The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-16
RESENTED.
A Denial of Misrepresentation Con
corning Daviess County.
Strength of the Opposition to Governor CuI
lOm-Death of II Well-Known Citi-
zen of Knox County-NOtes.
DAVIESs COUNTY.
Correcting a Few Misrepresentation of a
Sentinel Correspondent.

Sentinel Correspondent.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Jan 14.-One J. c. Mckee,
dyspeptic and disgruntled representative OF
the Industrial Life Association of Indianapo-
lis dropped into this city last week, and,
failing to strike a boom for his business,
vented his spite upon us by sending letter
to the Sentinel, which was printed in that
paper yesterday. His article consisted of a
rehash of news that appeared in the Journal
the day before, and the following gross and
libellous misrepresentation concerning our
city and it's councimen:
Next to the Smith business, the matter of
greatest moment is the row between the
council and the gas company. Upon the al
legged score OF economy, but really to spite
the gas company, the street lamps are not
lighted at all, and citizens grope about i'll
deep darkness with lanterns TO guide them.
| Naturally the taxpayers are wrathy, and VOW
vengeance upon the Council at the next cleo
| ton. To say the least, it is a bad recon-
| nendation for a county seat like this to have
| no street lights at all.
"This is one OF the great coal regions of the
State, but according to evidences before
your correspondent. the supply is nearly ex-
hausted. Some of the oldest mines are now
taking out the pillars and supports that were
! formerly lett to sustain the roof of the tun-
| nels and excavations, and then they will be
done for. But as coal abounds elsewhere in
the State, this question is merely of local i'm
portance."
The truth in regard to the streets not being
lighted is that the Council refuses to light
them simply on account OF its ideas of econ
omy, and for no other reason. While your
correspondent and probably majority of our
| citizens deprecate what we consider the BAD
! judgment of a majority of our Council, we
| all know that the action of that body is not
| controlled by any feeling between the gas
| mpany and members of the Council. The
| four members of the Council who are the
| majority, and control the body in the matter
mentioned, are all good citizens and business
men. who have by honorable means acquired
a considerable amount of property. To put
| il as mild as possible, Mr. McKee's remarks
! in the first paragraph above quoted are en-
! tirely gratuitous, ands ARE altogether unjust
to our municipal legislature.
| But his most unjust, ii not actually mean,
remarks are those concerning the quantity
OF coal hereabout. To person at all ac-
quainted with mining terms and miners
| parlance it is not necessary to observe more
| than McKee's expression tunnels and eXca-
vations" to know that his evidences were
| not obtained from any one engaged in min
| ing operations nor from nybody who is in
| tent whatever. Your correspondent has
been a resident of this city fifteen years, has
| been in newspaper business a considerable
| time has informed himself concerning the
mineral resources of Daviess county, and
knows whereof he writes. Therefore, for
the facts, While it is true that
some of the older mines now
being worked will soon be dome for"
it Is all the better for us as a city and county,
because below the stratum of coal now being
taken out there is a much larger one, run
ming from five to seven feet in thickness, and
uniformly of as good quality as the best to
be found in the State This information is
obtained from parties who have drilled all
over the county. This sub-stratum can be
| worked with less expense than the one now
operated, and is not now being taken out
for the reason that the upper one could not
be worked at all to advantage if not worked
| first. When we consider that the second
and larger stratum mentioned is but
little more than hundred feet
from the surface, and that the
geological formation of the coal re-
gions of Indiana and Pennsylvania are nearly
identical, and that a vein of coal at Potts
vile, in the latter State, $50 feet below the
Surface of the earth, is being taken out with
profit there need be no fear thar our sup
ply is nearly exhausted" as stated by the
cranky correspondent of the Sentinel. ANY
one, moreover, who will take his pencil and
do little figuring upon the quantity of coal
| in the lower and larger stratum above men
| toned will discover that all persons now
| living as well as their youngest grand
| children, will have chances to die of old age
| long before the coal regions of this county
shall have been exhausted; in short, that,
without going beyond 100 feet from the sod,
the coal mines of Daviess county are to all
intents and purposes inexhaustible.