The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-15
PREPARING HISTORY
 IS IMMENSE TASK
Data from Everywhere on Early
 Iron Making
PROGRESS OF THE WORK
MT. Aldrich Acknowledges Aid and Encouragement Given to Miss Armes From All Parts of
 the State.

Truman H. Aldrich, chairman of the central committee on publication of "The Story of Coal and Iron in Ala bama," by Miss Ethel Armes, returned from the Hillabee gold mines yesterday. Tn answer to a great number of in quiries relating to the coal and iron his tory which I am constantly receiving" said Mir Aldrich, q will say that mat ters are progressing rapidly. Dr. Eugene Smith has undertaken to secure photo graphs of the old furnace ruins in Talla- dega county, this week for Miss Armes. She has now in her possession valuable collection. Mir Mccormack wrote to MT. Charles E. Wilson of Russellville to se cure a picture of the ruins of the first furnace in the state, that dates, believe, back to ISIS, and MT. Wilson respond ed yesterday, saying he would send a. photographer down to Cedar Creek this coming week.
 MT. Cunningham Mahan of Brierfield will secure another photograph shortly of Brighthope furnace built by Mir. Ce- cil Browns father on the Little Cahaba. Another matter of public interest is the recent appointment of the Walker
  Musgrove is chairman. This committee will collect considerable amount of the coal data of that county in whose de- velopment MT. Musgrove has been big factor.
 'The following letter was recently re- ceived by Miss Armes from MT. Mus grove:
 Miss Ethel Armes, 141O St. Charles street. Birmingham, Ala.
 My Dear Miss Armes:--I am in re- ceipt of your letter of the 20th, and will take pleasure in serving as chairman of the Walker county committee. At an early date I shall appoint the members of this committee and will report the names to you.
 The work on which you are engaged is one of vast interest to the state, and I feel a great personal interest in it's success. believe I shall be able to give you some notes that will aid quite ma terially in the history of coal in Walker county As soon as l am able to get this matter in shape I shall take pleas ure In calling on you. In the meantime, we shall be pleased to have you call at our office. S07 Brown Marx any time you are in the city, and if there is any way in which we can serve you, we would be glad to have you call on us.
 Wishing you every success, I am, yours very truly, l.. B. MUSGROVE.'
 Director OWen's Interest.
 "Dr Thomas M. Owen director of the department of archives and history" con- tinued MT. Aldrich lis in close touch with this books interests, and is assist ing Miss Armes in various ways. even to the sending up from Montgomery books of reference necessary.
 "Mr. Nat Baxter, former president of the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad company, came from Nashville last week especially to give historical data con- corning the company to Miss Armes
 There is profound and sincere in- terest throughout the whole state in this work that should have been begun many years ago.
 Because 1t was not done then and because no records have been kept, makes the work of research a particularly diff cult one
 "It must be remembered that this work did not become an assured fact until the middle of last July, when enough sub scriptions were secured to set it on foot There were then but two months for the writer to secure data, visit mines and furnaces, and gather county records reaching back a century. and the main