The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-14
MANY AIDING IN
 IMPORTANT WORK AIdrich Talks of Story of Coal
 and Iron LIST OF THE COMMITTEES Much Valuable Data for Miss Armes' History Has Been Furnished By
 Various County Commit
 tees of the State.
LIST OF THE COMMITTEES


 oi Coal and Iron in Alabama, by Ethel Armes, has returned to BirnInebap after an absence of several weeks north. oPeaklng of the recent events of public interest In relation to the history in progress Mr. Aldrich said yesterday:
 A special commendation has just been sent by the governor of Alabama to Miss Armes, expressing his presonal interest and appreciation of the work ana heartily commencing it's object. scope ana usefulness. Governor conner peileVes that this work should be done that the record of what has been ac- complished by the iron men of the stata should be written, and the historical facts preserved.
 The adJutant general of the United states army, to whom Hon. oscar w. Underwood wrote for records pertain Ing to Wilson's raid the official ac- count of iron works destroyed in tbe CIVIL war, and the description of the capture of the arsenal at Selma. re- sponded promptly.
 The chief of the bureau of ethno1oo.v In Washington ahs sent Miss Armes special information relative to tbe re- ports current in the state as to the making or Iron here by the Indians. "rs' dorgas, widow of General Josiah Gorsas, chief of the ordnance depart ment of the Confederacy, whose bioe raphy is incorporated in the history. has recently had forwarded to Miss Armes certain volumes of the Southern His torical Papers.
 MT. Jesse F. Stallings has kindly loaned the volumes of the Publish ed War Records of the Union and Confed crate Armies, that pertain to tie mat ter in hand. Our state geologist, pr. Eugene A. Smith, has recently sent a i number of reports and notes of great interest.
 This book, in addition to recording i the history of the coal and iron de- l Velopment of Alabama. will necessarily give complete record of the geologi- cal survey of the state, beginning with Michael Tuomey. It will also comprise the history of the railroads, in par ticular that of the Louisville and Nash vile railroad, without which the min- eral development here could shardly l A'" "NSA oNNOilpilSlltus MT. ATeOrEe IS. Mccormack wrote to Milton Smith president of the Louisville and Nash vile, last week and MT Smith has written Miss Armes and has in course i of preparation some extremely in1ar- esting matter.
 Miss Armes has just received a Cor dial mettage from Germany-from out absent committee member Gen Louis V. Clark-who assures us that though absent in person he is with us in spirit, and hopes to undetake effective work on his return
 "Col. Llewellyn Johns has rendered material aid in the matter of giving notes, clippings and records he has been compiling for the past twenty years and has kept in systematic shape. Miss Armes spent several days at his resi- ] dence not long since.
 l Through the courtesy of Dr. R. A. Berry Miss Armes has been enabled to see number of the picturesque and 1 historic localities of Jefferson county such as the site of the Mt. Pinson forge the ruins of the old Cahaba iron works in Shades valley, places rather remote l dI ddlloStlutI ludCceSSlDle except by motor route
 MT. J. C. Maben, president of the l Sloss- Sheffield Iron company has pre- pared an interesting and valuable sketch of the history of the company, and has also given some notes of inn portance relating to Thomas Seddon. l Miss Mary Noble of Anniston is ac- lively interested in the book and doing a great deal for it's promotion. Miss Anne Pfaff, the daughter of MT. Her mann Pfaf. president of the Southern Mineral Land company at Brierfield. has just send second series of fine photo graphs, among them one of the last relic of the iron works of the Confed- eracy, a cylinder head of an old engine, with the words wrought in the iron, Confederate Rolling Mill and another of the old stone stack, all that is left of Bright Hope Furnace. the first fut- mace in Bibb county mentioned In Tuo- mey Geologcal~report
 "Dr. William B. Phillips, one of the editing committed, has lately given an excellent photograph of the old Tecumseh furnace. The daughter of the MT. Camp, who built a forge in Bibb county in the early sos, has written a full and accurate account of her fathers work from Ft. Worth, Tex, where she now resides. MT. Frank II. Crockard, vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Coal and Iron company, has recently been elected member of the editing commit tee, and both he and Mir. John A. Top ping, chairman of the executive board of the Tennessee company and president of the Republic company, are rendering Miss Armes valuable assistance
 "rhe various county committees are still working on the gathering of data. A point in question now, soon to be deter mined, is to which county belongs the honor of first making iron in the state This honor is claimed by Franklin county, Calhoun. Talladega and Bibb and Shel- by Upon the facts placed before us by the various county committees and local historians, and compared with the facts we now have gathered. will. of course. be determined this interesting point. There is considerable discussion throughout the state press on this matter. and each coun- ty is preparing to substantiate its claims"
 Work of Immense Value. George H. Mccormack said: ''The work of the various county com mittees, notably those of Calhoun, Bbb and Taladega. has been of immense value all told, and the committee members feel