properties near Tannehill. We made im- provements and afterwards built the two furnaces at Thomas, which were suppos- ed to be the finest in Alabama. We sold out to the Republic comapny after wards.
 "I have always bought coal lands In the state. and now own about 13,O0C acres. Just to show the immense devel- opment of the lands, we bought 1760 acres on which Thomas now stands for $4 ar acre. and now that property is worth al least 5000 an acre. The furnaces are lo cated on this 1760 acre tract.
 More firmly than ever l believe 1T Alabama and although 1 have passed my four score years all the money l have in the future to invest will be put il Alabama"