178 THE ALABAMA OPPORTUNITY. 



Lead Ore. — The only occurrence of galena of any conse- 

 quence thus far known in Alabama, is in the Trenton lime- 

 stone about five miles west of Jacksonville, in Calhoun county, 

 where much work was done by the Confederate government 

 during the Civil war. Traces of the old quarries are still to 

 be seen, and fairly good specimens of the ore may be picked up 

 around them. With the present perfected machines for con- 

 centrating ores it would seem that this deposit might yet be' 

 profitably worked, if only the quantity of the ore were sufifi- 

 cient to justify the erection of suitable plant. This' can be as- 

 certained only b}' the expenditure of much money. Very much 

 of the lead ore of Southeastern Missouri is no richer than some 

 which can be obtained from the Calhoun county mines. The 

 subject is well worth testing, and attention is now being di- 

 rected to this deposit. 



Some small veins with galena have als'o been observed in 

 the Knox Dolomite. 



Loose pieces of pure galena may be found on the surface 

 over the entire state, in localities where it could not possibly 

 be in place. The fact that similar occurrences are noted in all 

 the other states adjacent, has led to the inference that these 

 loose specimens have been dropped by Indians and others who 

 have brought them from Missouri or other lead-producing 

 states. There is not a county in Alabama where there is not 

 a tradition of a "lead mine," said to have been worked by the 

 Indians or early settlers, and the details of these traditions are 

 infinitely varied. 



Materials for Portland Cement. — The Trenton limestone and 

 the s'ubcarboniferous shales are now coming into use in the 

 manufacture of Portland cement. Plants are in course of 

 erection at Leeds and at Ragland for this important industry. 



III. The Coal Measures. — The Alabama coal fields were 

 named long ago by Prof. Tuomey, from the streams which 

 dr^in them, the Warrior, the Cahaba, and the Coosa. The 

 Warrior field is still further divided into a Plateau region and 

 i. Basin region. The Plateau region extends from the Georgia 

 and Tennessee line down toward the southwest as far as the 

 meridian of Birmingham, while the basin proper includes that 

 part of the field lying beyond this meridian towards the south 

 and west. The Lookout Mountain, while draining into the 

 Coosa river, has most of the characteristics of the Plateau di- 



