The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-08
FIRST BARGE IF THE PRATT CO. LAUNCHED. ON WARRIOR RIVER Christened by Miss Aliene Mccormack in Presence
 of Large Gathering BEGINNING OF NEW
 ERA IN THIS DISTRICT Birmingham Is Now Unbottled and Experts Expect Fall in Rates to
 Tidewater - Eight More
 Barges to Be Built
By CLYDE W. ENNIS

The first barge for an Alabama indus- trial corporation, in a system of water transportation. was launched yesterday afternoon about o'clock at Tuscaloosa pn the Warrior river It was christened Barge No. I" by Miss Aliene McCor- mack, the little daughter of H. Ellis Me- Cormack, vice president and general man ager of the Pratt Consolidated Coal com pany, owners of the barge. The launch Ing was perfect with the exception of the Injury to Mir. Ramsay
 Birmingham Now Unbottled
 The launching was witnessed by a num- Der of men from Birmingham and Tusca- loosa who had been asked to be present when the huge boat went into the waters of the Warrior river. The barge is 140 feet long and is 24 feet wide It is also eight feet deep. The timbers at the two sides are eight inches thick while at the bottom 10 inches. The boat Is capable of hauling 500 tons of coal at one time. and with a tow boat and two other barges will carry to Mobile at one time 1900 tons or coal twice per month Tn getting to that place r locks will be passed by the barges.
 The launching of the barge vesterds V signals the beginning of a new era in water transportation in this district and also indicates the effectual unbottling of Birmingham from dependence upon rail road transportation. With coal mines on the Warrior capable of supplying a large tonnage to the gulf coast and with slack water up to and including Cordova. if is believed by industrial experts that rates will be so adjusted as to give this dis trict marked advantages over any other section in this country
 This fact was the cause for more than passing enthusiasm and interest in inc launching of barge No. 1 of the Pratt company yesterday near Holt It cost only S25O0 and is one of nine that are To be built as fast as Capt ". B. Keeler of the fleet can get them together. He will also build the tow boats that are necessary to take the barges to Mobile. It was stated yesterday that the mines or the Pratt company are above Lock 1T which was recently ordered completed by congress On this account it will De about April before the Pratt company will be able to load the barge with it's own coal and tow it to the gulf. In the .meantlme barge No. 1 launched yesterda- ', silIl be used, 1t is stated, by r. C. Blair sI,a towns a mine below Lock r. to tow The if his coal to Mobile. Sixteen locks 5av wa passed in getting to Mobile from n@,3,oht frs of MT Blair
 st Saultorge which was launched yester- ,.a,able of built of long leaf yellow pine ,f ,vaatherj . the Kaul Lumber company Focoement h, It is exceedingly heavy and ,nnsuallv edthstanding the toughest sort of the narge It Is stated that the rein ment given thylse of bolts and steel is expectations oft and the life of one tic interested oh a,, account .,, of the treat
 VIII Me&even the most enthusias s. The barges tothis new development 1890 tons tons or te,sa c1a. Reduced Rates
 fleet of three it ied pS a tow boat with inc Pratt comparfan make a round trip in Mobile a cargyery month With a .,-ayv few days Tnsy to calculate that ;s Si 1o ner ton. Theil be abla to place he able to better tr lSO0 tons of coal and will therefore | Freight by railroad coal at a much l. Pratt company will ,,revails for bunkefnat price materially
 The men who ar,e able to sell bunker water transportapwer price than now that the advants coai.
 ',,s,s, moi only behind the plans fo, base but also ths)n to the gulf realiz, coal may be bare over the Ohio vii Ohio river this in the nearness of th' so, that often every day in the year ,,.it, ics and usd to the gulf. On tn,
 ,narotors in Ps not a fact for the req.
 sSars to this inc Ohio river is packed
 ,ohui,,,tto more than once the cos
 ,,eazo tsburH have transferred
 me citiz.,f section by reason of theil
 elated ovyFh 'ne'" on account or tho
 '.,ate. .hs of Tuscaloosa are as much
 tannas.r the beginning of barge trans
 ,sn,,a as the people of Birmingham Il
 [1 that in order to get out the
 E required the Pratt company will
 r'to make extensive openings on its Jperues above Holt, which means also Sove Lock F.
 / Again this is the first time in Ala. bsma that an industrial company with capital such as controlled by Ramsay & Mccormack, has undertaken to launch . water transportation system. It has been talked of considerably but quietly and effectively the Pratt Consolidated has gone about the plan and is nearing sue cess. It was stated yesterday by G. B. Mccormack that the other boats to the fleet of barge No 1 would be built just as rapidly as possible and they would be ready for service when Lock F was com pleted.'
 Ramsay and Mccormack Enthusiastic Mir. Mccormack and Mr. Ramsay are both very enthusiastic over the system of water transportation they have started and believe it will place Birmingham on the map as a place that has water route to the sea. The people of Tusca 1oosa think the same.
 The party from Birmingham at the launching yesterday included George Cor don Crawford, president of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company; F. II. Crockard, vice president of the same com pany; P. G. Shook. Erskine Ramsay, G. B. Mccormack, Mrs G. B. Mccormack c. B. Mccormack Jr.. H. E. Mccormack F. B. Pennington, John L. Raul, w. F. Ieake. of the Alabama company; Neil Hutchins. R. E. Chadwick, J. c. Patter- son and Mrs. Patterson F. P. Rosemond and Miss Rosemond, w w. Robertson and others. From Tuscaloosa there was present F. c Blair, president of the Tus- caloosa Mineral railroad: R. E. Rhodes George K. Little, assistant engineer on the locks on the Warrior: R. P. Prowell C. M. Ayers. Fred Suckney of the Tus. caloosa News: w. C. Klutz. superintend ent of the Central Iron and Coal com pany: Frank Miller of the Semet-Sol- way company, and others.
 
 Negro Watchman Assaulted
 Tom Smith. the negro watchman of the Southern Bitulithic companv al