The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-15
.ERSK|NE RAMSAY ! VISITS OLD HON
Brilliant Career of Coal oper tor and Inventor Noted by
 Courier

on the occasion of a recent visit to | brother in Derry, Pd., Erskine Rams
 vice president of the Pratt Consolida-
 Coal company, attended a family reun there and his visit was noted by the c nellsyille Pa) Courier Mir. Ramsay's old friends and acouai
 ances. in Pennsylvania have eviden
 kept in close touch with his remarka | successful career in Alabama, and !
 equally brilliant beginnings. of that !.
 reer in Pennsylvania The Coal Trs Bulletin of November reproduces following sketch of MT. Ramsay fir
 the columns of the Collinsville Courier
 "Thirty-three years ago youth mining engineer left the >Connellsyi coke region to become chief engineer { the Pratt division mines of the Tenn see Coal, Iron and Railroad company Birmingham. He was then only 2, q ady, at 55, and still a young man, he one of the most prominent coal mini men in the United States and one of ( most successful business men in | scuth.
 "Erskine Ramsay, whom many cc region men will recognize as the subj, of the foregoing description, took to A
 
 methods acquired by years of service Carnegie and Prick plants, for he start his career of usefulness before he h shed short trousers. '@ AT WORK EARLY "Ifis father, Robert Ramsay, recogniz as one of America's greatest mining ( gireers, believed in putting his boys work early, so by the time he was
 Er skine had worked at these jobs: Blae smith helper, fireman, hoiSting and pur engineer, weighman on the tippie pay r clerk, shipping clerk and manager of cooperative store. In 1883 he was gra
 uated at the head of his class from ] Vincent's college at Beatty.
 Though only IS, he was then made s perintendent of the H. c. Prick compan. Monastery mines, succeeding his fath, who had been promoted to be general S perintendent of all the company's mimi operations after the consolidation of [
 Prick and Carnegie interests. At Mo
 astery, MT. Ramsay increased the produ ton of coke to AT tons per oven, wh never before had any Prick ovens yield as high as four tons. His report production was at first diScredited, b later found to be correct
 "In 1885, although he himself was r | in favor of assuming the responsibil MT. Ramsay was made superintenderl the Morewood Coke company, then H M the largest propositions in the region. Later plants of She Sou H Coal company at Tarr and ANIL were added to his supervision. and ward Red Top works, near Tarr, under his charge. M
 .In October. 1a6, Mir. Ramsay was N noted to be assistant engineer for rneA c. Prick Coal company, and was N
 charge of. the construction of the Std. ard works at Mount Pleasant. then N largest coke works in the world. Y AFFILIATED WITH T. c. I. When he became affiliated with t Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad col pany he introduced more efficient sy tenn of mining, and the plants we brought to a high standard during his years connection with the company. R sisting the allure of attractive offers positions in Canada, West Virginia a his old stamping ground, the Connel vile coke region, MT. Ramsay decided remain. in the Alabama field. As res' he is now first vice president and chi engineer of the Pratt Consolidated Co company, which operates about 50 min and produces annually aDout zVV,VV to Of coal.
 NHe and G. B. Mccormack, president the company, also own other mines a coke ovens at New CastlesS Ala. !. Tn also own the Bank of Ensley, at B mingham, one of the most successi banks and the possessor of one of t most magnificent banking houses in t
 south. He is also a member of the ecutive committee of the board of { rectors of the First National bank a vice president of the Goodall-Brown D Goods company of Birmingham. ''Mr. Ramsay holds patents on about inventions used in the coal mining indt try. At Lemont. works Ramsay rota dump with a capacity of IS one and or |half-ton mine cars has been installed the time it was put in itYwas the large in the world The Ramsay rotary dur will also be used at the new mine I,oeans Ferry, which will supply t west Penn company's new power hou at Suringdaler 1'sss