The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-01-19
WORK PROGRESSES
Give Us More Men Of the
Same Kind Of Grit.
Only a Short Time and We'll
sect There"

Only a Short Time and We'll
"Get There"
| It's all nice enough to ait round and
talk about what's going to he done, o,
what 1--WE" are going to do when tho prop
CIR time arrives, but the men this country
is in need of just now is that class who
are willing to d., and do nor. Sucl, Il
man is Col. j. II. Allen. of the Big Stone
Gap Collicry Co. He came into this coal
field only few months ago, and at once
recognizing the unequaled advantages Of
| fered here in this one Of the most valua-
BILE coal districts in the world, he was not
slow in securing a lease covering over
1000 acres. After arranging his lease.
lie was not willing then to sit quietly
down and wait for others TO commence
developments. but, comparatively speak
ing, with barred hands and sleeves rolled
up, he went right into work, and to his
determination and "grit" will hereafter
be credited much Of the honor due the pi-
oneer operators of this great coal field
Give us more men like Col. Allen, who
arc willing to place their last dollar, if
necessary, on their confidence in the
sleeping wealth OF our section.
The work of development is moving
along on the Collcry Company's property
as rapidly rs the unfavorablc weather will
permit. Besides the work done heretofore
mentioned in the columns Of this paper,
the company has recently been pushing
| forward the work Of construction on its
branch line Of railroad, leading from a
connection with the L. 4 n. and the n. &
W. railroads to its mines, n distance of
about two miles. The road is being built
outright by the Colliery Company, thus
| placing it entirely under its control, lcav-
ing it free so far as obligations to either of
the railroad systems named above are
concerned. The branch road was let to
contract and work commenced Nv con-
tractor McNulty on January lst, and it is
expected that it will be completed by the
| first of March
In conversation with Col. Allen, lie said:
Mistakes are very unpleasant affairs to
deal with, to say the least; but, when
made, the best thing to do is to admit the
fact at once, an get up a hustle and rec
tify the mistake at the earliest possible
moment"
This statement was brought about in
referring to his experience in the Pine
Vile, Kentucky coal district. Several
years ago he put in a coal and coke ope-
ration at Pimcvllc, and, after investing
many thousands of dollars in the under
taking, he at length realized the fact that
he was slightly in advance Of the natural
veopmcnt-movement that could reas-
onably be expected in the southern coal
field. He said the overflow of capital
from one coal IlClu WAS Cnat winch went
to develop another. The overflow of cap
| tai and operators from the PENNSYLVANIA
fields brought about the rapid develop
ment of the Pocahontns district that dis
trct would naturally bring about the de-
ve!opment of this territory, while the
kentucky deposits must necessarily
await their turn from surplus of capital
am operators from this district.
AS is the case with all great undertake
ings, success is not attained by the plans
and efforts of single man, but is brought
about only through the cooperation and
concentrated action of body of pushing,
spirited, level headed men all striving to
reach the same end. In pushing the work
of his company thus far Col. Allen has
not lacked for valuable assistancn in this
respect Mr. G.. Morris, who is member
of the company is a man of recognized
ability and untirinS energy, while Mr..
Horace f. Fox, the able superintendent
and Mama charge, and Mr.. W. T.
Barbour, have both done much
toward advancing the work and looking
directly after the details Of the business.
While on this line of thought, although
the Posr is not authorized to say so, only
from what it has gathered from reliable
sources in round about way, everything
now points to the early commencement of
work by the Virginia Coal and Iron Co.,
and, as stated by those who are supposed
to know, the commencement of work in
earnest by this, possibly the largest and
wealthest coal company in the south, is
now only held back on account of the ex-
IRENE bad weather we are now experience
ing. While Mr.. j. X. Taggart, General
Superintendent, has been assaulted on all
sides by anxious inquirers as to the in
tention of his company in regard to the
development Of its property, he has wisely
refused to give out anything that would
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