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20 COALANDTIMBER June, 1905
[NTUCKY
Letter^
By M. F. Conley.
It will be a matter of only a few months
until the development of the vast coal
resources of the Big Sandy Valley in Kentucky
and West Virginia shall have begun
in earnest. The shipping facilities have not
before been such as to make operations
possible. But now we have the Chesapeake
and Ohio railway extension from Ashland
to Pikeville along the main stream and the
Louisa fork, and the Norfolk and Western
railroad along the West Virginia shore of
the Big Sandy river proper and its Tug
fork. This puts railroads into the heart
of our great coal and coke regions. Then
we have this season, for the firsttime, slack
water on the Big Sandy and for a short
distance up each of the two forks—which
find their confluence at Louisa.
Preparations are now under way for a
number of new coal operations along the
valley, and a few companies are already
shipping.
The Big Mud Coal Co. is the latest corporation
formed. The capital is $50,000. fully
paid up. A valuable boundary of fine coal
is owned by this company near the mouth
of Mud Creek in Pike county and is to be
leased to other parties for operation. This
is on the new C. & O. line. John C. C.
Mayo, the largest holder of Big Sandy mineral
lands, is one of the largest stockholders
in this company.
The Acrogen Coal Co. is almost ready
to begin shipments from their excellent
new mine one mile from Paintsville, Johnson
county, on the new C. & O. line. The
plant is equipped with electricity for power
and lights and is up-to-date in all particulars.
The Peach Orchard Coal Co., the oldest
operating company in the valley, is increasing
its output and finding ready sale for the
product.
A fine machine plant was recently installed
by the Torchlight Coal Co. at its
mines five miles south of Louisa. This
property has three veins of good coal. Its
mines are reached by both slack water and
rail, and this is the only operation of any
consequence as yet ready for shipping in
this way. Col. Jay H. Northup is principal
owner of this property, as well as that of
the Whitehouse Cannel Coal Co., which is
located 18 miles further south along the
stream. This is as yet beyond the reach
of slack water, but the government is going
right along with the extension of this improvement.
At Meek station in Johnson county there
is a new mine getting good results under
the management of J. N. Meek.
Eight miles southeast of Louisa on the
new line of the N. & W. R. R., a new town
has been laid out under direction of Webb
Hayes, son of ex-President Rutherford E.
Hayes. The coal in the mountains overlooking
the new town is to be developed
at once. The property has belonged to the
Hayes family for many years and is quite
valuable. The place is to be known as
Glenhayes. It is on the West Virginia
side of the river.
The Louisa Coal Co. has acquired a large
boundary of good coal five miles south of
Louisa and will construct two miles of railroad
to connect with the C. & O. Dr. M.
G. Watson, of Louisa, is one of the large
stockholders. Ohio capitalists are interested
with him.
The largest company in the Big Sandy
valley is the Northern Coal & Coke Co.
The money invested and the value of its
holdings run considerably into the millions.
The greater part of the rich Elkhorn coking
coal property belongs to this company. It
was organized by John C. C. Mayo and he
is one of the large stockholders. The railroMid
has not vet reached the Northern's
property. Coke ovens have already been
built, however, and much preparation made
for starting active operations as soon as
the C. & O. is ready to handle the product.
Repeated tests show this company's coke
to be among the best known.
Another railroad line has recently been
surveyed from Ashland into the coal fields
lying between the two forks of Big Sandy
river, and there are good reasons for expecting
the road to be built.
The price of coal lands in the Big Sandy
valley has been very low until recently
and the prices are yet much below what
they will be within two or three years.
Fifty dollars per acre for property containing
solid veins of good bituminous coal has
been sufficient inducement to cause the natives
to part with the land in fee simple,
and much the greater part of it has left
their hands at a less price than that.
The Whitehouse Cannel Coal Co. is cutting
a large amount of timber from its large
tract of land in Johnson county. Numerous
other companies have mills in the valley
cutting poplar, oak, walnut and other kinds
of timber.
The business of running timber to market
in log rafts continues almost unabated.
On a timber tide just closing in the river,
more than a thousand large rafts have
reached the Catlettsburg and Ashland ports.
Pennsylvania parties have just completed
three promising wells in this county, six
miles from Louisa. Several more test wells
will be put down as rapidly as possible.
The Standard Oil Co. recently found a remarkably
strong gas vein in the western
portion of this county.
Mines in the central bituminous district
of Pennsylvania have been making very
fair time the last month. The settlement
of the wage scale, which for so long a time
had threatened to lead to a disastrous strike,
has given the coal business renewed
Agents wanted to solicit subscriptions for
Coal and Timber. Most liberal commissions.
Handsome premium gifts for subscribers.
activity,
and the result is that nearly all the
mining plants have been having all that
they could do to fill their orders. The
coal industry in this section of the Keystone
State is in a very prosperous condition. Of
course, the terms of settlement of the scale
did not exactly suit all of the miners, nor
the operators either for that fact, but all
bitterness has passed away and employer
and employe seem determined to make the
best of the situation. One good thing is
that if the men did not get all that they
asked they are assured of an abundance of
work wdiich is after all the great desideratum.
Shipments to the East from the central
part of the State the past month have been
very heavy. While the market is not all
that could be asked, under the circumstances
the outlook is sufficiently bright to warrant
the operators in preparing for still heavier
business. Many plants are being enlarged
and new machinery is being installed. All
indications point to the fact that the operators
are expecting a long and prosperous
run and that they are getting their plants
in shape to meet the demand.
The appointment by Governor Samuel W.
Pennypacker of Joseph Williams as inspector
of the Tenth district is naturally pleasing
to both operators and men. Mr. Williams
needs no encomium. His work has
stood for itself. He is popular and thoroughly
respected for his sterling honesty
and integrity. The Governor made no mistake
when
he placed Joshua T. Evans at
the head of the Ninth district.
Mr. Evans'
ability and competency is unquestionable.
The operators and miners of this general
region think that the mine inspectors chosen
for the important duty all over the state
were the best wdio could have been named
both as regards character and fitness.
Options involving practically all of the
coal mines north of the Kiskiminetas river
in the Allegheny valley are being taken.
Sixty-seven coal companies, including the
Kittanning Coal Co. are involved and over
$6,000,000 will figure in the deal. More
than 100 mines in the Allegheny valley have
been taken over. Some of the options were
closed and arc thought to be for the Pennsylvania
railroad. The names of E. C.
Robert and W. D. Ward, of Buffalo, appear
on the leases. The Kittanning Coal Co.
has about 1,000 acres of coal land, one of
the mines having 22.000,000 tons of coal.
All are said to have been cash options.