The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1912-03-01
THE ELKHORN PROJECT
Greatest Enterprise Of the Kind in the
World.

The greatest coking-coal develop
ment ever undertaken in the world
is doubtless that Of the Consoi-
dation Coal Co, which is now open
ing up ON a gigantic scale its 100,-
0O0-aere tract in the heart of the
Elkhorn field of Eastern Kentucky
accounted by many to be the best
coking coal known in the world and
a region which is destined TO have
a far-reaehing influence upon the
development Of the iron and steel
interests of America, for high-grade
coking coal is as essential as the
iron ore itself. and the supply of
coking coal is doubtless less than
the supply of iron ore.
The purchase and development Of
this coal property, and the railroad
construction necessary to provide
the facilities that win be needed for
the handling Of the coal, will re-
present an aggregate outlay Of
probably s4O,OOO,oO to $4,000, 600
the Louisville & Nashville Railroad
alone having work now in progress
for the construction OF its line into
that territory at cost which viii
probably reach s1S.0OO,OOO.
Mr.. j., Ii. Wheelwright, president
OF the Consolidation Coal Co.. in
an interview with the Manufacturers
Record about the work which his
company is doing in the Elkhorn
field, said;
The 100000 acres of land pur-
chased by the company lies in the
eastern part of Kentucky and covers
portions of Pike. Letcher and Knott
counties. The principal workable
seam. the Elkhorn No 3, has a
comparatively high elevation, and
ii is only at the heads of the prin-
cipal streams that it is approach ed
at water-level. At the point where
the watersheds of the Kentucky
River and the Big Sandy River
divide there is a large unbroksn
area of this seam, and it was to-
this point the railroads were direct
ed for its most compact and econ
omical mining. The entire area OF
field is practically equally divided
between the Kentucky and Big
Sandy rivers. The topography Of
the country is mountainous, but
the approach by railroads to desired
points is made by easy grades.
The eastern portion of the pro-
perty on the Elkhorn and its tri-
butaries. will be served by the
Sandy Valley s Elkhorn Railway. a
line 40 miles long, which is being
built by our company, from a con
nection with the Chesapeake &
Ohio at Shelby Junction, on the
Big Sandy division The consolida-
lon Coal Co., has a contract with
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co.,
by which the latter agrees to equip
the Sandy Valley & Elkhorn Rail-
way with the necessary cars and
motive power to move the output
Of the mines on that road, which it
is estimated will not be less than
8 S,O00,0O0 tons within two yeass
from the date of the completion OF
.ne road Two thousand all-steel
cars of 100000 pounds capacity
nave already been ordered and are
now being built.
THE Louisville & Nashville Rail-
road Co., is building line from
jackson, Ky, into the property, a.
distance of 80 miles, which the
engineers estimate will be completed
~ August of this year.
The terminals Of the two roads
as at present proposed will be.
about two miles apart, but it has
been proposed, though not author
lied, by the Louisville & Nashville
Company to connect the two oy
means of an additional line of some
six miles and a short tunnel. Such
a connection would give the Louis
lille & Nashville a route down Elk
horn Creek to what is known as
the Breaks of Sandy and an ulti-
mate connection with the chesapeak
& Ohio Railroad and the clinchfield
Carolina & Ohio when completed.
1T is the Intention, as far as pos
sible, to concentrate the operations
about a central point. This plan
resulted in locating the town Of
jenkins, which will have the general
offices, the main store, the bank
and the residences OF the officials,
and which will be the general dis
tributing point for all the opera
tions. Here. too, viii be located
the central power plant, with an
ultimate capacity Of 10000 iSilo-