The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-15
DEVELOPING MINES
ON IMMENSE SCALE.
AIabama'S Coal Production to
Be Greatly Increased
SOME VAST OPERATIONS
Pratt Consoldaeds New Mines Will
Bring That companys Output Up
to $4,000 Tons a Day.
Other Expansion.

The coal production in Alabama this
year will be largely in excess Of that
of any previous year. In 1905 the total
output in this state was 900 tons.
Last year it was about 100000 but il
there be any material improvement in
the car service 1907 will show a gain
of several million tons.
Many millions of dollars are being ex-
pended in developing new openings. The
Pratt Consolidated Coal company alone
will increase its capacity from 10000 tons
daily to 2oo0O a day and the Birmlng-
ham Iron company, formerly the Tut
wiler company is increasing its capacity
to something like 10000 tons a day The
Tennessee, the sloss-Sheffield, the Corona,
the Southern Steel, the Alabama Consol-
dated, the Bessemer Coal. Iron and Land
| company and several other companies,
large and small, are pushing development
work. The Tennessee company now mines
| fourteen or fifteen thousand tons a day.
Increased Demand.
IutI0 Will NC, II 10 SetluI iildl hSt dS-
mand for 2o0O0,OOO tons of Alabama coal
this year and If the transportation con-
| dtions are at all favorable production
during the next twelve months will reach
that large total.
| The Pratt Consolidated started out to
be the largest coal producer in the state
and it will be soon operating on that
basis. But for the present car shortage
this company would be now shipping
from its going mines 10000 tons a day.
AS it is 1t frequently produces in a sim
! gle day 5000 tons. Its principal mines in
operation are at Mineral Springs on the
| Pratt seam Dora on the big seam, Bloss-
burg on the Pratt seam and Banner on
the big seam.
Between the Rivers.
| The Pratt Consolidated's new group of
mines are "between the rivers"-that is
to say, between the Big Warrior and the
Little Warrior. They are near the line
between Jefferson county and Walker
county, the majority of the openings be-
ing in the latter county. The section is
coming to be known as Flat Creek, al
though there are many little streams
! moving Through the-eerapany's properties.
Banner, an extensive mining point. 10
near Llttleton, and is about twentx-fiva
| miles from Birmnsl,arI. ne LOUISVILLE
and Nashville Railroad company built its
North Alabama line TO Banner and
| planned to extend this branch from
Banner to the Flat Creek properties, but
changed it's route and built from Vul-
| arnCGif1p or rfN
north of Littleton. This part Of the
North Alabama road is called the SHELTON
Creek extension. 1t reaches right into
| the Pratt Consoldated's new coal prop
| critics. The construction work is about
| completed and the Pratt will be ship
| ping coal over this extension within the
| next four or five weeks. The Southern
is also building southwark to the Pratt
Consoldated's new group, and with nor
NAL transportation facilities the big coal
concern will be able to ship all the tom
mage it can produce.
Best Machinery.
| At the new mines are eleven tipples-
six at drift mines and five at slope mines
| One of the slopes is in Jefferson and
| the others are in Walker. 1t goes with
out saying that the mines are being
equipped with the best and most mod
| ern machinery. The largest hosting en-
CINE in the south has been installed and
electric mine locomotives as large as
fifteen tons are being used
While there has been much complaint
about labor shortage in the Birmingham
district. II. E. Mccormack, general man
ager of the Pratt Consolidated, stated
yesterday that his company had not ex-
perlenced any trouble in that respect A
large force is necessarily employed, and
Mr. Mccormack said that he had an ex-
cellent set of men,
G. B. Mccormack is president and
Erskine Ramsay is vice president and
chief engineer of the Pratt CONSOLIDATE
ed. The company's headquarters are in
the Brown-Marx building.