The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-17
24O,OOO,0OO TONS OF
COAL AT TIDEWATER
Leake Tells What Opening of
Warrior Means
GREAT BOOST FOR MOBILE
Coal Can Be Put at That Port for SOC
Ton-Flne Work Done BY
Messrs. Bankhead and
Underwood.

Two hundred and forty million tons of
coal is the estimate of the experts as
available for water transportation to Mo-
bile port with the opening of the Warrior
to the Mulberry and Locust forks.
The rivers and harbors committee of
the House will recommend the appro-
priation of $22OO,0OO for the purpose OF
building seven additional locks on the
Warrior river, which will make 1t navl-
gable to the forks, Al miles above Tus-
caloosa.
Congress will, in all probability, make
the appropriation recommended by the
rivers and harbors committee, of which
Congressman Burton is chairman, for
the chairman is considered the best in
formed man in the world on the rivers
and harbors matters.
Leake Tells What 1t Means.
Just what the appropriation will cover
and what it will mean to the Birmingham
district was outlined yesterday by w. e.
Leake, who gave expert testimony before
the rivers and harbors committee re-
Gently.
The appropriation will pay for the con-
struction of seven additional locks. At
present Congress has appropriated money
for locks as far up as eight miles above
Tuscaloosa, and this work Is being rap
idly completed. The seven locks pro-
vided for by the committee report Will
make the river navigable Al miles above
Tuscaloosa, and the river at that point
is between Jefferson and Walker coun-
ties so that it will effect the coal fields
of both
The last of the locks will be located
at Taylor's Ferry we'll known point
on the river. 1t will throw "shoal water"
above the mouth of Lost Creek on the
Mulberry fork and about four miles up
the Locust fork, which is the fork nearest
Birmingham.
When the last lock is completed 1t will
open 100000 acres of coal carrying the
Pratt group of seams, and 10000 acres
carrying the Dig seam.
The Yield from the Pratt group of
seams Is estimated at 1OO,0OO,OOO tons, and
the yield from the big seam Is esti-
mated at 14O,O0O,0OO tons; total of 24O,-
100000 tons of coal which would be yield
ed to river navigation.
Some of this coal is outcrop and some
of it can be mined by shallow shafts.
The coal in all the territory between
can be mined cheaply.
Great Thing for Mobile.
With river navigation coal could be
put at the port of Mobile for so cents
per ton, as cheap or cheaper than any
other port in the world. 1t would mean
that Alabama. coal could be put into
any market in the world as cheaply as
any other coal. AT present the price of
export coal is 81 per ton at Mobile.
When this additional part of the river
is opened Mobile will be one Of the
greatest coaling stations in the world,
as all the great steamers could get an
abundant supply of high grade coal
cheap. 1t would serve to bring many
ships to Mobile with a high class freight
which the railroads could get, and in
turn the railroads could carry high class
freight to Mobile for the ships to carry
away.
Mr. Leake said yesterday that he never
realized until he went before the COM
mittee how much Congressman Bank
head had had to do with securing the
Warrior river appropriations. and that
he had worked hard and faithfully,
backed up by Congressman Underwood,
who had also been staunch and effective
in his efforts to secure the appropria-
lions. Too much credit could not be given
the two men, he said.
Birmingham viii Benefit.
The additional appropriation for the
Warrior river is considered one of the
greatest things for the Birmingham dis
trict which has happened in years Pres
ident Jemlson of the Commercial club and
Secretary Babb have stated that this was
an accomplished fact now and that 1t
was the one largest things that had been
accomplished for Birmingham.
Jefferson county will be directly af-
fected by the opening of the river to the
Forks. The navlgable water will then be
right at the doors of Birmingham so to
speak, for the Warrior river runs along
the western boundary of Jefferson coun-
ty for some miles, and the Locust fork
runs through the coal fields of the coun-
ty for several miles.
People who own coal properties in all
that section of Alabama are jubilant over
the announcement of the appropriation
that the rivers and harbors committee
will recommend.
Marriao. Licenses Issued