The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-17
IRON AND STEEL
 PLANT ID REOPEN
Operations Will Be Resumed
 Within 60 Days
300 MEN WILL GET WORK
Coal Companies in Coal Creek Mining Regions Have Filed Complaint Against the Southern Rail-
 way Company.

Chattanooga August 6.-(Special.)-A large force of workmen has begun repair Ing the Chattanooga plant of the South ern Iron and Steel company preparatory to resuming operations within the next 60 days. This plant has been closed down for nearly two years, and nothing has been done except by small force of men who worked there for about six weeks repairing the blast furnace. It will be quite a task to get the plant ready for the resumption of operations, and consid- erable time will be necessary. The first thing to be done is to refine the furnace stack and the stoves, and the workmen have begun cleaning these out so that the refining may be done as soon as pos- sible. When the plant resumes opera tions 1t will employ a force of about 175 men, exclusive of the iron and coal mines. Two hundred men will be worked in the coal mines and about 100 in the ore mines. The opening of the plant means the employment of about 500 men locally.
 In order to get material on hand before the opening up of the plant work was resumed In the red and brown ore mines of the company about three weeks ago. Two hundred men are now working in the brown ore mines, which are located at Sugar Hill, in Barlow county, Georgia. About 100 men are now working the red ore mines at Crudup, Ala.
 
 mining regions have filed a bill with the interstate commerce commission com blaming that the Southern railway is discriminating against them in favor of the Virginia fields These complaints have just been made public. The text of the bill asserts that the Southern gives the Virginia coal the advantage south ward from Knoxville and eastward from Morristown. So far has this dscrimina- ton extended the bill asserts, that the Coal Creek coal can no longer be sold in North Carolina in advantageous compe- tition with the Virginia coal, and all the former steady business for Coal Creek brief, the charge is that while the rail- way allows difference of 30 cents per ton in rates in favor of Coal Creek to Knoxville they cut this advantage to amounts varying from 30 to 60 cents to points south of Knoxville, whose coal has to be shipped directly through that city. The rate from Coal Creek to Nor ristown is 25 cents per ton less than from the Virginia fields; and yet the rate from Coal Creek to points to the south and southeast which must necessarily receive freight from Coal Creek and Virginia through Morristown, is only 10 cents a ton less
 It is authentically announced that work on the proposed railroad to the Kings Cove coal property will commence in a contracts are now being made for ties. hauling, grading. etc. It is thought that work will be fully under way by Septem- Der l. Miners cottages and large boarding house camp are now being con- structed on the townsite, which is on the mountain about four miles from Copen- hagen postoffice.
 It is also learned that the proposed rail- road from KimbaH to Sweeten's Cove is also to be built M. Packard, a New York capitalist, with offices in this city, is said to be behind the project. MT. Packard owns many acres of coal land in Sweetsn's Cove and near Anderson, Tenn. This railroad would mean the develop ment of thousands of acres of mineral lands and the expenditure of much money.
 Civil service examinations are to be held in cities in every state in the union on September 15 for assistant chemists. which are greatly in demand by the gov ernment. The examination in Chatta- nooga will be conducted by Capt. Theo- dore F. Gambee. secretary of the local civil service board. Examinations win likewise be held in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Bristol. As soon as the results of the examinations have been received 20 appointments will be made. The salary is $500 year at first, to be Increased with length of service.