National Republican., 1888-03-13
TIE COAL FIELDS or VIRGINIA
Companies Organizing to Work Some
of the Most Valuable.

COmpaptes organizing 10 "OrA some
of the Most Valuable.
RICHMOND, VA, Mar. 12-The great
coal fields OF Wise county, Va, are
best seen from the summit OF the noun
tain on the east side Of the gap, near the
rock from which Big Stone Gap takes its
name. From this point splendid birds
eye view spreads out before the beholder,
reaching from the headwaters OF Roaring
Fork In the east to the Crab Orchard in the
west, and from Stone Mountain In tho
south to the Black Mountain in the north,
making an area Of about thirty miles east
and west by about fifteen miles north and
south. The view from the point named Is
SURPRISINGLY grand and beautiful, and
looks like an unbroken sea OF forest cut and
carved into innumerable ridges and ravlnes
by rushing mountain brooklets.
Under the surface Of this vast corrus.
Gated area lies the most wonderful deposits
of coal yet discovered In Virginia. 1t Is
said by some well posted In such matters
that the deposit in Wise county is the most
wonderful yet discovered In the Unite
States. There are several veins OF camel
coal ranging from 81 to 5 feet In thickness.
There is also l2.foot vein OF coklng coal.
The coking coal from this seam yields 0j
per CtHl. Vi uAtu HTe Two
other veins, one s feet and the other feet,
both cokipg coal.
TO reach this vast deposit there are but
three approaches-one by way OF Gladevlle,
one through Penning on's Gap, and the
other through Big Stone Gap. The approach
| by the way of Gladeville is rough and
mountainous, and makes many heavy
grades, and the same may be said OF the
| approach through Penningtop's Gap. As
Roaring Fork OF Powell's ravine comes
| through Big Stone Gap 1t not only makes
the way practical, but when once through
the gap the numerous tributaries to this
river give practical access to the deposits
by running branch roads up the stream.
The demand for the coke from this section
will come mainly from the southwest, and
| the approach through Big Stone Gap is vir-
tuslly the only one from that direction.
The directors Of the Big Stone Gap I'm
| provemeDt Company held meeting few
days ago, accepted the charter which had
been granted them by the legislature OF
| Virginia, and organized by electing Attor-
ney General Rufus A. Ayers, OF Virginia,
president; John +. Bullet, jr., of Philadel.
| phia, secretary, and Judge NJ. sB. Wood, OF
Scott county, Va, treasurer.
The executive committee have entered
into contract with j. II. Hensley, OF In
| dianapolis, Ind, to furnish the company
with 400, 600 bricks for building purposes,
! Negotiations were also made with different
parties to erect saw mills planning mills,
ard sash and door factories. Plans were
! ordered to be prepared Immediately for the
erection of large hotel, to cost $175, 900.
Buildings for the general offices OF the com.
, paDy will be erected at once. Already over
! S3,000,000 Of the stock OF the company has
| been subscribed for, and all the indications
now are that the business OF the company
will be prosecuted with great energy.
,.1I Il,
mining capitalists interested In the i'm
provements being made at Big Stone
Gap may be mentioned the following ::
Extein Horton, president of the Louisy,m,,,;.. :.
and Nashville railroad John II. Imam
/ New York city; +. w. Huidekooper. Wash
inetop, D. G.; A. IL. Bronson, Nav York
city; =. B: Leisenrlng, Mauch Chunk. Pa !:
Ion Iohn G. Bullitt, Philadsfphia; Nathaniel
- nayes hn1ewa Ioe,oi II D| Carley, Louisville;
u; Ro,o: y: Mcdowell 1faO nveiis lexington, XVIII W.
eTn railroad, .VS b W.. = I Ice. y Boston: Jas Jas.
tnst. fox, New York: .,,, Portion Myers,
Norfolk, Va; Hor '. il I'm, Frank
fort, KY; CT ,,s 1. Ballard, J. ,uisville,
Ky, VIM. ID. Jones, Phi adelpl, w. G.
Sheen, Boston; j. B. Altermrs, Philadel-
phia +. A. StrattoD, Chat ,Ioga, and j.
II: Heneley, Indianapolis, |.
The large railroad corp.C ,aiions interested
| are tue NOTlOlh anu Weeteru hiutOdu
Company, the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad Company, the Kentucky Union
Railroad Company, the Kentucky Eastern
Railroad Company, the Charleston, Cincin.
natl and Chicago Railroad Company, and
the South Atlantic and Ohio Railroad Com
pany.
Iron ore taken from Wallin's Ridge, nea.
the town Of Big Stone Gap, Of which there
are six distinct veins Of soft red BessemeI
ore, has recently been analyzed by the
chemist OF the United States geological
survey with the following result Iron,
40 43S; sulphur, 0,l32; phosphorus, .0l5
This ore is extremely soft, and as It lie:
Just near enough to the surface for drain
age, it can be mined at less expense thar
any iron ore known.
There has been opened vein OF limnott
ore, at various points for distance Of over
twenty miles, which shows an average
thickness Of twelve feet. Averaged samples
analysed by the United States chemist o
the geological survey yielded as follows
Iron, So; sulphur, .0S; phosphorus, lis.
The great value Of this iron ore consists
In the fact that It supplies the element:
necessary to make steel OF the magnetic
ore from the celebrated Cranberry region o.
North Carolina.