The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1906-08-09
RESOURCES OF WISE COUNTY.

july 1.-The resources of Wise
County have perhaps been de-
veloped to a greater extent than
have those of any other county
in the Old Dominion. within the
past fifteen years. Almost fabu-
lous sums of money have been
expended in this county for i'm
provement, and tie result of
those expenditures shows i'm the
many gigantic industries. rail
road and beautiful residences to
be seen almost over its entire
limits.
Among the first developments
IN this county were those of
Toms Greek, 10 which the writer
wishes 10 a q dress himself.
These were coal operations. be-
gun on a rather small scale. but
IN 1899 they were consolidated
under the name of Virginia
Iron, Coal and Coke Company
which was capitalized at Sl3.-
600, 900 Henry X. McHarg. of
New York, was chosen as the
company's first president. and
still remains In this position.
Work was begun at once. after
tins consolidation for the inn
provement Of the plant. which
enabled the company to carry
on operations ON more extern
sive scale. The power house.
which had been erected bv one
of the old companies. was en-
larged. and capacitated to meet
the new order of things. Nearly
all the machinery of this plant
is run 10y electric force generated
10y this huge power house.
Three "disintegraters" have
been installed as parts of the
plant These may be described
as machines or mills. for dis
migrating or grinding soft
coal. the product being called
slack, which 10y a system oil
burning produces coke. The
of these disntegratcrs
ON an average. is each zoo tone
per dav.
ne company operates sOOI
coke ovens. These are built oil
dressed stone. and I'm sections
called batteries. the outer walls
being continuous while par
unons built at right angles be-.
tween the walls. form divisions
called ovens. I'm constructing
the ovens "a circular opening is
leit 40 The top. through which
the slack rs poured when charp-
ing them. a door is left i'm the
side Of each oven. through
which the coke is pulled The
of slack with which the
ovens are charged. varies. So as
20 require IS 90 ~ hours time
'n which to burn. They are
called SOS and 72's respectively
-Four and one-half tons of slack /
makes "a 4S-hour charge. sixand /
{ hree-t ourths tons. 72-hourS 4
charge Each charge of tho
smaller capacity makes three I
tons of coke: of the larger. four I
and one-half tons. There is "a /
loss IN burning. from soft toI
cooked coal Of about 25 per cent /
The coke is pulled from the
ovens 0y hand with a long 4
D "a n led crook. called n
beaver.
The monthly out-putof cooked /
coal at this plant is 10000 tons
NO cooked coal is sold 10 the
markets 10y the company. they
lse their entire output i'm their
lwn furnaces for the manufac- /
ure of pig-iron. These mrnacos
IRE located at Radford. Pulaski I
Wax Meadows, Bristol and Mid I
lleSbOrO.
SIX mines are operated ON
Toms Creek by the company /
while operations are being com
nenced on Little Toms Creek a
learby stream. The monthly
output of soft coal from fbeso
lN mines is about $4,000 tons
1900 tons of which is shipped
'Ver the lines of the Norfolk
ma w eStern railroad TO the
idewater section. while the re-
nainder Is used for coking pur-
.oses. The coal deposits i'm this
Ieid seem TO be practically in
Xhaustible.
Inc company has SGD houses