The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1909-10-29
For Coke Making viii Be the
EIkhOTn Field.
Big Sandy Operation to be Headed BY
Experienced Pennsylvania
Man. .
Manufacturers Record) a.
New York, October is

interests OF the COnnellSVllle region
next to H. C. Prick Company tn
larges Ioke producers in the United
States, after thorough investigation
as to the remarkable qualities o
the Elkhorn coke produced by thu
Elkhorn coal of Eastern Kentucky
has taken the presidency of thu
Mitchell Coke Co., which he and his
associates have organized for build
ing coke ovens on the property Of
the Big Sandy Company a Boston
corporation owning 1900 acres OF
the heart of the Elkhorn coal field
No more important move looking
to the broadcast development of the
coke interests of the country has
been made for many years. 1t means
net simply the beginning of the
broad development of what is today
by many experts regarded as the
! finest coking coal field in America,
but it means the opening up of a
strategic situation in coke-making
of the most far-reaching Importance
to the whole iron and steel produC-
ers Of the country. That Mr.
Mitchell, with 80 years of leader
ship in the Connellsville field, has
decided to identify himself with the
development of the Elkhorn field,
taken in connection with plans now.
being formulated, is a tribute to
that coking coal territory eompar-
able in Importance to the tribute
paid to the Alabama iron situation
when the United States Steel Cor
poration backed its faith in that
district by the purchase of the Ten
nessee property. The beginning of
the development of the Elkhorn
field by the immediate building of
coke ovens by the Mitchell company
will concentrate the attention of the
iron and steel and railroad people
upon the potentialities of the dis
trict destined, it would seem, to be
to the metallurgical interests of the
country what the Connellsville field
has been in the past. In describing
the situation, Mr.. Mitchell says:
1t is well known to those famil-
lar with the iron and coke interests
of the country that the Connells-
vile field, with its 10000 coke
ovens, is rapidly being exhausted.
have seen the value of coal proper
ty in this territory advance from a
nominal figure until it is now
worth $4,000 an acre, and in some
cases it is held at even higher fig
ures. This is not entirely due to
the proximity of this field to the
Pittsburg iron and steel center, but
rather to the universally recognized
superiority of Connellsville coke
over any other coke produced in the
United States. After very thor
ough investigation | have reached
the conclusion that the Elkhorn coal
OF Eastern Kentucky produces a
coke superior to the Connellsville.
This is not new conviction.
Sixteen years ago | Investigated the
field for the Merritts, who were
then owners of the Mesaba iron-ore
range. They we're then negotiating
for its purchase with view to its
development in connection with the
Mesaba district. Had they been
able to tie these two properties to-
gether they would have owned a
combination of ore and coking coal
greater than that now controlled by
L. Steel Corporation. In the panic
o. 1898, however, they lost the con-
troll OF the Mesaba properties, Mr..
jean I'd. Rockefeller becoming pos
sessed of their Mesaba Interests,
and of course, that made it impos-
sible for them to carry out pur-
chases of the Blkhorn field. .
My opinion of the property was
expressed then in letter written to
the Merritts' representatives as fol-
lows;
'Connellsville, Pa.
R. N. Dickman, Esq,
Cleveland, o.:
:" Dear Sir-I have forwarded
you today by express samples of
coke made from coal taken from the
Ash Camp opening of the Elkhorn
vein in Pike county, Kentucky, be-
ing the Opening l recently visited in
company with you. This sample Of
coke was made last winter at the
Fayette Coke Works OF w. ]. Rain
ey, near Connellsville. The coal was
subjected to the regular coking pro-
cess in an ordinary beehive oven.
the same as used throughout the
Connellsville region. The quantity
of coal furnished was only suffici-
ent for an ordinary 4S-hour charge.
( Taking INTO considers tioE- that