CAHABA COAL FIELD: GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 19 
expending between two and three hundred thousand dollars 
in the opening up of Pratt Mines and bringing cheap coal 
and coke into Birmingham. Prior to that, capitalists from 
all parts of the world had seen something of our mineral 
wealth, but hesitated to venture upon the experiment to 
ascertain whether the coals and iron ores of Alabama could 
be worked together in the furnace well enough to make it 
profitable. It was well known then toa few, that we had 
an abundance of good coal and iron ores, but that very 
essential demonstration to induce capital to come here to 
invest, we did not have. 
In the development of the Cahaba Coal Field, the greatest 
credit must ba given to Truman H. Aldrich and Henry F. 
DeBardeleben. They have done more than any others to 
push on the developments and mining enterprises that now 
dot this coal field; Cornelius Cadle and William F. Aldrich 
have also contributed largely to the mining development of 
the field. 
In locating some of the coal seam outcrops on the accom- 
panying map, after discovering the seam and being positive 
of its presence, I found it impossible to ascertain its true 
relative position to the nearest section lines, and distance 
to nearest section corners, on account of the settlers in the 
vicinity being unable to point them out; leaving me no 
alternative but to approximate its position by the apparent 
distance to some mountain where the section corners were 
known to me, or to take the compass and chain and run 
the section lines off; in some of the most important cases, 
IT ado, ited the last way, and in others of lesser importance, 
in fact, in the majority of cases, adopted the first way and 
approximated their position. 
With regard to the continuance, or uniformity in thick- 
ness of the coal seams shown on the accompanying map, the 
future developments by further testing and mining will have 
to decide. I have given the thickness and location of all 
the seams of the Cahaba Coal Field as accurately as the 
knowledge obtained up to this date would enable me to do. 
The condition of aseam of coal, a single yard beyond its 
exposure, no one living has positive knowledge of, or can 
rightfully swear as to its size or its purity. 
