The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1905-04-27

thrrs hdo6rej <hpn<ana de'ia ~ ~
y<nr. o. conr>s. .'is tai e mo- ! q ~
Que swallo< 10 rake sur4Snsr.
but thi. Is apr>ssy goos sized >one
toward the summer WI ch this re-
gion is enjoying. and b. reason or
which. eggs. butter and isrm prod
ucss Of every kind have aSnhled or
tripplsd in value. and NC submit that
Il ought not 10 be destroyed unless
for serious reason. = - VI -ta
Now what are the reasons which
those who are behind the prosecution
put forth? They say that the Tan-
ncry destroys the fish. Fishermen
tell us. however. that there il no bet
ter place for Suckers ihsa hole
Just below the Tsnhery. aud. in fxct
that IL looks as If Suekers feed on
the refuse from the Tsnnery. aud
they fnrthur tell rs that there are
Just ~ many Suckers in the river as
sheSe ever were With reference TO
Bsss. however. Il seems that there
are very few In the river O., at least.
very few can be caught, be- this is
true above the Tsnuery A. well as
below the Tannery. in fact from what
We are told by the fishermen and old
citizens. Il appears that no one has
been able to catch any Bass worth
mentioning 10 Powelrs River. either
shove or balow the Tsnnery, since
the building of the railroads ~ sbou,
1889. At ihst time dynamite was
introduced into this country. and
since then there have been no Bass
IL il said, however. that the Tan
merry aud Extrst plant does color the
stream. This is tfne. but it is also
true that the stream Is sissqst As
much discolored above the Tsnnery
as bsloW il by the coal operations on
Lconey Creek. Pigeon, Callahan etc.
During low water the sirsap above
Big Stone Gap is as black as yogT
hat almost, aud with the increase Of
the coal business. il is destined from
this source 20 be more and more be-
fouled The hoies from the town Of
Big Stone Gap up. some Of ~hiea
used to be ten OF fifteen feet. have
absolute been fled mp with coke Gin
Ter. How far below the town this
coke oinder flows We do not know.
but Whist we are told bv the people
familiar with the Connelsville region.
1t il probable that 4 will eventually
extend down and I'LL up practically
all OF the holes through Lee County.
la other words Powells River has
slreay been ruine by ress1n Of the
coke oven aud coal operations. and
unless il Is intended 10 break up these
operations both ia Wise County. and
also in Crab Orchard. it is useless 60
break up the Tannery and Extract
Plant.
Again the saw mills located IT va
uous points on the waters Of Powells
River are. We believe. more Injurious
70 the fish than the Tanuery. Itis
laid, however. that saw mills, coke
plants aud coal operations do no,
make the wster offensive. and it i
claimed the TanReTy does make the
water offensive aud injurious L. the
heslth Of people living along banks
at the river. IL is true that there j.
an odor sometimes which comes from
the Tannery, but We DO not think it
Is true that THE odor il injurious 20
health. On the other hand. it l. the
popular belief that Tanners live
longer than anyone else. and thew get
more Of the odor referred to than
people living along the streams. OIL
course, the odor is more OF less disa-
but there are many igdus-
tries which cannot be carried on with /
out sublecting some person or persons
10 disagreeable odors. Other COM
mnuities are willing 20 put up the
discomfort. rather than TO loose the
commercial advantages which such
plants give them Look az Bristol :
Tor instance. Il has Tannery and
inlp mill just above town. and Der
nits the refuse iu,m both to run all 4
the way through the town in a stream
much smaller than powells River.
The people Who are pushing the I
prosecution live chiefly. a. we under /
stand ia the vicinity OF Olinger. The /
part Of the town above the Tannev Is 1
he nearest market for these people. /
We again ash eau they afford TO
Kill the goose that laid the golden
.gg9"
THE SAN JOSE SCALE.