The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-10

constitutes the method The seam here is 5-7 and the capacity 12OOO tons per month This is steam and coking coal. and the management informs me that the South ern railway buys and consumes the entire output. The officers of the company are T. N. Koeher, president; J. T. Connery vice president; M. G. Hubbard. secretary and treasurer; and w. A. Spruell, super intendent.
 The high altitude of the mining camp
 the perfect natural system of drainage and the water pumped from the river in- to reservoir, through charcoal filter. in
 sure health and comfort By Auburn analysis this water Is declared pure and undefiled. Dr. E. H. Tubb, the camu physician said today: 'I have been ir charge as physician here ever since the mine was opened here eight years ago and only one case of malignant fever Ina s occurred during the time. I attribute this fine showing to the pure air and water perfect drainage and cleanliness of the ] camp"
 | school maintained solely by the men | here employed, has a good attendance | With Miss Jessie Dean, an excellent | teacher. in charge. Churches afford | religious services to members of bott
 races. and the moral status of the camp | is good.
 | ObJect Lesson as to Transportation Barney mine. with it's peculiar location 1 In relation to prospective water transpor- | tation, presents an object lesson for con sideration of that important subject The | Mulberry and Locusts forks of the Black l Warrior river split iis twain the great Warrior coal basin covering an area of
 3oOo square miles and containing the fin
 est and greatest deposits of coal south of West Virginia. It Is only 400 miles by | river from the heart of this coal ba sin | to tidnWater at Mobile | ham district with its wonderful minera
 wealth and development lies within 12 to
 50 miles by rail east of these streams | Experts estimate that when the contem-
 plated improvements are completed, the | cost of transportation to tidewater will
 not exceed 20 cents ton. If this be SO
 not. only coal, but pig iron, steel and
 other mineral products of this district can be placed in Mobile more cheaply than
 similar products can be placed in other parts of the world
 The work of improving the Warrior is
 not of recent origin. Old inhabitants say
 that prior to 1860 large boulders and other constructions were removed from the
 shoals by the general government; this Improvement being dessnated to faciIitatt tt
 raft and flatboat traffic during high | water stages.
 | There is record of coal having been
 floated down the Mulberry fork in barges
 to Mobile as far back ts 1650 Coal was
 mined near this very spot from which thls is written, and at other points, and
 loaded on barges which were built and
 loaded on land and floated off at high
 water. Cotton and slaves have been ship. ped down the river this way Most Q,
 this barge traffic was carried on before
 the civil war. but considerable has beer
 done In late years, and there Is record o1
 coal having been floated to Mobile or
 barges in 1s73 1874. and 1875. An old in.
 habitant states that 10 to IS barges load.
 ed with cotton. coal or slaves were ship | ped down the Locust fork in the 7O's dur.
 ing high water periods each year, the
 largest of these barges in his reoolleotior
 having been 110 feet long. a5 feet wide
 and feet deep
 Of course the bulk of the commerce fin
 this vicinity of these two forks of the
 Warrior is in the mining and shipping of
 coal the principal resource of this
 country Geological investigations and
 reports show that there are IA seams of
 coal with intervening barren strata,
 underlying territory in this basin; that i've Of these seams are of worlxa ble thickness CA inches or more) over practi- caiiy the whole area which they underlio
 and two more are working over part Of their areas, that the remaining seven seams do not occur in sufficient thick. ~e-@S worked. Government inspection develops the following facts reported to the de- partment at Washington, Considering the area included between and extending for five miles on each side of the Locust and
 Mulberry forks to be available for river shipments, and estimating the amount of coal at 1000 tons per acre for each one loot thickness of coal the following re- suits were obtained by estimate,
 Within the above described limits <ba Black creek and Jefferson seams under He A9,2 2s0 acres, with combined aver age thickness of a6 inches, giving a total Of 627S4o,00o tons of coal available. The Mary Lee seam underlies I'll .5eo acres, With an average of 72 inches thick ness, giving total of 1 1,029, ,120 600 tons
 available, The American and Cardiff seams underlie 106SS0 acres with a com bined average thickness of 50 inches. giy ing total of 445,36s, 96O tons.
 The Pratt seam underies 1O6Ss0 acres. with an average thickness of 3s inches. giving total of 33S, 4SS. .s6O tons.
 The Thomas seam underlies 11,59e acres,
 with an average thickness of 25 inches. giving total of 23, 996 ,168 tons.
 Thus 1t shows by the government re- port that there are about 2, 3,464,614O00 tons Of coal available for river shipment which valued at 10 cents per ton in the ground, would amount to $246, ,4S1, 400. At the present average rate of output 1t would take about $50 years to exhaust the supply.
 The worthiness of the continued im- provement of the Warrior river and It's branches is thus far shown by examina- ton and report of government experts, and must afford stimulus to our repre- sentatives in Congress to press forward in the good work now we'll under way.
 Water and Railroad Transportation
 Water transportation Is now. after many years of stagnation or neglect, attracting more attention than at any time during the half century-a fact brought about In large measure by construction of the Panama canal. River and canal has been superseded by railroad transportation. In the hurry and rush of this age, big busi- ness interests have turned attention to railroad construction and operation. and the waterway problem has not kept pace With modern improvements Old ideas of eo years ago have been sleeping on. but now the utilization of natural power and sources of wealth is coming So soon as It Is demonstrated to che talent, energy ana money of this company that heavy freight, like coal can pc transported by boat from the Warrior coal fields to tide water at one fifth the cost of railroad transportation, right then will 1t com mand Seient, energy and money @ huil5