The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-14
EXTENSION OF RAILROADS.
AanufactureFs Record Tells of suc1
 Movements in tke South.

~NNA~@-&eS A@ eASG 0Do1s
 Baltimore, Oct. IA meeting last week at Middiesboro, Ky. of the stockholders of the Middlesboro Mineral Railway is revivinG interest in the proposed building of railroad extension from that place into the coal and timber lands along the head waters of the Cumberland River ip Harlan County, Kentucky. Correspon- dence in this weeks issue of The Man. ufacturers' Record says:
 Y Although nothing has as yet been given out by the directors regarding their plans. 1t is the general opinion that the road will be constructed at an early date. inasmuch as the com pany holds valuable rights of way and other interests are seeking an en- trance into the same region. A sur vey has been made from MiddIesboro to Harlan, forty three miles, and all the right of way has been secured. The line as surveyed follows the course of the head-waters of the Cum berland river and is a gradual rise which will easily permit the passage of the heaviest trains. The route of the road Is so mapped out that no tunneling will be necessary ana the line may be built at comparatively small expense.
 During the past few years numbers of Eastern investors nave been acauir- ing coal and timber lands in the region into which the railroad Is protected. The Leslie and Harlan County coal fields are regarded as a continuatio of the great coal fields along the val ley Of the Big Sandy river in Eastern Kentucky. and the seams of coal are almost identical fin quality. The prin- Rtn la Ay@ a ranges in thickness from 72 to 90 Inches. It is similar to the famous Elkhorn coklng coal of Pike County Several other seams have been opened up during the past two years, all of workable thickness, and camel coal 3S inches in thickness underlaid by 40 inches of splint coal has been revealed. Among the veins which have been in- vestigated are the Pocahontas, and Stonega seams, being the same grade of coal operated in the Virginia and West Virginia fields.
 One fact that would seem to indi- cate that this field will at an early date receive connection with a market is that the Louisville and Nashville Railroad has lately projected a line from Pennington Gap. Va, across Into the Harlan County fields. With the opening up of the great coal fields of the Big Sandy Valley by the Chesa- peake and Ohio extension from White House to the Breaks of the Sandy and the proposed opening up of the contin- uation of this field by a line from tha South, the coal fields along the orders of the States of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia will receive thor ough development during the next few years"
 The developmental possibilities in railroad extension are suggested by A. A. Webber of Syloa, Ark, in a letter to The Manufacturers' Record. He writes that there is no doubt about the future of the northern part of Ar kansas and that few electric or steam railroads into Searcy County would materially add to its develop- ment. He says that on either side of the Buffalo river From Winnerva to Gilbert a distance of thirty-fve or forty miles, mills of fifty to one hum dred tons capacity have been erected by ten mines and that within three miles of the river between those points about 100 zinc properties are indicat. ed It is claimed that the opening Of a number of other mines will follow the building of a railroad up the river valley which, in addition to obtaining tonnage of zinc ore would also get freight in lumber. stone and marble. MT. webber says that at several places along the Buffalo River suficient wa ter power can be found to generate enough electricity to operate a rail. way and to give power to the mills.