The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-13
NORTHERN REVIEWS OF
MISS ETHEL ARMIES WORK

That The Story of Coal and Iron in
Alabama" by Miss Ethel Armes, which
has only recently come from the press, is
attracting wide attention is evidenced by
tine notices given the work in two we'll
bilown Boston newspapers. In reviewing
the book the Evening Transcript of jan
uary p says:
On two accounts the writing of such "a
book as "The Story Of Coal and Iron in
Alabama is particularly justified. South
Elm studies of this sort are astonishing
ly iare The difference between the people
of the north and the south as book writ
ers, particularly in the gathering of his
toric and anecdotal material is recog
nized by all librarians as extraordinarily
marked. While there is a superbundance
for the investigator who desires to pur-
sac any topic of northern rootinss, a con-
spicuous paucity of published matter con-
fronts him who turns on similar topics
toword the south. Any southern writer
who helps TO restore this balance, and
does It well, thereby makes a genuine
contribution
The iron industry, moreover, is pecu-
liarly related to progress and civilization.
is hardly too much to say that these
Saugus Iron Works in this country, which
were in operation in 1850 to which Scottish
prisoners captured In the battle of Dunbar
were sent, typically recalls one of the IN
teresting episodes of our own early colon
ial Development little undertakings of
the same sort are scattered all over the
count try. The battlefield of the Wilder
ness derived its name from conditions
succeeding the use of that area for IRON
making-the forests having been swept of
.or charcoal, the second growth produced
that scra gginess which gave that terrible
Held its name
It was q rather remarkable piece of en-
ter9rise for a 23-year-old girl to start
out to tell the story OF Alabama iron.
She has been three years engrossed on
this task. carried on under the auspices
of the Chamber of Commerce of Biz
mingham. Neither she nor her sponsors
lad intended to make it so elaborate a
work but it gradually grew under the
searchlight until 600 pages were needed to
tell the story. The table of contents. rath-
er formidable in appearance, shows the
extraordinary qualifications to which this
topic properly lends itself The author
sketches the beginning of the coal and
| iron business in Alabama from the early
| records; she describes the first furnace
| AMI the first railroad; and the service
which these deposits rendered to the
/ .
comes with the modern era, particularly
WITH the resurrection of iron working in
1885, the founding of the workshop town
| a lew years later, and the bringing of the
Louisville and Nashville into Alabama in
! the early seventies, followed by the
| springing up of the Greater Birming-
! ham of today. The boom period of that
city is Enthusiastically pictured, to-
gatl er with the advent of the Tennessee
Coal, Iron aid Railroad company and
| It's successive developments and ultimate
lriumphs. The book contains 100 half
| tone illustrations, many of which furnish
| touching glimpses of southern life partic-
ularly in the coal mining and iron work
| ing regions The chronology and the
| index add to the availability of the work.
The authors style is graceful. She has
| been a diligent investigator and she tells
| her story with a delightfully."- easy touch.
| Particularly expressive are many of her
words of action, affording welcome relief
| from the ordinarily over-worked forms Of
the verb ito be" The book has been en-
| belished by breezy anecdotes. collected
| from a wide fange of sources, particular
| IL iii reference to the career Of the in
| diyiGuals who have had a leading part in
the creation of this great industry of the
lower south
Tile Boston American of Sunday jan
nary 16, publishes photograph of the
author of the work and the following ac-
count Of the hook:
Miss Ethel Armes, a sunny-haired slip
of q girl. has just completed one If the
most stupendous tasks woman III Ala
bama ever dared tackle. She is in Bos-
ton bringing out book she styles THE
story of Coal and Iron in Alabama.
This frail girl the daughter of Col
George A. Arrres, United States army, OF
| nd of George Kerr
Armes, civil engineer in the Birming-
ham coal anu iron district, delved deer
into the gloomy coal mines hundreds OF
feet below the surface OF the earth. She
went to the ore mountains and she visited
every iron and steel plant in Alabams
until she knew as much about the ore
and ingots as any miner or smelter II
that state.
In speaking of her work. which is JUS
off the press, Miss Armes. yesterday
said:
searched libraries and found that tbs
story of Alabama's wondrous mineral de
velopment had never been written | de
tided then to- write tho romance of Goa
ana iron in Alab9ma myself
81 began to visit the mines with my
brother and for three years l learned by
observation. ! talked with business men
mining experts. heads OF corporations
and was constantly collecting data.
ssrhe president of the birmingham
Chamber of Commerce read articles has
written for a lnagazlne on the Iron Mas
ters Of Alabama" TIE induced the cham
her 10 indorse my project for writing III,
history of the business in book form
Committees were appointed to assist ne
,nd ( Travelled all over thestate. visiting
every steel and iron concern.
THE state of Alabama Is now general }
regarded asvtIie coming center OF the 1rof
A .~x~ ice ur-