The space occupied by the exhibit collected and installed by the Commercial Club was 62 by 32 feet on the south side of the Mines Building, and contained approximately 2,000 square feet.  The statue of Vulcan stood in the center of one side of the space facing the center of the Mines Palace.  It was placed on a platform built upon nine heavy piles, which were driven to bedrock.  The figure was perfectly poised when set up, but as an additional safeguard anchor bars were run down through the legs and through a heavy timber, which was bolted to the piles.  These passed through plates on the inside of the timber and were screwed up tight.  The rest of the space was occupied by a complete exhibit of raw mineral products from all parts of Alabama and especially iron and coal from the Birmingham district.  The raw materials embraced the following:  Brown hematite iron ore, soft red ore, hard red ore, bituminous coals, building stone, gray iron, limestone, dolomite, kaolin, clays, cement rocks, gold ores, copper ore, lignite, and glass sand, and a long list of other minerals which have not been developed.  The products of coal and iron were coke and pig iron.  The finished products were as follows:  Open-hearth steel rails, bar and angle iron, car wheels, bar steel, steel plate, sewer pipe, and vitrified brick.  This entire exhibit was displayed in an attractive manner and was the object of a great deal of comment by visitors to the exposition and by newspapers throughout the country and Europe.

A display of Alabama marble was made in the form of a head of Christ, which was carved by Moretti, while he was at work on the Vulcan statue at Birmingham.  This marble is of exceedingly fineness and whiteness.  Moretti gave it as his opinion that this marble is equal to the best Carara or Parian marbles, and it is believed that the making of this exhibit will lead to the development of the marble deposits of Alabama, which are believed to be very extensive and of superior quality.  The raw materials displayed offer to capital and enterprise a number of splendid opportunities.  The glass sands are probably destined to place Alabama in the front rank in glass making in the future, while the following resources were displayed in such abundance and were of such excellent quality as to offer the greatest inducements to capital and skill: 

An exhibit of porcelain clays and kaolins, which should lead to the establishment of the manufacture of all kinds of crockery and pottery ware near these deposits.

The cement rocks, which formed a principal part of the exhibit, have already attracted capital, and Portland cement of the highest quality is now being manufactured to a limited extent.  Large industries in this line are to be located near these deposits, which are among the finest in the world and in inexhaustible quantity.

The beds of lignite, of which samples were on exhibition, are said to be of very superior quality.  No artificial binder is required to make this material up into briquettes for fuel.  It is understood that very profitable enterprises in this line are to be built up near these deposits.