St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-11
CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS
What the Southern Land Improve
ment Company Really Has


ment Company Really Has
Done.
Something has already been said of
the enterprise at the head of which is
the recently organized Southern Land
and Improvement company, but good
many of the particulars heretofore pub
lished were incorrect. Nor has half the
truth been told of this project.
To begin with, the company has cap
ital of so, 10000 1t has purchased the
property of the Pine Mountain Iron and
Coal company in Western Kentucky.
The consideration was Sl,050,000. The
purchase includes the town of Pine
vile, KY, two coal mines, ineXhausti-
BILE mines of iron, pure limestone rock,
extensive pine lands, railroads, coke
ovens, vast deposits of fire clay and
common brick clay, riparian rights con-
trolling water power greater than that
of st. Anthony falls, and enough min
eral springs to stock the health resorts
of two worlds.
A complete description of the pur-
chase and of what it includes would fill
magazine. A brief summary only
can be presented:
First, there are the two coal mines
already in operation, with 1000 feet of
facings and turning out 500 tons of coal
per day, paying profit of $3.50 per day.
One thousand coke ovens are in opera
ton and paying profit of $3.50 per day.
The coal output Will soon be increased
to 1000 tons day. The vein of coal is
practically exhaustless and is easily
worked. 1t slants just enough to pro-
vide easy drainage, and opens on a
side hill. whence the product is chuted
to the cars. So much for the coal.
The iron vein, red and brown hematite,
is fifteen feet thick, ten miles wide and
twelve miles long. 1t extends through
the mountains and crops out on the
other side at Middleburg. Middieburg,
the great iron town of the South, is on
this same vein. The Southern Land
and Improvement company owns the
vein for twelve miles in one direction
and ten in the other. 1t is first quality
iron.
But the iron and coal are not all that
there is there. The coke ovens supply
clay for the furnaces is needed. There
is a fifteen-foot vein of fire clay
underlying the coal deposits and cock
tensive with them. Besides this fire
clay there are other grades suitable for
the manufacture OF building brick.
Among the other earthly resources may
be mentioned limestone ledge thirty
feet thick. 1t is almost pure lime. It's
burned there in the open air, and not
over 10 per cent waste comes from the
lime. The coal leaves less than half
of l per cent of ash. Then
there is building stone, vast
quantities of it of quality similar to
the Bedford stone used i'll the Mime
apolis Masonic Temple. As an exam
pie of how it Quarries, there are pillars
twelve feet high and three feet thick of
this stone ornamenting the front of the
company's building i'll Pineyille. More
over, the whole tract of land purchased
is covered with pine forests running
1900 feet to the acre.
Pineville, included in the purchase, Is
a town of 5000 people. Its streets are
owned by the Southern Land Improve
ment company. 1t will be run on the
purely cooperative plan. Every prop
erty owner, every employe of the COM
pany must own stock in the company.
In municipal elections the stock will be
voted. The profits on the stock will
pay municipal expenses. There are
already many large manufactures there
and more coming. The company will
furnish these manufactures land, build
their plants, haul material to their doors
and take majority of the stock to pay
for it. Pineville is already a metro
pOlitan city, with electric lights and all
the adjuncts of civilization. The city
water is supplied by mountain springs
collected in reservoir and furnishing
pressure of ninety pounds per square
inch.
By purchasing the West Virginia,
PinevilIe d Kentucky railroad, the
Southern Laud improvement company
controls the only pass through the
mountains within 100 miles of this rich
country. Four other roads are pointing
toward that district, but must pay toll
to this road before they can enter.
Piueville is advantageouSly situated
in many ways. At this point there are
rapids in the Cumberland river. The
land company owns a thirty-toOt fall
IN the Cumberland, a river almost as
large as the Mississippi at Minneapolis;
an eighteeD-fOOt fall in Straight creek,
and almost as much in Clear creek.
This is the minimum fall. Middlebury,
already a great iron town, must get its
coke and its sand for smelling from
Pineville. PineYille has the water
power, the timber, the mines of coal and
iron, valuable building stone, clay de-
posts, raw lime and all the necessarieS
for a great manufacturing center. The
mountains are full of mineral waters,
as chalybeate, iron, soda and white and
black sulphur.
The Southern Land and Improvement
company, with headquarters in Mime
apolis, has just been formed to develop
this region. Plans are not fully per-
fected yet. Everything will be done,
however, on the profit-sharing plan.
The company promises to make some
wonderful announcements ere long.