The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-09-19
A STRONG COMBINATION.
Gen. Hardin Groups Number OF I'm
portant Physical Facts That Insure
the Growth of Big Stone Gap.

To the Editor Of The Post:
Permit me through your columns to al
lude to single fact not generally consid-
cred or understood, that to my mind is
absolutely conclusive Of the future of Big
Stone Gap. 1t is fact that any reader
can satisfy himself Of by moments
examination of an ordinary school map.
Already three railroads, the S. A. & o.,
the L. g. n :, and the n. & w, are substan-
TALLY completed to Big Stone Gap. But
these, with others projected, are cast of
the border line of Kentucky. Your read
crs, I assume, arc familiar with the reports
of the Kentucky State .gcologist and other
scientific experts who have examined the
coal fields of Eastern Kentucky. If so,
they have learned that these coal fields,
in quality, quantity, thickness of veins
and number Of strata, reach their maxi
mum in the counties bordering on Fir-
ginia. Approaching from the north, the
perfection of the coal is reached in those
counties. There it abruptly terminates.
&c the east and southwest the great up
hcavals appear in the adjacent mountain
chains; the iron ores are thrown up, and,
beginning at Big Stone Gap, with splendid
workable beds, the iron area reaches its
climax in mountain of ore mt Cranberry
n. c., within less than 100 miles Of these
Goals. Now the fact | alludc to is that
these border counties constitute the great
watershed for five large rivers. From
within twenty miles square the water flows
into the lower fork of the Big Sandy. that
runs north the Licking, that runs north
west; the Kentucky, that runs west; the
Cumberland, that runs south and south
west; and Powell's river, that TO the east
has cut its way through Big Stone Noun
tain and made the Gap from which your
town takes its name. But what is the
significance of the rivers all diycrging
from this point? 1t is plain and simple:
no railroad can or ever will be built that
does not follow these rivers. They are the
first lines drawn by the hand that stored
the wealth in the hills from which they
start. They invite from every direction,
and rush on towards every point Of the
compass. In them God mas written that
there shall be no monopoly of his greatest
storehousc of riches. There is room for
every great railroad system in the country
to reach in and get its share. Already
the sagacious see it; and all of the lines
of these water courses have one or more
roads projected up them. They will inevi-
tably concentrate in this watershed, other
wise they can never reach the coal deposit
of greatest perfection. When they do so
concentrate, Immediately opposite on the
cast is Big Stone Cap, the only mountain
pass to reach the area of iron, and connect
the roads south and east with the lines
west and north. Truly one cannot con-
template the divergence Of these water
courses from the heart and centre Of this
great coal deposit. with an understanding
of the country and its relation to Big
Stone Gap, and the iron ores in the cast
and south, without realizing its signifi-
canoe. 1t emphatically means that all
roads lead to Big Stone Cap
Z. ". HARDIN.
Sentcmbcr II. 1890.