The bee., 1902-11-06
SINGULAR IGNORANCE OF
FACTS IN THE STORY.
Asserted that Mr. J. B. Atkinson Owns
Fourteen Mines and Will Com.
bine Others.
THERE IS NOTHING IN IT.

was sent out from Beaver Dam,
KY, last Friday, which found
space for publication without
comment or investigation in the
Louisville Evening Post, an
Owensboro paper and the Mad
isonville Hustler. This report
touches nearly all the coal oper-
ators of Western Kentucky and
asserts that a big combination
will be effe ,ted with Mr.. j. B.
Atkinson.
Here is the Beaver Dam tele-
gram:
Beaver Dam, KY, Oct. 3l.-There
is a move on foot to consolidate all
the coal mines in Western Ken
lucky, and it is said, on what seems
good authority, too, that the deal
will be consummated within the
next two or three weeks. Mr.. ]. b.
Atkinson, of Darlington, who owns
fourteen mines in Hopkins and
Webster counties, is managing the
big deal for an Eastern syndicate.
II the deal goes through it will in
clude, besides all the mines in Hop
kins and Webster counties, the col
lieries at the following places: Tay-
lor, Williams, Henry, Render, Ech-
OILS, Central City, Bevier, brakes
boro, Mud River, Powderly, Hillside,
Oakland, Lucerne and st. Charles.
Mr.. Atkinson Is the only operator
in the entire Western Kentucky dis
trict who does not employ union la
Dor. i.t,t.....t ...
There are about 1000 union min
ers in this county (Ohio) alone, and
they are all very much interested in
the deal. They think that if it goes
through Mr.. Atkinson will have
control and will try to substitute
nonunion labor.
The facts of the matter, as
telegraphed to the daily press by
the darlington correspondent,
are stated in the appended dis
patch. This correction was
printed in the Louisville papers
Saturday, the day following the
publication of the Beaver Dam
grapevine story. People who
have read at all Of the widely
published facts concerning this
coal field, recognized the singu-
lar lack of truth in some of the
statements in the above dispatch.
To those yet unenllghtened the
following dispatch will convey
some interesting information:
Darlington, KY, Nov. lit is en-
phatically denied at. the Office of the
st. Bernard Mining Company this
morning that Mr.. John B. Atkinson,
President of that company, has any
thing to do with any deal for the
combination of coal mines in the
Western Kentucky coal field, as was
reported from Beaver Dam yester-
day. Mr.. Atkinson was called east
last night on account of the death of
a relative and could not be seen.
other statements in the report re-
ferred to are also incorrect. Mr.. At
kinson does not own fourteen mines
in Hopkins and Webster counties,
as stated, but his company does own
and operate seven mines in, Hopkins
and owns certain lands In Webster
county, which have not been de-
veloped.
There are other important errors
of statement in the dispatch referred
to, which interest the people of this
section. One of these is that Mr..
Atkinson is the only operator in the
entire Western Kentucky district
who does not employ union labor.
Outside of the st. Bernard Mining
Company, there are six other oper-
ators in Hopkins and four operators
In Webster and Christian counties,
none of whom employ union labor.
1t is positively stated that Mr..
Atkinson Is not now and has at no
time been Interested or taken part