The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1906-09-07
The Goals Of Big Sandy Valley.

al pages, bound and we'll illustrated
with maps and other explanatory IL
Illustrations showing the extent and
quality of the Goals embraced in the
territory south OF Louisa and between
the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy and
the headwaters of the north fork OF
the Kentucky river The area covered
comprises about two thousand square
miles and includes the counties of
Johnson, Martin, Floyd and pike, a
large part Of Lawrence and parts OF
Knott and Letcher counties. The
character of the coal is chiefly BIZ
luminous but in various designated To-
calities are to be found also seams OF
camel coal of excellent character.
Much of the bituminous coal has SUI
perior cooking qualities, especially that
known as the Elkhorn coal which mas
an extensive area and is Of unusual
thickness
A section Of an entry IN Martin
county is given, showing a thickness
OF LAG inches as illustrated in cut,
OF which ia inches is coal II was
from this entry that the great column
OF coal, nearly nine feet thick, was
taken which was exhibited at the New
. Orleans Exposition, and attracting
the attention OF English capitalists
led to the development OF the lower
Cumberland region and the founding
OF Middlesboro,
WINE me report is OF a leehnedi
character and not SO easy 70 oo'lih Z.
nend by the ordinary readef, - -
Ins, suen as mas IONS oeen hrede1 70
pnng 70 tne Afternoon OF lnYeslotr dnt
developers the character OF iuiormd
uon needed aud hitherto mol a,tnn-
able except by personal examination.
From the absence OF such official re-
, ports this and other mineral sections
OF Kentucky have had their deselope-
nlent greatly retarded Much VI the
material embodied in this report WAS
collected by Prof. Candall under the
, old geological survey during the lat.
Ter years OF its administration under
Prof. Proctor State Geologist Sever
3 al years had been spent In the study
a of this field when the survey was
suspended for II years by the failure
of the Legislature to make the nee
essary appropriation FOR It's contin.
uance or to provide Tor the pnhlica.
ton OF the material collected Since
the revival of the survey in 1904 Prof.
Crandall has resumed aud concluded
his work and the result OF his study
in this publication is now available
to the large number Of the people
who only need such facts 70 enter NJ
on the development Of this extern
siyely rich coal field
The extension OF the branch OF th'
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad up 80
Big Sandy river and the construction
| OF locks and dams up that stream b.
I the Federal Goyernmentnow going on
make this report timely contrib,
tion Of information necessary Tor thu
work OF development There Is N,
longer dependence upon mere hear
say or Individual report OF the min
eral resources Of this great storehous
OF mineral wealth This publication
carries with It the Endorsement as t
its exactitude. OF the State mthori
&c ty, with full and reliable data In al
necessary detail The topography q
n the country, while to certain cy
Re tent mountainous. Is trayersed b.
~ many small streams, along which IN
= coal is accessible by mines above drai
II age. while the banks OF these water
courses. flowing To The several fork
Il OF the Big SANDY riyer,and 70 the rail-
I'd road, offer facilities FOR the construc
n. ton Of coal roads to reach the tutur
Mt slaekwater, and the railroad nov 81
:. ready well extended, upward from tn
Ohio.
The marketing OF the products g
he the mines in this valley, however
ly will not be dependent upon this sin
gle outlet where It would come !
he competition with the output of tn
en- mines Of the Monongohela aud tn
:" Kanawha. The South and Wester
:, railroad is being theoretically push
no ed southeasterly mp the Russell
i'm Fork through the Breaks Of Big Sau
ng dy and onward to Bristol, Tenn, a
OF projected many years ago. Here
will connect with the system of raj
ar roads in Sorth Carolina and conye
ey the coal to the coalless region OF thf
State. South Carolina and Georgii
Already large investments have bee
made in lands in the Big Sandy va
as ley. and this, together with other d.
OF velopments being made In Easter
~, Kentucky, bids fair to awaken inl
ais life this region. so favored by NJ
ture. but so long permitted TO lie i'd
- for the want OF just such official II
formation rs this rennrt contains