Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/253

ALABAMA 229 and finest on the gulf, being 30 m. in length and from 3 to 18 ra. in breadth, with 22 feet of water at the main entrance at low tide ; but the channel for 10m. below Mobile is not more than 8 or 9 feet deep at low tide. Perdido bay is of slight importance. About two thirds of the counties of the state are bounded or inter- sected by navigable rivers, the principal of which are the Mobile, Alabama, Tombigbee, Chattahoochee, Coosa, and Tennessee. The last named comes in at the N. E. corner of the state, and taking a circular sweep southward goes out at the N. W. corner, and empties into the Ohio at Paducah, Ky. Its continuous nav- igation is interrupted by Muscle Shoals, near Florence. The great river of the state is the Mobile, formed by the confluence of the Ala- bama and Tombigbee about 60 m. above Mobile bay, into which it empties at Mobile. The Tombigbee rises in N. E. Mississippi, and is navigable for light-draught steamers to Colum- bus, about 300 m., and for flat-boats about 125 m. further. The Black Warrior, a branch of the Tombigbee, has its source in N". Alabama, empties near Demopolis, and is navigable for steamers to Tuscaloosa, 285 m. from Mobile. During freshets the Black Warrior at Tusca- loosa rises to a height of 50 feet. The Alabama, which is the eastern branch of the Mobile, is navigable to Montgomery, about 320 m. The Ooosa, a branch of the Alabama, is navigable from its mouth to Wetumpka, and from Greens- port to Borne, Ga., altogether 160 m., while its course between Wetumpka and Greensport for 180 m. is obstructed by shoals. The Chatta- hoochee, a large river rising in Georgia and emptying into Appalachicola bay, forms the eastern boundary of Alabama for more than 100 m. It is about 500 m. long, and navigable to the falls at Columbus, Ga., 300 m. above its mouth. Among the smaller rivers are the Conecuh, emptying into the Escambia; the Perdido, emptying into Perdido bay ; the Choc- tawhatchee, emptying into the bay of the same name ; and the Cahawba and Tallapoosa, afflu- ents of the Alabama. The attention of the general government and the states interested has been directed to the improvement of the Tennessee and Coosa rivers, and their connec- tion by a canal, in order to form an outlet for the produce of the northwestern and southern states, which will possess advantages over that by the Mississippi river. Among the natural curiosities are : a natural bridge in Walker county ; Bladen and Blount springs, which are the resorts of health and pleasure seekers ; and the sulphur springs of Talladega county. The remains of various mounds and roads have been found in different parts of the state, of which the Indians formerly occupying the country furnish no traditions. A stream of water issues from a large fissure in the limestone rocks at Tuscumbia, which is said to discharge 125 hhds. of water per minute, forming a considerable river which empties into the Tennessee. The N. E. corner of the state abounds in wild, grand, and picturesque scenery. The "Suck," a sort of maelstrom in the Tennessee river, and Paint Rock, a very high bluff with figures rep- resenting a man's face, are objects of much curiosity. The climate of Alabama is healthy, except on the low river bottoms, where the prevailing diseases are intermittent, congestive, and bilious fevers ; congestive fevers being the most fatal. According to the census of 1870, the rate of mortality was about one death to every 93 inhabitants. Mobile, in its early his- tory, was several times severely ravaged by yellow fever. In the elevated portions of the country the climate is delightful, the heat of summer being materially mitigated by the gulf breezes. During summer the mercury ranges from 104 to 60 F.; in November and the winter months, from 82 to 18 ; and in spring, from 93 to 22. The mean temperature of the state is about 63, or perhaps something less, and the mercury seldom rises above 95. July is the hottest month in the year. The fall of rain for 1870 was 48'53 inches. Very little snow falls, and the rivers are never frozen over, though stagnant water is sometimes covered with a thin coating of ice. Fruit trees blossom from the 1st of February to the 1st of March, according to the elevation. In the lower por- tion of the country there is almost a total lack of good water, while that found in the higher regions is very good. In many parts of the state the inhabitants procure their water from artesian wells, which not unfrequently reach a depth of 1,000 feet, and some of them throw up water in sufficient quantity to turn mills and other machinery. The soil of the state is va- rious, but mainly productive. In the southern part there are considerable tracts of sandy bar- rens, but the river bottoms are remarkably fer- tile. Some portions of the highlands in the north ai'e not worth cultivating, while by far the greater portion is very excellent land, hav- ing a productive soil of variable depth, resting on a limestone bed. By its great advantages of soil and climate, Alabama has always held a high rank as an agricultural state. Agriculture < forms the principal occupation of the people, manufacturing being carried on only to a lim- ited extent. The chief productions are cotton ,and Indian corn, though other grains are raised, ' as are also sugar cane and rice on the bottom lands in the extreme south ; and tobacco is grown to a small extent. According to the census of 1870, there are 4,982,340 acres of improved land in the state, and 9,491,270 of unimproved, of which 8,034,700 acres are woodland. The assessed value of real estate is $117,223,043, and of personal property $38,359,552 ; true value of all real and personal property, $201,855,841 ; cash value of farms, $67,502,433 ; of farming implements and machinery, $3,256,101 ; of all live stock, $26,077,267; of home manufactures, $1,083,720; of slaughtered animals, $4,556,467; estimated value of all farm products, including betterments and additions to stock, $66,532,810 ; total amount of wages paid to agricultural