The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23
II oLT. November 22-(special)
Flight the fly. He spreads
= disease

= disease.
please throw trash in waste basket
Don't spit on the floor. Use the Gus
pidor''
These signs in handsome frames are
presented to the eye of the customer and
visitor as he enters the mammoth COM
missary of the Central Iron and Coal conf
pany at Holt. Ala, and obedience to the
instructions they contain is evident,
judging by the cleanliness of that great
store.
Did you ever visit Holt? If not, it
would be worth while to run down to
Tuscaloosa. take there the dummy line
to Holt, four and q half miles; call for
Vice President Klutts. Manager j. L.
Brierton. or Storekeeper McRimmon, and
ask them to show you what constitutes
Holt.
Directly upon the banks of the War
rior river on the Mobile and Ohio War
rior branch railroad, and with street car
connection with Tuscaloosa and enyirons.
you will observe one of the busiest indus
trial spots in Alabama. A 9O0-ton blast
furnace, pipe works employing over 400
men, and a by-product plant of immense
capacity, surrounded by a perfect indus
trial town of homes, with churches,
schools and Fairgrounds
One of the most perfect stores in the
state not excepting the business houses
of the cities, is an attractive feature at
Holt. This store, or commissary, is
handsome structure of pressed gray brick,
with furnishings of finest texture, pressed
steel ceilings hardwood counters, shev-
ing of mahogany effect and arranged as
a regular department store, with base
ment and two stories in the rear. Be
meath is a regular ice plant which refrig
crates all perishabe goods. makes cool
and delightful the entire building, and
furnishes ice for all the people employed
at Holt
At q basement point 100 feet in the rear
of the main entrance to the building is a
paved subway through which vehicles
pass to receive and discharge merchan-
disc, and in the rear of this a railroad
spur track provides for the direct dis
charge of heavy freight. Elevators run
from basement to ceiling affording easy
handling of goods. In the front dry goods
department is regular ladies parlor or
lent arrangement, modelled after those
in high-class city stores. and exceedingly
attractive liberal space for display of
goods provided in every department of
the building, and the corps of statesmen
ever alert to good display and courteous
attention.
Besides the excellent arrangement of
the building for ventilation, the companys
own electric light plant lights and fans
the house with comforting and cooling
effect
Price lists of goods in this store com
pare favorably with cash prices in the
city trade places; in fact many of the
staple goods are sold below Birmingham
retail prices High grade merchandise is
a speciality at the Holt commissary and
nothing shoddy is allowed to cover space.
In household and kitchen furniture this
feature is especially noticeable, the dis
play in this department covering most
modern fixtures.
The plant at Holt was established II
years ago. and since that time improve
ments have been made annually and the
inflow of population increased accordingly
until now Holt sustains a population of
something like 5000 men, women and chill
dren.
These people enjoy all the privileges of
urban life--waterworks, sewerage sys-
tenn and electric lights, churches and
schools for each of the races, and play.
grounds and halls for outdoor and indoor
pastime.
The site of Holt is naturally picturesque,
situated as it is direetey upon the banks
of the Warrior river, amidst rugged hills
and commanding magnificent view.
The furnace at Holt is supplied with
ores from Woodstock and with coal from
it's own mines at Kellerman. The latter
miles are located II miles northeast of
Holt, the terminus of the Warrior branch
of the Mobile and Ohio railroad Keller
man has become quite an important min
ing town, for about 800 sturdy miners
with their families live there and enjoy
all the advantages of a modern mining
camp. They have their schools and
churches and the usual social privileges
Good water from bored wells is afforded
them, and the place is as healthy as
fresh mountain air, pure water and clean
liness of premises can make it. The COM
missary here, though not so large and
modern as the one at Holt, is also under
the excellent management of Mr.. w. r.
McRimmon. AT the Kellerman store he
applies the same rules and fixes the same
prices for goods as at Holt.
These mines contain the Brookwood-
Milldale twin seam and the output now is
about 400 tons per day The pick system
prevails and the haulase is done by COM
pressed air power. The elongated motor,
peculiarly shaped and ingeniously formed,
goes deep into the drift and in serpentine
fashion draws therefrom to the tipple
hundreds of mine cars every day, laden
with the product of the laborers below.
and ready for transfer to the furnace
plant at Holt.
The company utilizes almost all of it's