The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1910-11-23
RICH Lee COUNTY,

hclu. IN the AraO orchard notd.
a place which the operators
named Keokee. G. p. Perrin. a
most successful coal operator.
began the development of the /
most complete coal operation \
thar was ever been undertaken /
IN the South. Here they leased |
a large boundary of coal land |
from the Interstate Inves stment /
Company, lands situated In Lee /
county, Va, and Harlan cOun-
ty, Ky The houses for this
p ant were all built upon a per
manent and expensive plan,
and the machinery installed
was of the very best character.
/ The power house and the com
missary and offices were con
structed of stone, and the
houses Of the miners were all
well furnished, nice homes.
The plant is located in an open
country on a sort of inland
/ plateau, where the SUMS rays
are not obstrucfed by the sur
rounding hills.
The topography Of the coun-
try is such as 90 be ideal for a
coal plant. The tipple was
/ furnished and built after most
modern and improved plans.
F The power that runs the cars
. operates the tipple and lights
the town. and is an electrical
F The power that generates the
I electricity is furnished by the
/ waste gas from a few of the
owens. Instead IF firing the
/ boilers with coal, Mr.. Perrin
. conceived the idea of utilizing
the waste gas and built cir
cular tunnel along the edge Of
one of the batteries Of ovens.
. A vent leading from the side of
the ovens was constructed into
this tunnel The gas, instead
of escaping into the air, Is
, drawn into this tunnel and
, from the tunnel is carried 20
. the boilers, producing an over
supply of steam at all times,
day and night, for the running
Of the machinery, thus saving
{ the cost of firemen 10 feed the
IS boilers and several tons Of Goa
per dav. which lis put into COX,
d rather than into smoke. Here
e it is said, the finest grade oI
! coke made in the world Is pro
/ duced. as well as a fine grad,
. of domestic coal The coal II
/, mined and Loaded into stee
cars
These steel cars are drawn II
% and out of the mines by electri
n locomotives. They are brough
IS 90 the tipple and drawn into TIA
y tipple house on 90 an immens
r revolving frame, and ther
Is dumped by electricity, the car
p. being turned upsidedown an
s returned 20 their proper p0sltIO
h after the coal has been dumped
st The coal passes through man
!, ,ichutes and is separated. Tn
Is block coal Is delivered in raj
ID road cars for shipping purposes
in The fine coal passes into III
at crushers, and Is here crushe
n. into fine dust and is carried
IN the coking ovens In electr
in cars for coking.
80 The HeOkee Coal x Coke G
at after having begun TO opera
Us on leased property as aboN
er stated. increased their capit
"a and purchased the land {
re which it is operating. Afte
lg wards. about the beginning
%, the year 1910, the company so
rd out its holdings and plant
q, the Stonega Coke and Coal &
as Numerous other operations a
as at work in the Pocket coal iel
ny all doing a splendid busine
If and producing the finest quail
at of domestic coal that can
he produced in the world.
as The cause of education
Lee county has received cOnsi
Ity erable attention from the pt
ed pie, and a good system
ie- schools is now well organic
ill in the county.
The building of the five mi
at of pike road from Jonesville
ty, Ben Hur was done under
in supervision of Captain Wils'
the State Highway Commission
ntO and with the assistance of