The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1911-11-24

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''dip" and thickness Of the yeins
OF coking coal give promise Of a.
large supply to DO derived from
ldsep mining Added to this Is the
advantage OF tho elevation OF the
field above water level, making the
workings practically self-dralnins
for abou. 1000 feet and obsiaf-
ing the expenses OF much costly
pumping machinery The field o.
coking coal terminates abruptly at
lPine mountain near the virginia-
Kentucky line, the mountain. IN
the parlaucc Of eeologists being
"fauit' or uphcavAi breaking the
gcneeal ran Of the veins Tho field
llles mainly in Pike and Leslie
counties tapping over Into Virginia
in some places
Il is. OF course. matter for re-
greet that the rothro half9 OF Ken
lucky meaning the capitalists o.
the Western aud Northern sections
OF the State have failed, IN the
main. to get their share OF the
dormant riches OF the mountain SEQ
don. hut the time has gone b. Tor
self-repseach as regards the primal
interest ot coal mining 10 the ELK
horn as well as the MiddlesbOro and
Harlan fields There are yet 70
come numberless commercial appor-
tunlties in the way Of general trads
in the mountain dlsirlcla me
dising and professional openl
value Of which can only be
ed at, Likewise there are stiN y
isiderabic tracts oi bituniinour r5si
lands capable Of producing fuel for
domestic use at great profls,rans-
sd around the Elkhorn field Fin
ally the apparent determination Of
the big holding companies IN the
Elkhorn cokIng coal field TO mine
their own coal and burn their owa
coke on the spot means much for
the general prosperity OF Kentucky
as well as the country At large.
For one thing the plan OF the big
concerns in the EIkhorn country spr
do their own development work viii
.bs idea OF making II mainly a COX
Ing section means that employment
will be given 70 nearly twice .
many men as are usually required q
districts where coal Is mined only
for fuel In addition to the force 81
miners there viii be the men en-.
ployed at the coke plants eyvry
Que OF them consumer OF Ken
lucky merchandise and every one
OF them n producer OF wealth to be
added 10 the Commonwealth purse
Finally Il is worth while motto
ing that although the development
has been long retarded Il is com
ing now with vengeance. II 10
not stretching the probabilities T.
any extent to estimate that within
five years the population of Pike
and Letcher counties will be douhL
cd and there is good chance that
when the census is taken in 1928
i win SHOW a gain of 100 per cent
or more. These considerations, u
none other should 80 far toward n
batting the chagrin that the money
ed men OF the State might naturally
feel at seeing such rich prizes cap
tured at their very door by capI-
talists from other States Ken
lucky has never had any large SUBJ
ply OF free capital available for
such long time Investment -twenr
or thirty years as have been made
by the Maryland, Pennsylvania, New
York and New England men, whs
foresaw the possibilities OF the
mountain counties Just how much
OF the local monetary timidlty might
be traced to Islander OF the malign-
ed mountain people and highly col
ored reports Of feuds and lawless-
ness II would be useless "a s.sst ate
day to discuss The fact rsiy Yrs.
that Eastern Kentucky IL about u
i como | had almost said coke Int
her rightful A,rltage; likewise the
4 further fact is to be considered
that there are rich commercial prix-
Sc to be CLEANED from this dg-
trict and the citizens and business
men OF other sections of the state.
instead Of bewailing their failure
to get in on the ground floor or ar
tagonizing the men who SAY A.
first" shonld get a hustle onl am.
\ take advantage OF the second chanc
which is coming. That second cbpF
Is a good one and offers the =
tunity OF more wid4 10