Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-29

periOr article Of coke. The dip OF the coal
vein is about an inch and a hall
to the yard. The main entry, with
cross entries, is about 2,400 yards
in length. The coal is shipped to Atlanta,
| Augusta and Macon, Ga, and sometimes 10
| Charleston, S. c. At the mine it sells for
ten cents per bushel. The fine coal of this
company is utilized in the making of coke.
This company has a lease of $50 acres.
The mine of r. E. McEwen & Co., a
short distance from the preceding one, m
ploys thirty miners and eleven laborers:
The product for the year 1878 was 15O,OOO
bushels. The vein is four feet thick and
sWells put locally to six, seven and eight
feet. The main entry, 900 yards in length,
is driven in at a water level, and the cross
entries, dipping oneinch to the yardtowards
the main entry, will probably aggregate as
many yards as the main entry. This mine
is so opened as to drain itself. The coal is
of the same character and shipped to the
same points as the preceding. The full ca
pacity of the mine is 100 tons per day or
$500 bushels. This company has a lease
of $50 acres.
The Coal Creek Coal Company employ
twenty men. The main entry is 425 yards
long, with cross entries amounting in the
aggregate to 315 yards. The daily product
of this mine is five car loads, or 1,25O BUSH
els. This mine is pretty well exhausted,
and the company propose to open a new
mine higher up and above the Black
Diamond.
The Anderson Coal Creek Company en-
plOy twenty-six men, and the maxi
mum product is ten car loads, or
$500 bushels per day. The char
acter of all this coal is the same.
These companies with the exception of the
Coal Creek Company, work under a lease
from the Coal Creek Mining and Manufac-
turing Company, paying a royalty Of one
cent per bushel. The entire property Of
this last named company embraces about
10000 acres. 1t lies in an irregularly
curved mass thirteen and a half miles
long and four and a half wide.
In the general vertical section of the
strata in this region, as given by Prof.
Bradley, twenty-one coal seams appear,
eight q which are known to be Of wOrka-
bic thickness, and include an average of
over thirty feet Of coal. He estimates the
amount of coal belonging to this company
at 156,250,OO0 tons.
From Coal Crack to Wheeler's Station,
or Caryville, is ten miles. At this point
are four mines, viz: The PoWells Valley
Mining and Manufacturing Company,
James kennedy's, East Tennessee Coal
Company, and DR.. Harris mine.
The first of these is not worked at pres
ent, owing to some dispute in reference to
the title. The vein is three and a half feet
thick, and the mine was opened in 1869.
The mine Of James Kennedy is worked
by twenty-five men with a daily product Of
700 bushels. The main entry is 500 yards
long and is level with the Knoxville and
Ohio Railroad. 1t was opened in 1868.
The East Tennessee Coal Company have
met with a series of misfortunes. sThe first
drift, after going 165 yards, struck a fault
and was abandoned. The vein dipped at
an angle of 10 degrees, and after the entry
had been driven in % feet the vein jumped
p feet, nearly pependicularly. 1t was,
however, worked until the faultwaS met
with.
The second drift goes in
1T5 feet. The vein dips at an angle of
35 degrees for forty yards then becomes
horizontal or slightly undulating. Six or
eight men only are employed and the pro-
duct is $50 bushels per day. 1t was opened
in August, 1871.
DR. HART's NINE
This is now being opened and the vein
has a dip of As degrees downwards. It is
five feet in thickness, varying, however,
from - to S feet. The coal is of good
quality, comparatively free of sulphur and
IS highly esteemed for CRATES. bringing a
cent more per bushel in Knoxville than hat
obtained elsewhere. Where the vein thick
ems to more than six feet the coal is curled,
twisted and rounded, has a crushed, shelly
appearance and does not bear transportation
so well as that taken from thinner places.
The entry has been driven to a depth of
125 feet with but little variation in the dip.
The total product from Wheeler's Station
for tie year 1878 was 36S,325 bushels.
WheeleT's Station is situated at the
southern limit of POwell's Valley and will,
doubtless, become a thriving village when
the demand for coal increases. Our trio are
greatly indebtedtoR. C. Wheelerand DR.. d.
Hart for kindly attentions and courtesieS
shown during our visit. The former gen.
tleman entertained us with an Open-handed
hospitality which is rare except among the
big-hearted citizens OF the mountain re-
gions.
LOCKWOOD.
Returning to Chattanooga We found a
party in waiting TO 90 up to lockwood,
which is one hundred and twenty miles by
river and ninety-twO By land. Boarding
the Lucy Coker, a boat Of modest appear
ance and small pretentions in everything
except her squeal, which llast rose to
the lofty dignity of a frst-class
Mississippi steamer. Capt. W. y. Henni-
ger, master, and c. p. Robinson, clerk,
showed the party every attention and civ
ility in their power, and though the steam
er was not constructed to accommodate
stove pipe hats or seven foot men, it suited
most Of our party admirably, especially
Senator Ebert, whose form, like WOuter-
van Twiller's, was exactly five feet seven
inches high and seven feet five inches
round. Our party was Joined at Chatta-
noCga by the aforesaid Senator and Tom
Stickfeld, the latter armed and equipped
with a box of fragrant Hayanas, a
deck of cards and a jug of cOru
whisky, so redolent Of the grain
that ii "smelled like the boys foot that
dropped it." John Monarch and Mr.. Fame,
of Georgia, Joined us up the river.
The scenery on the Tennessee is not so
startling as one might imagine. The river
hills are rather subdued and seems TO
cover under the froWning cliffs Of Walden's
Ridge. II strikes one as peculiar that such
a magnificent river. should have so few vii
lagos on its banks. Not one for more
than a hundred miles, though landings
where grain is shipped are on every farm.
The islands on this river, rs well as the
bottoms, are rs fertile as the Valley Of the
Nile. The average crop of corn per acre is
scventy-fve bushels and oats yield tho like
quantity. No where else in the State do
farms sell so high. Two hundred and
ten dollars per acre for an island farm have
been paid. Land is in great demand and
rents for from twelve to thirty bushels Of
corn per acre, the renter finding every
thing.
LOCKWOOD.
We found the Busy Bee a TIE river.
The Busy Bee, you must know,
is the little engine hat
plies between the river and lockwood
Furnace, a distance of five miles. Jump
ing upon a platform car with the NapO-
lconic Senator as 4 head light, we glided
along through deep cuts circling around
mamillary protuberances, along low fats
whose soil was green with decOmpOsed
slate and saturated with stagnant water,
up black jack ridges, down steep grades and
finally cutting the great dyestnne vein
landed in safety at the hotel.
lockwood lies at the very foot of Wal
denis Ridge. 1t has a population of 1,5OO.
Besides two furnaces, Nos. ] and ?, it has
op0 Stn-n yyouon naL-o-'o ,r,I oahiunt