The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1914-06-19

practical business matter. rather than
a merely social event, and dealing for
the most part with downright material
facts, nevertheless had romantic
side to II, which appealed very strong
ly to ones imagination. One could
not help thinking Of the days of Robin
Hood and his ''merrie men" of Sher-
wood forests. II brought TO mind, also.
| Governor Spottswood and his famous
ride across the Blue Ridge mountains
lof Virginia, with his redoubtable
knights of the Golden Horseshoe"
some two hundred years ago. Or even
more pointedly did IL remind one OF
| the personally conducted tour, in 1882,
of the versatile and witty Colonel Will
liam Byrd, of "Westover," from Will
liamsburg to Germanna, and the iron
mines Of Col. Alexander Spottswood on
the upper waters of the Rappahannock.
Colonel Byrd, in the Westover
Manuscripts, has preserved for us a
| most entertaining account of his jour-
ney, entitled "A Progress to the
Mines" Those early Kentuckians who
| opened the iron mines in Bath county
must themselves have been inspired
| to such surprising deeds of enterprise,
| in the very infancy of the Common
wealth, by the noble example of pro-
gressiveness set by Governor Spotts-
wood and his associates nearly one
hundred years before. Not without
truth was Governor Spottswood de
nominated the "Tubal Cain of Vir-
GINA
Impressions Made by Journey.
The Impressions made upon one by
this last journey into Eastern Ken
lucky, 1t seems, were almost literal
duplicate of the impressions of week
or more before upon other visitors
into the same locality from points out
side of Kentucky. Mr.. Richard H. Ed
monds, of Baltimore. editor OF the
Manufacturers Record. who shared
that previous tour Of inspection
through the territory bordering the
headwaters of the Big Sandy and its
tributaries, is quoted in the Baltimore
Sun as saying:
1t is altogether probable that
more wealth will be created in
that territory by reason of its re-
markable high grade coking coal
than has been created in any
other coal section of America not
excepting even the Connelsville
region, which made possible the
enormous iron and steel develop
ment of Pittsburgh. where Frick,
Carnegie and others made their
almost limitless. Millions
MIR. Edmonds further asserts that
the Kentucky field is probably the
most important coking field in the
world, and informs us that experts
have repeatedly pointed to the ex- ]
haustion Of the Connellsville region |
and Indicated that to large extent |
the Kentucky coal would have to take
Its place. The Importance of this Mt |
terance is that 1t is not fanciful day !
dream or a transitory picture OF the |
imagination, but straight forward |
statement of a well attested matter of |
fact carefully weighed ltterance by |
a discriminating critic of industrial |
Prospect for Development.
II is, of course, well known that coal |
is found in Western as well as in East
ern Kentucky. but with the opening
of the Panama Canal and the improve |
ment of the waterway down the Ohio |
-'ASDtPpiI ~ 10 ilOt llhtiy
the supply will for long, if ever, out
run the demand. The prediction has
been made that probably in less than
fve years more coal will be shipped
from Eastern Kentucky than is now |
produced in the entire state, and that
this Will be SO Notwithstanding the in
crease in the production of the mines
IN Western Kentucky.
However this may be, whether the
expectations OF phenomenal develop
ment is to be realized or not, there is
one feature of the coal situation in
Eastern Kentucky which merits imme-
hate and mature consideration by the
business men and the business inter-
ests OF all Kentucky and more espec-
ally by the tinanciers of the Blue
Grass.
What gives to the Elkhorn coal its
and extraordinary value
5 the fact that it is what is known as
hlgh-grade coking or product
,oal 1t is an Indispensable factor in
he growth of tae iron and steel in
lustry, and with the adjustment of
he bee hive furnace and the utiliza-
ion OF gas, ammonia and other by
PRODUCTS of cooking coal, its value for
purposes is beyond all
|,