Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-09-28
B. B 0. WILL TAKE
OVER COAL ROAD
Road Taps Extensive Coal Lands In
the Elkhorn Valley Of
.e1 Kentucky.


Baltimore, Sept. 25-President Jere
H. Wheelwright, OF the Consolidation
Coal Company, announced today that
the Elkhorn and Sandy Valley Rail
road which taps the company's extern
sive coal tract in the Elkhorn Valley
of Kentucky, had been finally com
pleted, and would be turned over TO
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
which will operate the line, on Octo-
Der /. On that date, Daniel Willard,
OF the Baltimore & Ohio. will succeed
Mr.. Wheelwright as president Of the
road, and 1t will then become a part
of the Baltimore & Ohio system.
The line, which extends from Shell
binana, on the Chesapeake & Ohio. to
jenkins, KY, a distance of 80 miles
has been built by the Consolidation
Coal Company, but the expense OF
construction has been borne by the
Baltimore G. Ohio The entire cost
OF the road, with equipment, repre-.
sents an expenditure of s5.O00,0O0,
and there is no bonded indebtedness
on the property the cost Of building
operations having come out of the
treasury of the Baltimore & Ohio
railway company
The building of the Elkhorn and
Sandy Valley railroad was one Of the
important features In connection with
the extensive development of the
Consolidation Coal Company's Elk.
horn Valley coal lands. AS soon as
President Wheelwright mapped out a
definite line of development for his
property, IL was decided to construct
a railroad into the heart of the tract,
so that the Consolidation would be af.
forded adequate railroad facilities for
getting its product to the various mar
kets.
The railroad is of modern construc-
ton, and is laid with 90-pound rails.
all-steel drop-bottom gondola cars,
each with a capacity of 10000
pounds.
President Wheelwright of the Con.
solicitation, accompanied by a number
of other coal company officials, will
leave in a day or two for Kentucky
for the purpose of making final in
spection OF the railroads prior to the
transfer of the road TO the Baltimore
& Ohio.
The Consolidation has eight mines
opened along the Elkhorn Sandy Val
ley Railroad, and now that the line
has been finished, shipments will in
crease rapidly The company has
been shipping fuel at the rate OF
about 1000 tons per day from these
mines for nearly month. n
On the west side of the Elkhorr
Valley tract the Louisville & Nash
vile railroad to McRoberts, a dis
lance of about 100 miles which when
completed will represent an eXpendi
tnre of about S1S,000000 The Con
solidation will open five mines along
this extension, and shipments of Goa
from these mines will begin when the
; line is finished, which will be around
December first.
President Wheelwright is natural
~ we'll pleased with the final compile
tion of the Elkhon Sandy Valley
railroad, as 1t means that the Consol.
idation can from now on begin 70 do
rive the full benefit of mining opera
tions in the Elkhon Valley, Mr.
Wheelwright has devoted much time
to supervising the work and has made
numerous trips out In Kentucky ia
note the progress of construction OPP
erations.
Mr.. Wheelwright says that the coal
business is booming and that for two
weeks or more his company has not
shipped any coal except under eX-
listing contracts. The head of the Con-
solidation Coal Company is optimis-
tic over future business conditions
and looks for an excellent year in the
coal trade.