The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-14
DOMESTIC COAL
 MARKET SHOWS AN IMPROVEMENT
Expected Car Shorage AL ready Being FeIt-Bunker Coal Trade Quiet--Buy-
 ing of Some Grades

The domestic coal market has sub- stantially improved, according to ex- perts familiar with the situation.
 A prominent coal operator, repre- senting several mines, said: "The entire coal situation has improved; greatly improved. We feel better over it than we have since last Christmas.
 While the steam coal users, oper- ators of industrial plants. have not yet come well into the market, they aye in receptive mood and will lis- ten to sales agents. They are not buy ing, but they are figuring on buying and making out their quotas. The situation in that respect is very much brighter aT ca
 There is substantial improve ment in the domestic coal market in the way of actual buying. Cotton money has come into vogue and finds expression in the arrangements to lay in fall suply of domestic coal on presumption that usual quota will be used and sold"
 Car Shortage
 The expected car shortage has com. menced to threaten. It is reliably re. ported in coal circles that the Louise vile and Nashville and Frisco both find it difficult to give full supply of cars to mines on their rights of way, while the Central of Georgia cannot furnish as many flat bottom cars as are desired by the mines. It is not claimed that car shortage has really arrived, but it is stated with emphasis that it is clearly loom- ing up.
 Use Fuel oil
 Bunker coal is very quiet This Is owing partly to the large number of ships that have alternate coal and oil burning machinery. Oil is cheap, say operators, and result is that larger proportion of,the ships putting in at gulf ports are using fuel oil instead of coal.
 Mobile has her federal fuel oil ter minals, which have just been com pleted, each of two tanks holding S5,- 900 barrels. These add considerably to the fuel oil bunkerage facilities at this port, while the federal coal teri minals at the same place have not been ~completed and are not in use | When they are. there will be con stantly available 10000 tons of Ala bama coal from the Warrior river basin.
 Meanwhile river coal has been go- ing down the Warrior in good quan- titles. The report from Lock 10 show that during August 17,SOO tons passed through going to the gulf, some to New Orleans and some to Mobile. : Output Growing
 Coal production in Alabama is picking up. Present output is along | 60 to 70 per cent of capacity. Re ported production is about 210000 tons week, but that Is regarded as about 10000 tons short. so that the real production is about 23O,000 tons per week, compared with 320,00 per week average in 1920.
 Mines Resuming ~Kellerman mines of the Central Coal and Iron company, operators of resume operations September 26. mines and will produce from 800 to 1000 tons per diem.
 Several small mines around Cordova have gone on a five-day turn. Among these are Ensor Coal. Disney and Mt Carmel companies. Benoit has been~l working five days a week,
 New Mine
 The new mine of the Burnwell Coal company in Walker county is being driven and the mile or two of rail- road to connect it with trunk lines facilities is being constructed. This mine is to haev daily capacity of 800 tons and will be In good working order early in the year. it is under stood.
 Rapid progress is being made at l the new mines of the Alabama Fuel | and Iron company at Overton, in the | Cahaba field, to which the Central of | Georgia is running an eight rail- road. This mine Is to be electrically | driven with power furnished by the | Alabama Power company and lines are already under construction. A | model town is being built and this | also will be electrically lighted. The | Overton mine will be among the larg- l --- essary to have at the disposal of the |