The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1891-03-27
Cost OF coke at ionnellsville December, 1890:
Furnace coke, 81 10 per ton. Foundry coke. S2.4s.
freight rates from Councils Cost ut these points

Mahoning Valley, o.. 1876 $50 3.s(
cleveland, ...,....,. l.1O 3S5 ale
| Detroit, .............. 2.35 4.50 ds(
| Cincinnati,. .,........ 2.6o 4.S0 SIC
| Louisville, ........,.. 800 SIS 5cs
| Chicago, ...,......... 2s5 450> 800
! ST. Louis. .......... 335 $50 $50
| Baltimore, ........... al 49, 4s?
| Boston, .............. 400 6.l5 GAS
Total shipments from Connellsvillc for week ending
November % 1890, G,977 cars distributed as follows
To Pittsburgh, 1850 cars; to the West, 400 cara to
| the East. lSl1 cars.
! BeSscmcr orc is costing at Pittsburg 81 sc
per ton, and non-Bcsscmer orc costs at Pitts
burg from $500 to $500 per ton
Non-Bcsscmcr ore will cost at Big Stone Gap
from $l.25 to $3.50 per ton, and the Bcssemel
orc from So 90 to $3.50 per ton.
Limestone will cost at least twice as much
at PittSburg as at Big Stone Gap.
1t is said that 700 tons of Pocahontas coke
passes west through Bristol daily Cor furnaces
This coke will cost from 1918 to 81. 80 per ton
at those furnaces.
| These facts show the smaller cost Of coke
and iron orc at Big Stone Gap and require no
comment. Coke can be delivered at the ovens
here much cheaper tban these figures indicate,
and still afford a large profit to the maker.
| MIR. j. X. Taggart manager of the above
company, says ne will deliver frst-class fuel
coal at the depot AT Big Stone Gap at from 81. Is
to $l.25 per ton, if not less, and the company's
coke, which Mr.. McCrcath's analysis shows is
the finest in the world, at $500 per ton Coke
not quite so good in Wales sells for SIS per ton.
This statement from responsible a source,
should be considered by the manufacturing
world. There is no spot on the globe where
such fuel can be supplied at such price. Add
TO this the fact that we have superior iron ores
all around us, and in incxhaustibc quantities,
the finest timber north of the tropics, loca-
4 ? ,,t In oil Z
road systems ccntering here.
OPINION OF TWO ENGLISH EXrEErs.
Mr.. John W. Darby, of Wcxham, Eng, and
Mr.. +. Monks, Of Warrington, Eng, members
of the British Iron Il Stcc! Institute, recently
man. but has already reached prominent po-
Sition among the iron and steel producers of
England. He inhcritS his aptncss for these i'll
duS;ricS from ancestors who have been prom
incnt IN them for century. His grandfather
was the first TO make iron from knocked coal,
and his own plant, located near Chester, was
the first to use successfully the basic process
for making steel. Mr. Monks is one of the
oldest and best known of the practical iron and
coke men of England.
II am greatly delighted with what | have
seen in Big Stone Gap and vicinity, and am
under lasting obligations to Mr.. Proctor for
bringing us here, and to Gen. Ayers for his
courtesics to us. speak the sentiments of 4
large majority of the visiting members Of our
British Institute when say that what | wan
ted To see most in Your great country was the
rich deposits ofiron ores and coking Goals here
in the South, where they are as yet practically
undcvelopcd.
"Thc very things ! wanted to see are here
| did not care to see the manufactures in oper
alton, for we have those at home as numerous
and rs nearly perfect as one could wish to see,
although must say that | have been greatly
surprised and pleased at the great concerns we
saw in the North. Their equipments are not
so complete nor their methods so economical as
ours in England, but they are rapidly APP
preaching it, What those Of us who mean
business wished to sec in America is Just what
! have seen to-day at Big Stone Gap; as fine
coke as have ever seen i'll England, with iron
ores only two miles away, and limestone be-
tween, together with water power and railroads.
This is Il combination that is bound to make
YOU great here. | have Hcrcr seen Il eYuu{cU
elsewhere Your coke is the best have seen
in America. The brown ores We inspected TO-
day are admirably adapted to the basic process.
OF course. Your proximity to the magnetic ores
AZ Cranberry is Il great card in your favor, but
YOU will not need that to make the possibilities
of this point simply ncalculabc We have
been over a large portion of the Southern min
cra belt, and ] regard this as the best point
we have seen for the manufacturing of basic
steel. owing to the quality and quantity of
Your brown ores and their proximity to this
coke. l have enjoyed my day here greatly,
and hope can return soon.
Mr. Monks spoke in the same strain, saying
| lie had been practical producer of coke and
iron for forty wears, and that he had never seen
better coke: and Tie iron ore, both brown and
red were fine He thought the best card for
the future of Big Stone Gap in the iron indus
trv was the advantage ii had over any other
place he had seen for the production OF steel by
the basic process.
Prof. Proctor in his report says of the TIM
Der: "About 90 per cent of the area included
in the Appalachian coal-iield in Southwest Nir-
enia. West Virginia and Southeast Kentucky,
is covered with forest of valuable hardwoods-
oak. yellow poplar, hickory, ETC. The Black
Mountains, Immediately north Of Big Stone
Gap, are heavily timbercd from base to sum-
nit with as magnificent forests as have ever
seen. The following, from actual count and
measurement which made of the trees on five
acres on the southern slope ofthe Big Black, a
few miles northeast Of the Cap will give an
idea of the forest of this region:
Is yellow poplar, ranging in diameter from 20 in. to
Rim.
|, nnk>. diameter from Is in. to 40 in
: Cllc-inuts. diameter from il III. To ~ H.
, hicknryS, diameter from Is in. 10 )! ill.,
- hard NAPLES diameter FROM IA in. t" 40 III
l. inns diameter from II in. I" ., ill.,
/ II buckeyes diameter from II in. to 81 III.
> black wani,t,. diameter, 81 in and IS ill.,
lash, diameter, Is IN.
Bv the courtesy of Mr.. Charles I. Ballard,
president of the lnt9F- State Investment Com ;
nanv. of Louisville, re are enabled to give lum-
Der men abroad an idea the amount ottlmber
that grows on our mountains. The table be-
low represents the work Of eight men for ten
DAYS, counting the trees on body OF 4,ooC
acres of his lands on the Black Mountains OF
Harlan county, Kentucky, and Wise county,
Virginia, Ga large part Of which is tributary to
Big Stone Gap.l 1t must be noted MH nc
djGmcier cf tie trees is ne"tio"ed as ne
1,i,llAum diameter, dad that almost al Of
fhra OF course. wiU aun m"ch lorger.
Inches in
Trees. diameter.
II. ,, 76S l6
Cherry ........... 80 =,
| Birch .......,,..... ''..'.r 800 ~
WEitc Oak $3.50. NV 20
EcL Spanish and Water Oak. 5,,le - -
i>h ......'..... I3,a 80
Hickory - l' .,o II
Lynn. 'o,.So ~
PoplHr ........ 80 =, occ IS
( Cucumber .,' ooo 90
Chestnut ............''..'.' - go ~
Maple ' 20, o.