The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-07-06
WEST VIRGINIA COKE.
The Entire Product Of Many Com
panies Taken by the Illinois
Steel Company.
Special to Courier Journal


Brand Powhattan coal companies Of
the Flat Top, West Virginia, coal
field for their entire supply for the
coming six months, commencing
July |. This company is one OF the
largest iron manufacturing concerns
in the United States, and the largest
in it's particular line. Owing to the
scarcity of ears from which the Nor
folk IL Western railroad is suffering,
the steel company has put 100 OF rs
own cars at the service of the coke
makers, and forty car loads will oe
shipped each day, putting the entire
100 cars into use on this line alone
as it will take four trains of forty
cars each coming and going daily.
allowing four DAYS for the trip and
two trains at each end loading and
unloading.
The price at which the contract is
made is not public property, Int it
is understood to be considerably less
than the offer made by thc H. G.
Frick Coke Company, which had
the contract for the past six months.
and which Is reported to have
made a concession for the coming
six months. The Norfolk Il West
ern railroad is also reported to have
cut it's regular rate in consideration
of the regularity and size ri the
shipping contract, and also through
& desire to bring itself and the coke
produced in the field in which it has
exclusive lines into prominence.
But the greatest interest in this
contract does not arise from its SIZE,
although it is one of tie biggest
which will be made this Su,nmef-
For wears the coke pyo''ncers Of the
VireiniaS, kentucky and Tenncs>e g.
have tried to induce futnacemen t.
use their product, but without sue
cess. except for the manufacture OF
low grade irons for milk and found
erv uses. 1t has been asserted ey-
ervwhere, and especially in " heel
ing and PittsburS districts, where
most Of the Bessemcr iron is made
that no coke except Conuelsvillf
coke would produce satisfactory re
suits. Even coke made from conI
taken from the Connellsy HE seam
but ACROSS the West Virginia Inc
was doomed and declared unfit fol
use. New River, W. Va, coke was
also considered vulueless, as were 20
calontas and Flat Top products.
All these cokes were inferior ten
years aso, due chiefly to crude meth J.
obs employed in their manufacture
but for three years coke has been
made at Fairmont, along the West
Virginia Central railroad, along :he
Chesapeake & Ohio in the New kiv-
er region, and in the region opened
by the building Of the Norfolk q
Westerns Ohio river extention all
in West Virginia, which show a,
good, and in some cases better, chem
ical analyses. 1t ha, hard liae5 to
travel, however, and low prices, an''
especially favorable conditions ofeT-
ed by small producers, have always
been met by the big fellows n the
Connellsville region. A Late objec-
ton to some Of these cokes, and one
which was we'll taken, was that fhey
were weak in structure and had not
sufficient strength TO support the
burden OF a heavy furnace. This
trouble has been obviated by mixing
Goals from different seams.
The recognition of the West Vif-
ginia coke by the Illinois Steel Com
pany will go far toward overcoming
what has grown from well taken OBJ
iections to prejudice, especially
among smaller concerns. This is
not the first substantial victory 10!
West Virginia coke, Tor the Davis
Coal & Coke Co., operated by ex-
Senator Henry g. Davis, and exSec-
rotary of War Elkins, is shipping
coke to Mexico and South America
and has regular trade in California
and the State of Washington.
Another point Of interest is tit
| fact that the Baltimore and Ohio an,
Pennsylvania railroads are building