New-York tribune., 1905-01-28
ALABAMA IRON AND STEEL.
Remarkable Grouth of Industrial
Production at Birmingham.


teally all the iron ores OF the State marked the
real beginning Of the SoGth's worldwide dominat-
Ing influence in iron and steel Since then this
district has taken a new Importance IN its rela-
ton to the Industrial world and evidences Of
greatly increased development are at hand The
steel plants already here running 70 their full
capacity; the rail mills with a capacity OF 1900
tons month. are sold ahead for the entire year
OF 1906; the wire and nail mills arranging for
duplication OF their old plant. and several OF the
larger iron companies in the district arranging
20 begin the manufacture OF steel while outside IN
terests are making Investigations with a view 20
Identifying themselves with the district.
In study OF conditions they exist here TO-
day II may be Of interest to briefly review some Of
the facts relating 10 Birmingham's situation and
the important developments which have already
occurred. Birmingham's peculiarly advantageous
location with reference to the materials entering
into iron manufacture are generally known On
the top OF Red Mountain, almost within stones
throw OF this citys centre may see the edges Of
the great Warrior coal fields side and Of the
Coosa and Cahaba fields the other BY the
State Geological Survey II is shown that the War
rior coal field covers 5000 square miles the Cahaba
400 and the Coosa 175. Throughout these fields are
a number Of coal seams. having in many places an
aggregate thickness Of seventyfve feet and assur-
Ing. so authorities declare supply ot coking coal
sufficient to last thousands OF years at a much
greater rate OF mining Production than the present
ROOo,9Oo tons a year. Red Mountain contains q "a
foot vein OF red fossiIiferous ore extending ten
miles northeast and fifteen miles southwest OF
birmingham. Some of the slopes IN the district
have been driven down 100 feet, without
showing any deterioration in the quality OF the
or diminution in the thickness OF the vein These
are the ores principally used in the furnaces OF
this district, although very high grade brown ore
Is being mined in this and seven other Alabama
counties. and used by all companies which have
a supply of it, and recently deposits OF a sllperfor
gray ore Of such astonishing quantity as to sur
prise even the most optimistic persons
No attempt has been made 70 estimate accurately
the quantity Of iron ore IN the Alabama mineral
region The supply may almost be called mex
haustible. In the valleys between the hills q lime
stone enough II is declared to 1ux the ores OF the
~hole world; and thus all the requisites for
4rohlnaAing found here side by side and may De
therefore most economically assembled Consequent
~ the entire district has advantage n the pro-
duction OF iron which allows Birrinshau to nractf
cally nx the pig iron prices world II was in
1880 that this important epoch IN the history OF the
INDUSTRY was begun In that year. TO the astouish-
ment OF almost the entire iron world II was
demonstrated that Alabama Mig iron .o,,I5
De laid down IL Liverpool, grade for grade
az less than the price Of MiddIesboro iron
shipped across England TO that point To-
oay the birmingham quotation makes the price
Tor every ton sold in the United States Birmfng-
nam plg Is now known and esteemed the world
over II is sold in every State in the Union and has
also Deea sold 70 eighteen foreign countries in
Guiding England. Germany, Italy India and South
Africa, and the Pig Iron Warrant Association Of
Great Britain has issued a ruling naming elevan
Southern brands Of iron that NAV be delivered on
warrants calling for English Scotch iron One
year 2S7,0Oo tons sold abroad. ADVANTAGES
LOT steel making are equally as great for iron.
and. henceforth. Alabama steel is expected 10
hold as strong position as pig iron now does For
many purposes satisfactory results cannot bA oh
talned without. at least, adnixture OF Southern
iron. Southern iron makes the smoOthest castings
and good stoves for one thing. cannot it is said,
be made without II. BY the census Of 1900 II was
shown that no other State produced so large Il
quantity Of foundry iron as Alabama Some OF the
Birmingham brands are especially adapted to high
grade castings. and important machinery and ma
chine tool manufacturing centres. Ike Dayton
Springfield and Hamilton Ohio. are especially
large consumers Of Birmingham pig So too is
Lansing Mich. and Philadelphia while Provi-
dence. r. l., buys quantities Of Birmingham iron
for locomotive building. and New-England even
uses it in the manufacture Of cotton mill machin-
cry, which she sells TO the South.
In this connection it may be noted that until re-
Gently the activities of this community of 100 600
people have been largely directed toward producing
sem-raw materials for conversion into finished
products in places quite remote. When the bust
ness boom is on there is much money in ma king
pig iron, in mining coal and in selling coke And
thus it has come to pass that the Birmingham dis
trict has been built up largely these lines Biz
mingham has thtrty-two modern coke furnaces. and
the district turned about 100000 tons Of pig
iron in 1904. Under the developments Of more di-
veTsihed industries. which has now well begun
there were some 500 900 tons worked into steel rails
nails wire. castings, stoves etc. although il is still
Alabama is manufactured elsewhere Without go
ing into great detail. it may be mentioned that
boiler shops in the district; excepting cotton pins
practically all the machinery used in cotton and
cottoEseed oil manufacture comes from ne Norm
and from New-England, and only are all ma
Ghlne tools lathes drills etc, made elsewhere but
there is not one manufactory here Of such things
as scales, picks, shOvels, wire rope. chains ham
anviis 'oo-7' OF even
Compared with New England which has an in,
dustrial life of well nigh two hundred and seventy
the very beginning OF the Colonial settlements tbs
the she'll While it is true that Charcoal T6aes 915 "a
was built here as long ago 1878. and that some
on what is now known the Birmingham district
and through what was. perhaps. the most com
was well Of the riches IL contained and U-as
only prevented from undertaking its extensive de-
VeIopment by the impending war. Yet BIRMINGHAM
was not founded till 1871. and IL was not nm TVT5
that the manufacture OF iron here baeys, - =. -o.7
s1,r7a Sar-r-- - -O1S DeEdh 10 as
entire iron production of the State was no rnors
than 77.I90 tons that the main deveioDrnert| | rs
difficulties the South has had 10 Overcome tb- ,La0
tore, there IS good reason Tor the surprise mani
rested by all who come here TO discover me al
yancement that has been made In a distrfct
that thiTty-fve years ago unoccupied ssvs -
scattered corndelds there Is now an in3I1Srri & ~
munlty creating products estimated TO De Of an
annual value OF S0Oo00oO While the Biruinghano
district itself Is usually defined as fnCIT,Ij- ~
dozen S or more cities and towns which environ il
LOT an extreme Stretch or twenty-five miles uD and
down the valley. Yet IL IS the fact thar ~ i-H~
anu sleel Industries or all the cities OF Alabama
ment; and the furnaces and works located In then7
are In most instances owned and CONTROLLED nv
trCt. ----No--AlH us
II is asserted that in the various operations in
this district, including coal mining tbsTs - i,1,-.I
ed AT this time nearly 500 900 coo capital The-a -
men whose wage earnings (by the rieSe5 rIIT Co2 1
90 tons m - q ry; anu whose product Of some 12 OOO