The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-06-11
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
PLANS of THE LONG AGO NOW BE-
ING CARRIED OUT.
This section Now Taking Advantage
Of the Resources that Were Well
| known Before the War Be-
tween the states.

Baltimore. June 1o.--ispeciai.)-A
feature of recent Southern develop
rnent is fulfiIlment of plans sketched
l.hfty veere ago with the utilization or
n large scale OF resources the existence
of which was known before the war
and some of which were worked on a
s.nall scale at that early day.
Comparatively recent railroad and
steamship undertakings have followed
the broad lines for transportation
thought out at time when the railroad
and the steamship were in their In
fancy. Petroleum had been discovered
in Texas before 1850. the iron and coal
of Alabama were at that time handled
and the coal of Arkansas was also
used locally.
Now capital and enterprise are de-
veloping these deposits extensively and
with changed conditions, are making
possible and profitable the program
mapped out so long ago. Correspon-
dence in this weeks Manufacturers
Record traces to the construction of a
railroad up<the valley of the Big Sandy
River. to be- completed within the year
the great interest in the coal fields of
Pike County and contiguous territory
I'm Kentucky. 1t says:
THE Importance Of the coal de-
posits OF Pike County and the adjoin-
ing counties of Letcher, Leslie. Knott
and Harlan was recognized by far
seeing operators as early as 1860. but
the natural conditions of the territory
and the impracticabiiity of building a
railroad extension heretofore have kept
down the interest that would other
fields on a par with those of West
virginia and Penn evIvania
'.As far back as 1850 seams were
opened up on a small scale, the coal
being shipped on barges down the
small streamsato connect with the Ken
lucky River. and so on, to central Ken
lucky towns. Biologists pronounced
the grades Of coal flrst-class in every
respect, and as additional deposits were
Investigated the position that the field
would sometime occupy was brought
home more and more to the operators
All the capital invested in Pike
County has been waiting for is the
railroad extension and since the actual
construction work commenced there
has been a rush OF operators to secure
desirable leases. Mining will begin
before the line OF railway Is completed
and 1t will be by the more improved
methods and by the best machinery
The deposits of coal differe from those
of the Middlesboro region in that min
ing machines can be used more readily
the veins of coal being of greater
thickness, and harder and less likely to
crumble.
The greater part of the road is COM
pleted and grading Is about finished
the entire length. In connection with
the Big Sandy line from the Ohio River
to Whitehouse the new road will fur
ox A.
sAge of the heaviest trains. In con-
nection with the river line from
Catlettsburg to Cincinnati, a low grade
line with a total length of ESQ miles,
will be established. and with the many
points on the Ohio River where steam
coal Is In great demand, II may readily
be seen that the coal from Pike Coun-
ty will have an advantage on account
of the small expense of marketing it.
The natural hardness of the coal
also makes 1t peculiarly adapted to be-
ing shipped in open barges, and 1t will
in all probability supply in great part
the demand from points along the Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans. As far as
Is Investigated, eight different seams
have been opened up In Pike County,
all of which are widely distributed and
easily gotten at. The veins lie above
drainage with few exceptions and are
of uniform thickness the two principal
seams, the upper and lower Elkhorn,
averaging six feet.
With the beginning of extensive de-
celopments these seams will be mined
vigorously. There is also a vein of
camel coal, but little Is known Of I'll
Some OF the veins of bituminous coal
reach in some places ~ to IA feet in
thickness. but extend over a small area
"a orb r1F 1o.vA 1r.
Pike County coal fields gets down to-
regular basis attention will be at
tracted to the surrounding counties
Already numerous concerns have ac-
CURED territory in Harlan, Leslie and
Letcher counties, and signs point to
the early development of this TERRITORY.
Some OF the leading operators of the
country have recently had agents in
this area, and 1T is but a question of
time until all the counties are united
in one great coal development"