The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18

coal In easy access of the railroads. a
great force of extra miners has been put
to work in that seam this spring and it
is estimated that before the year is out
it will have turned forth one of the Iarg-
est crops of soft coal of any mine In the
country.
Alabama's Standing
Constant additions to the mines are
being made as new seams of this sort ara
discovered, and the tremendous strides
made by the miners in these counties
have thrust Alabama from her former
position at the bottom to place now
fourth from the top in the list of coal
producing states.
Il do not know that she will ever rank
higher in this list" said Chief Mine In
spector Nesbett "The long lead already
obtained by Pennsylvania and the enor-
nous territory where coal Is to be found
within her borders make it seem probable
that the keystone state will continue to
stand at the head of the coal producing
states at least through this generation.
But Alabama with her newly discov-
cred mines has come forward proportions
ately faster than any other state of recent
years. l think that this year her output
will como very close to 100000 tons and
1t Is absolutely true that the supply OF
coal Is apparently illimitable. II we keep
going forward at the present rate of in
crease 1T will not be long before we are
second in the list and the supply is such
that the output should continue to in-
crease steadily for so or rs years at least.
Throughout the state there are 178
, mines and 450 openings In operation and
the reports of the department of inspec-
ton shows that since the first of the
year one new mine has been opened for
every month In Jackson county espe-
cially wonderful progress is reported. The
large company that is developing the fa-
nous Belmont seam there has already
reached output of 1000 tons day and
are continually increasing their product
Jefferson County Leads
In Jefferson county the output of $500
coo for 1912 will surely be greatly in
creased. and Walker county is expected
to run far beyond its last years record of
3 900 tons. Bibb county has already
nearly reached its 1872 mark of 100000
tons, hut 1t will have to hustle II 1t is
to remain third in the list of the states
greatest producing counties, for with the
| opening OF IHe new seams III JaCkSo1 anu
Fayette counties they will of course be-
come prominent contenders for the hon.
ors of the output.
1t is one of the boasts of the state that
it's mining operations are carried on un-
der a system of laws and inspections that
serve as model for those of other min
, ing states in the union. Under this sys-
tenn the mine region of the commons
wealth has been divided into six districts,
with a board of mining inspectors in con-
troll of them. One inspector is given the
regulation of each district. while a chief
INSPECTOR, who has offices in Birmingham.
is in direct charge of them all.
Inspections of the mines, the machln-
cry, the quality of the product, the guam
tity mined and how used are regularly
made. so that each month the board of in
spectors knows exactly the condition of
every mine in the state and is as cognz-
ant of It's possibilities as are its owners.
"The most modern devices and machin-
cry for the mining OF coal have been in-
stalled in the mines throughout the
state.' declared Chief Inspector Nesbitt
Not only because we insisted upon it,
but because the owners themselves real
lied that it was for their own benefit and
profit to equip their mines as perfectly as
possible
AS a result the conditions under which
The miners work exceptionally good
and their work is more productive than
it otherwise would be. The mines them
selves are geologcaIy almost perfect
spe eemens of the btumnous quarries, and
La I hatra hof e.iI
the products month by month shows that
the quality of the coal does not deterI-
crate, but is uniformly the highest Of any
bituminous coal in the country"
Coal Is Used Locally
great deal of the coal mined In the
Alabama fields of course, is used in tho
enormous iron and steel works of Bir-
mingham, Bessemer and vicinity. Anoth-
er great proportion of the total goes for
coling. which as an industry takes high
rank in the list of the largest and most
rapidly developing in the state; then there
lare the people of the state who are to be
supplied with coal for fuel in their
homes. A relatively smaller amount of
the coal thus mined is employed in the
making of gas, but this gas coal business
has been increasing very rapidly along
with the increase in the use of gas as
fuel and an illumlnant
The remainder that the miners take out
of the ground is shipped to users in other
states and the export business has de-
veloped largely of recent years that
the money that comes to her through the
working of her coal lands is one of the
greatest assets OF the people of the state.
This shipping of coal to other states is
developing just as fast as the owners can
develop their mines, for there is always
u ready market and good price for any
quantity of Alabama bituminous coal that
may be on hand
IL believe thoroughly that the state Is
bound to come. to great future through
its coal mines" said one of the large
shippers recently. ''It has the COAL the
quality. the miners, the capital. and thero
is always an ever-increasing market.
When it is remembered also how accessi-
BILE to the greatest railroads of the coun.
try are all these mines and how rapidly
these facilities of shipment are being im-
proved the prospect for the industry
| eeer,s a bright that of npv othar hoa