The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-15
THE STATE OF ALABAMA'S
 GEOLOGICAL DEP APARTMENT
At University is Probably Most Complete Col lection of Specimens South of Smithsonian
 Institute in Washington.

war practically no coal was dug in the State. In 1874 the total output of coal mined in the State of Alabama was 4s0,000 tons. In the year of 1903 the production had jumped to tho enor-
 nous figures of 11,700,763 tons. And | the coal crop for that year was val
 ued at the immense fortune of S1s,- O00,00
 So much for the figures which show the fortunes that have been taken from and the fortunes that are still in fthe coal and ore mines of the State. The wide spread mineral and geologi- cal collection of Dr. Smith is a thing of astonishment to every visitor upon I his first view of 1t. The size of 1t first astonishes him. Three rooms and two large halls are filled with the things that pertain to the State Geolog- ical Department. The rooms are fill- ed and the walls are lined with the , cases which contain the items in this remarkable collector. Every known mineral in the State has a place in it. Every form of iron ore, every form of coal is represented here.
 And did you know that valuable stones, valuable jewels, were found in Alabama? One man who has travelled about the State quite a deal and whc brides himself upon a more or less fa- miliar acquaintance with It's products and its conditions didn't know 1t.
 But Doctor Smith, unlocking a case. held up a glittering gem saying: No tice this! It is a very fine baryl found in Alabama. On my finger here I have a rather pretty ring that is made of Alabama gold and its setting is one of these beautiful stones. Right over there you will notice a valuable mug get of gold. It came from Cleburne County"
 Alabama Jewelry.
 Continuing he picked up half a dozen lovely stones of a robins egg blue color. These" he said. "are tur- quoises. You will observe that they have taken on a beautiful polish. They were found by me in Clay County on a farm at Franklin. near the boyhood home of Senator John T. Morgan. am absolutely convinced that there is good money to be made in the gather ing and selling of these Clay County turquoises. The owners of the land on which they are found do not seem in- clined to take advantage of the oppor- tunIties that have been pointed out to them"
 But the Alabama gems form only an item in the extensive museum of Dr. Smith. The mere catalogue of the in- teresting features of this collection and this museum would fili the space occupied by one of these letters.
 There is for instance case of rare itemsl which belong to the Pathological part of the museum. The specimens In this case are none the less rare be- cause they are found in Alabama not so many miles from the University. They are mainly Indian relies from Moundville, which is so rich in Indian relics and to which the University of Pennsylvania recently sent a party of exploring scientists. Some of the burial pots with their covers made of soapstone, chiselled and decorated, are the envy of museums throughout the United States.
 A most valuable adjunct to the col. lection is the Mohr Herbarium. In this collection there are no less than 2,500 species of every Towering plant and flower grown in Alabama without cul- tivation. The Forestry collection made by the same scientist, Dr. Mohr. is hardly less valuable. It contains 125 species of native woods of Alabama ar. ranged in blocks in book shape. In gathering this comprehensive collec- tion of flowers and trees Dr. Mohr was assisted by Dr. Smith, who se- cured the collection for the University.
 Details of the Collection.
 A compliment to this collection is' the splendid collection of Alabama mosses. lichens. fungi etc. made by Judge Thomas NJ, Peters, a distin- guished lawyer of North Alabama and learned amateur botanist.
 Close by is the fine collection of Ala bama birds made by the late Dr. Avery of Greensboro. Tn it are 900 specimens of bird skins containing $50 different species.
 An honored place in the museum is given the remarkable collection of Ala bama shells made by T. H. Aldrich of Birmingham. carefully gathered and mounted without regard to expense. Other features of this museum, which is in itself well worth a trip to the University, are the Fornmel collection of 1000 specimens of European fossils. the Schowalter collection of minerals and fossils, the gift of the late Dr. E.. R. Schowalter; a special collection of con- cretionary forms, specimens in alcohol of the marine invertebrates of the At lantic coast, a collection of specimens in alcohol of the fishes of Mobile Bay. made by Dr. Mohr; a collection of rep tiles made by Dr. Tuomey.
 But after all, the pride of the col lection, that to which Dr. Smith has devoted the larger part of his time and his attention, is the large and complete series of rocks, minerals and fossils. representing every form of the geolog- ical formation of the State. It Is es- pecially rich in specimens of iron ore and in the specimens Illustrative of the coal deposits.
 Dr. Smith has but one regret, when he considers or discusses his collection. l With all the space 1t covers he has not yet sufficient room for its safety or it's display The University just now Is over-crowded. Not only in the Geolog- ical Department, but In every depart ment. The necessity for additional buildings is now pressing and the pres- sure grows greater with every month.