The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1912-07-10
Great Wealth
Lying Undeveloped In East
ern Kentucky.
BY wIghtman D. Roberts.

,ueo ttsc itOuutdiu COu0LleS OF
Eastern Kentucky and the
development of their physi-
cal resources is of great com
mercial Importance to the peo-
pie of Kentucky and to all
manufacturing and trading
sections in the Ohio Valley;
but, going into n populated
country and developing the
people is q subject of greater
interest and one that concerns
people everywhere. And, from
this angle of vision, a counter
part of conditions in Eastern
Kentucky exist nowhere-cer-
tainly not in the United State.
In { h o counties of Pike,
Letcher, Knott, Perry, Leslie,
Harlan, Bell, Clay. Brenthitt,
Owsley and others are people
AN element-who bear as lit.
tie relationship to modern 30
cial and commercial life us did
the valley and COASTAL inhabi-
tonts of this country a century
ago. Many of the burdens and
hardships of pioneer life are
still theirs. Long isolation has
produced the inevitable results
of Observation-Disclosures and con-
sequent evils.
How may personal and so
cial efficiency be developed
among all the people of Eastern
Kentucky who are now coming
into close physical touch with
the current of modern life?
How is the development of
the physical resources of East
ern Kentucky TO be of practical
advantage to the native dwell
lers there and to the people of
Kentucky as n whole?
What part in this work of
development is going t o be
taken by Kentuckians themsel-
ves9
ID NeiGhbor State.
Before taking up these ques
tions categorically, | am going
to call attention to what has
taken place in developing the
mining industry of Virgins
and West Virginia. For, un.
less the people of kentucky be.
come alive to the situation
their experiences will be the
same. Excepting small groups
OF men the people of those
States have had little or no part
in the great development that
has taken place. Practically
every dollar that has gone into
coal mining in the States of Vir
ginia and West Virginia was
outside money ;practicallyail the
millions of dollars worth OF
mining equipment and supplies
including merchandise an
foodstuffs for men and animals
now goes into the mining re
gions of those States from be.
You'd the Ohio River, and prac
tically all the seventy odd mil
lions tons of coal mined annu.
ally goes beyond their boundries
to be used. Moreover, practi.
cally all tho coal mined in these
States is by foreign labor, aud
a large part of tho money paid
for wages finds its way every
year in to foreign countries,
where it viii stay.
Vast Materisi Wealth.
In the Eastern Kentucky Goa
field, now being developed
there q about 10000, 900, OOC
tons of coal to be mined. Let
us see il we can get n concrete
idea of what that means. One
billion tons, loaded into forty
foot, forty-ton railway cars
would make up train I8a, 80;
miles long, or over seven times
the distance around the world
Therefore, the total of twelve
billions of tons would make M
a train over two and u quartei
million miles long, or more thar
nine times the distance betweer
the earth and the moon. AL
the gold that has ever beer
mined in the world would no
equal the value of this coal al
olny 81 a ton.
In these Eastern Kentucky
counties there is approximately
/ ., nm nnno nnn -. -.