The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-24
THE COAL FIELDS
OF old | VIRGINIA /
Review Of Their Extent and Their
Great Growth.
THE NEW GREAT SOUTHWEST.
THE NEW GREAT SOUTHWEST.
Thriving Towns With Populations Up
in the Thousands Have Sprung Up
as if by Magic-Electric Lights
and Modern lmproyem ents.
Especial Dispatch to. The Times.)

Especial Dispatch to The Times.)
MAYKING. KY.,-Aug. 23-The Times
correspondent has just returned from a
trip through the coal regions Of Wise
county. Va. where operations are active.
coke manufacturing being the principal
industry. Beginning at Stonega, the far
famed boom mining town Of the South,
we see it situated on Callahan Creek two
miles from the Kentucky border line.
Mayking's nearest telegraph and rail-
road station bloomed into prominence
two and half years ago, and has since
made more rapid growth than any
other mining town in Wise county. Here
the Virginia Coal and Iron Company
employs in the aggregate some 5000 men,
who turn out on an average of from 1000
to 1.60o tons of as fine coke rs can be
found In the United States. besides an
enormous supply of soft coal, daily. The
Times correspondent understands that
the working force at these mines will
be increased on September 1st to 500
veritable forest of mammoth poplars
grew where now is city OF upward OF
5000 souls. Here the wild bear and deer
roved unmolested less than three years
ago, till Pennsylvania capitalists came,
with push and enterprise. to the I'M
developed riches that underlie every hill
side. Soon mines were opened, and the
mammoth veins gave out such fine speci-
mems Of coal that in less than six
months the Interstate Railroad had COM
pleted branch line from its junction at
Appalachia, eight miles away. Five
hundred coke ovens We're completed and
600 miners houses put up; streets were
graded. fine up-to-date commissary
building was erected. and numerous
other improvements were made. Stonega
now has every convenience Of a metro
politan city. there being electric lights,
a complete telephone system. water
works. etc. and the mines are being run
entirely by electricity. A year ago a
wholesale department was added to the
commissary, a fine business block added
to the town. which has a fine trade In
the surrounding country. Street cars are,
soon to be an addition and will run from
the depot to the reservoir. park and ball
grounds, two miles above the heart OF
the town. The recent smallpox scare
in Stonega necessitated several changes
in business, but things have now resumed
three cases of the disease in the town.
MUD LICK.
Mud Lick Creek, two miles south OF
Stonega, bids fair to be almost an equal.
Only a month ago capitalists from Pitts
burg, Pa, came there, organized the cor
poration Of the Keystone Coal and Coke
Company. and went to work, employing
over GOO hands. The opening of mines.
building miners houses and coke ovens
f,,Iy I1 RI
tional hands were put on the working
force. Now 800 coke ovens are almost
complete, 400 miners houses and a fine
commssary building are completed. and
branch railroad, three miles long, is
well under Roadway. The line will be
completed by September LIST, when, it is
announced. the coke ovens will be fired
in Three hundred and fifty miners
went to work August 18th digging COAL
The vein at Mud Lick is a n1ne-foot one
without break" A telephone line has
been completed. The town is known as
Mud Lick, and the Postoffice Department
has designated Mud Lick as a postofiice
In all the Improvement at Mud Lick has
been wonderful If not phenomenal Per-
haps it has made more Improvement
than any other mining town in the
South, considering the brief time coming
to the front.
Lick. on Callahan Creek. at the mouth
Of Preacher, has a splendid location:
fine seven-foot vein of coal and 300 coke
ovens operated by the Virginia Coal and
Iron Company. the owners of the
Stonega plant. The company ships seven
and eight tons OF fine coke daily. Six
hundred hands are employed In the min
ing business at Minerville, while three
stave mills give employment to 500 men.
A ;la tro, W &c haing h1lilf into
the adjoining mountains east OF Miner
Vile over which to transport the stave
timber consumed by the mills. Consid-
cradle timber is also taken out of the
mountains around Minerville and f1oated
down Callahan Creek to the Yellow Pop
lar Lumber Company's mills at Appa-
lachia. on the Louisville and Nashville
railroad, where shipping facilities are
considerably better.
INMAN.
Inman, a. mining town on Looney Creek
three miles above Big Stone Gap. has
shipping connections with Bristol over
the Virginia and Southwestern and the
Louisville and Nashville also. There is
an up-to-date business done here, as all
the cars into the mines are run by
electricity. By an electric cable the coal
output here is carried down an incline
of more than 500 feet to the coke overs.
cline, and the Inhabitants Of the place
can see at night all the ovens In blast
hundreds of feet below. which presents
altogether lovely picture. The works
at In1uan employ over 1000 men- Mining
is the only industry. although the town
is situated in a finely timbered section
and will shortly be the seat OF conslu-
cradle timber interests. 1nman mas about
$500 Inhabitants and is increasing IRON
year to year. owing to its lovely ana
beautiful location.
BIG STONE GAP.
Big Stone Gap. the only ideal Southwest
erni Virginia boom town which rose as if by
magic when the boom came. and fell IN
the same way. has fine location for a
manufacturing city, and is now con-
tinually growing on a safe basis, Inc
town is centrally located on Powelrs
River, which has a tine water power
with shipping facilities East, West and
North over the Louisville and Nasnv1lie
and Virginia and Southwestern It has
a telephone system and street cars. an
up-to-date newspaper. the Big Stone Gap
Post. a tannery, employing 800 men: