The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1907-08-22
INTERESTING FACTS
THAT SHOW GREAT PROGRESS IN
OPMEHT.

hchtuChg N tue Ouiy one OF the
coal-producins States which has with
In It's borders areas belonging TO any
two Of the great coal fields. The east.
ern counties Of the state arc underlain
BY the coal beds OF the great Appa-
ischisn system which extend entirely
across the state In a north-east-south-
west direction. while the southern
limits Of the central or eastern in
terror field are found In the more
northern counties Of the western part
Of the state The total area under
lain BY coal in the eastern counties OF
Kentucky Is estimated at II. $50 square
miles. The eosl-bearing areas in the
western part OF the state comprise
about $500 square miles, somewhat
more than one-hait the extent OF the
Eastern part Up to the close OF 1905
the western district. however. pro-
duced considerably more than half
the total output OF the state, but the
recent Developments in Pike, John
son. and other counties OF the eastern
portion OF Kentucky indicate that the
production In the eastern district will
soon exceed that OF the western.
The eastern Kentucky ccal field is
practically = unit unless the Middles-
boro-H Harlan field. cut off by the Pine
Mountain fault be excepted Mos
OF this great field is without transpor-
tation facilities and has been devel-
oped only at points near the few
railroad lines that cross Il. There
are ten or more mines along the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in
Carter and Boyd counties, and
few small mines in Johnson, Lee and
Breathitt counties. The Chesapeake
and Ohio has completed a line into
the Elkhorn field. which promises to
become one OF the most important
In the state. The larger mines ar
mostly In the southern portion OF the
field Along the Cincinnati Southern
there are mines in Pulaski county
and western Whitley county. and
along the Louisville and Nashville
there are mines in Laurel county
and scattered mines in Knox. Bell.
and Whitley counties.
The Goals OF this field belong to the
Lower Productive Coal Measures and
Pottsville formation OF Pennsylvania.
The latter formation, which along
Ohio River has a thickness of only
few hundred feet and carries five
Goals, In the southeastern corner of
the state is about 5000 feet thick and
carries nearly fifty Goals. of which a
dozen or more are locally OF workable
thickness and quality. The eastern
Kentucky Goals are mostly high-grade
"gas" or cooking" Goals, with some
camel coal. In the Jellico coal field
the Jellico and Blue Gem seams are
both thin, the latter being success
fully mined where 1t averages only 22
inches. On the other hand, some Of
the seams show to . feet or more
of workable coal.
So far as the records of early coal
production in the United States are
to be accepted, Kentucky was the
third state to enter the list Of coal
producers. According to one of the
early reports OF the Kentucky Geolog-
ical Survey published in 1881, the
first coal produced in the state was
mined in 1927 on "the right side of
the Cumberland river below the
mouth OF Laurel" This was evil
IDENTIFY from either Laurel or Pulaski
county, but the exact location is not
definitely stated. The same report
says that in 1928 five boat loads of
coal from these mines arrived In
Nashville. and that from 1929 to 1884
probably from 25 to IS boat loads wer