The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-15
BY WILL T STEPHAN.


 plete geological collection. I daresay any Southern State would be pleased to have it. It Is probably the largest
 and most complete collection south of the Smithsonian Institute at Washing | ton.
 Now there may be few other larger collections scattered around the country, but many of the specimens | are bought from professional dealers on the by the dozen plan. When it comes to a question of collection which represents the minerals, in fact all geological formations-well, I don't believe I'd swap with any of them." Dr. Eugene A. Smith feels, as he may we'll feel, pride. just pride, in the l splendid geological collection in the I University of Alabama. It has been | half century in the forming. And practically all of it has been brought into the University by the State Geolo- list whose energy Is hardly less char | acteristic than his learning. Thou | sands of the specimens were dug up | by his own hands or broken off with his own hammer. There is hardly a glen or a dell in the State that has not received the tapping of his ham, | mer.
 Since the early sixties, with some intermission, he has as man and boy been connected with the University of | Alabama. As young man he won degree from Hei 1elberg. life time | devoted to o'the study and the exploita- tion of the mineral and geological char | acteristics of the State could not be without tangible results The splen- all immense floor space IS only one of these results.
 There are other results, other achievements, which bear upon the enormous coal and iron industries of Alabama. How much the study, the researches and the investigations of the State Geological Survey may have contributed to the marvellous develop ment of the mineral riches of Alabama might not be easily estimated. The story of the finding, the growth and the development of the buried treas- ures of Alabama reads like fairy tale.
 The Buried Treasures. The anti-bellum Alabamian toiled on his farm and unknowingly walked upon mineral wealth, whose later develop ment has made the fabled wealth of Croesus seem like a bankruptcy peti- ton.
 In the equatorial seas an old story has it that a big passenger steamer moving majestically to Rio Janeiro was arrested by a small schooner franti- cally waving signals of distress. As the steamer drew near the schooner signalled Help. we are dying of thirst" The big steamer halted and signalled back, Let down your buckets"
 The men aboard obeyed the order and drew the buckets up not filled with salt water, but with water fresh. sparkling and grateful to the parched thirsts. Without knowing 1t they had been sailing opposite the huge mouth 0f ba ty,ay, of fresh water had beaten back the salt water for many miles out at sea.
 The older Alabamians stumbled upon the buried treasures that Alabama holds within her bosom, but left them unnoticed, for their was then, in those days. no one to signal, Let down your bucket" The hill dweller did not know that his $40 farm on the noun tain side held s400.0O0 worth of coal and iron. To recite the history of the finding and early development of the States astonishing wealth of coal and iron properly belongs to another occa- sion. even as does any sort of outline of the importance of these interests. It Is within the bounds of both space and propriety, however, to allude to the way that Proft ssor Smith and his State Department helped along those things which have been of SO great a value to the State of Alabama. The way in which the investigations, the ex- l plorations. the analysis of the mineral deposits was made. the way in which the results attained were set down and published had their own effect upon l the exploitation and growth of the States's underground The capitalist who has money to invest in mines, and it takes no little money to dig and operate mines. wants assurances before he parts from his money. It has pass ed into an awkward but strong proverb that Capital Is the tenderest plant that grows
 A Spur to Investment.
 The assurances that capital needs, the lure that has brought much of 1t to | Alabama, is contained In the many pub l lications upon the mineral deposts of the State written and sent out by Dr. Smith and his associates.
 | It was surprise to learn that no less than thirty of those publications have been written, printed and distri- buted by Dr. Smith and his co-laborers in his department.
 Everything that affects the mineral deposits or the geology of Alabama is treated of in these publications To illustrate this, there is now in prepara- tion by this department a bulletin to be called a preliminary Report on the Artesian and other Underground Waters of the State" This Is itself publication that will have no incon- siderable value to the people of every section of Alabama, for the movement for pure artesian water is widespread
 The work of the Geological Depart ment has by no means been confined to the coal and iron deposits fin Ala bama. although they are by far the most important mineral interests of the State. While the State Is extra aordina- rily rich In iron and coal. the trained geologist at the university has delved into the geological formation of every section of Alabama. The wide scope of the departmental publications em- braces sands. clays. marls. marble, ce- ment rocks, Ignite, limestone. artesian water. pottery clays. coal, iron, ores, fluxing stones, gold copper. pyrites and what not. And, by the way. Dr. Smith mentions localities in Ala bama where he is quite positive gold can be mined at a profit.
 Coal and Iron.
 It may not be generally known, but 1t is nevertheless a fact that Alabama ranks third of all the States in the union in the production of iron ores For the year of 1902. the figures. of which are at hand. she produced B. 574.474 long tons. This had a vaiua- tion of $110 a ton which was less than of any other State in the union with one possible exception. Alabama stands fourth in the production of pig iron among the States of the union
 In the coal producing States of the