The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-23
1000 ACRESCOAL
LAND DEVELOPED
ON MODERN SCALE
New Black Creek Com
pany Building Town
Called Thermal
MAI. TUTWILER HEAD
OF MINE COMPANY
By-Product Plant Is In
cluded In Plans For
Later Development

In the northern part of Jefferson
county, twenty-four miles from Bir-
mingham, and one and half miles east
of Trafford located on the main line of
the Louisville and Nashville, 1000
acres of virgin coal lands, containing
approximately 25,OOO.000 tons of coal
of the noted Black Greek seam are be-
ing developed by Major e. NJ. Tutwiler
and associates.
| AS q matter of fact the development
is well under way as the slopes have
been already completed; the tipple and
washer under construction; the ma
chirery is being installed; a branch
railroad from the Louisville and Nash
vile main line is nearing completion.
and it is expected that the company will
be shipping coal within the next 50
days. = 49,
The name of this new mining town
is Thermal.
The new concern, incorporated as
the Black Creek Coal and Coke COM
pany, has for its officers Major e. NJ.
Tutwiler, president; Priestley Toulmin,
vice president; T. W. Morgan, vice
president, Priestly Toulmin, Jr., secre-
tary; =. G. Morgan. treasurer and
general manager; Herbert Tutwiler,
assistant to the president and sales
manager.
Long Active In Industry
The men composing this new mining
corporation have been prominently
identified for many years with the in
| dustrial development-particula the
mining industry-of the !. Birmingham
district and other sections of the state.
| They are all men of affairs and widely
known in financial and mining circles.
Major Tutwiler belongs to that small
group of sturdy pioneers, who visual
lied the great industrial possibilities of
| this district and who aided so material
ly in its development. He retired few
years ago but has again taken up his
life work and is taking an active part
in the new development.
Priestley Toulmin is also well-known
in mining circles, having been for the
past 20 years president of the Lehigh
Coal company (Blount county,, and
one of the leading consulting engineers
of the Birmingham district.
T. w. Morgan is president of the
East Pratt Coal company and has spent
practically all of his life in the mining
industry. He is particularly well in
formed as to operation and sales. y
Il. G. Morgan, actively in charge of
the new development, is well-known in
engineering circles and widely expert
enced in mining and blast furnace OPP
GRAFTON. He is devoting his entire time
to the development of this new enter
prise.
|. Priestley Toulmin, Jr., while COM
paratvely young in the game, is super
intendent of the Lehigh Coal company
and under his able direction the mines
are being successfully operated.
Herbert Tutwiler, in charge of the
sales department of the new company,
has had much experience in this line.
At present he is head of the Tutwiler
brokerage firm, handling coal, coke and
pig iron. He is also president of the
North Birmingham Land company.
Hold 1000 Acres
The company's holdings consist
mainly of land acquired some years
ago by Major Tutwiler, Mr.. Toulmin
and the late J. T. Morgan, each owning
separate tracts. In order to develop
the property on a large scale and to
market the coal with economy. a con-
solidation of interest was affected, and
the Black Creek Coal and Coke com
pany organized. Since the organization
the company has acquired additional
holdings, until today it owns an un-
broken tract of land containing 1000
acres, 1000 in fee simple and 5000 in
mineral rights.
The coal on this property. conservR-
lively estimated at 25,000,00o tons. is
of the Black Greek seam, of the War
riOr field, and considered one of the
best steam Goals in the district, being
very low in ash and sulphur. and also
well adapted for the manufacture of
coke, both as to yield of by-products
and the quality of coke. The seam
averages from 80 to 50 inches. The
property is owned outright, is being
| financed and developed by the Tutwiler-
Toulmin- Morgan interests, who will
also operate the mines when completed.
The property of the company is con-
! tinuOus, ad admirably suited for a min
ing plant and town. 1t is abundantly
watered, getting its supply from Cur
ley creek, and well timbered, much Of
the timber used in construction of the
new mine having been cut OH the COM
pany's land.
An ideal site for the town has been
selected with proper regard to drainage
and sanitation. The erection of mod
ern houses for the workmen-with elec-
trio appliances and running water
will be commenced in the next few
days. Schools and churches will be
built, recreation parks and Fairgrounds
constructed and everything that goes
with model mining town will be pro-
vided.
Work Nears Completion
The construction work of the mines,
under the personal supervision of Gem
eral Manager Morgan, with p. III. Saw
age as general foreman is nearing COM
pletiOn. The tipple and washer having
daily capacity of 500 to 1000 tons
and equipped with two Montgomery
| jigs are under construction. Two
openings have been sunk approximately
300 feet, one for the haulage, the other
for the man-way and air course. The
slopes were sunk by Percy g. Cowan,
formerly of the Longyear Construction
company, and were driven through
hard sandstone and slate formations.
The mouth of the slopes are located
in ravine of almost the same pitch as
the floor of the slope and about so feet
[ deep, a natural condition which lessen
ed the cost of sinking the openings APP
prOximately 80 per cent.
The mine will be electrically equip
ped and model in every respect. haul
age motors will be installed for the
gathering and transportation of the coal
inside the mine; the inside develop
ment is being rapidly pushed. A large
ventilating fan has been placed and a
200-horsepower hoist has been pur-
chased and will be installed i'll the next
few days.
The present DEVELOPMENT is the first