The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-05-24
4 Has Shown Her Riches In
Black Diamonds.
4 IS ONLY STATE IN THE union
Enjoying Name OF Possessing
Two Separate and Distinct
Soft Coal Fields.
FIRST FOUND HERE YEAR 1927

"My Old Kentucky Home" is
known to many, by song and story,
in very pleasing fashion. The one
fact that stands out in connection
with Kentucky, so far as the view
point of the Journal is concerned, is
the growing coal tonnage of that
State, which has jumped ahead over
100 per cent. in the last six years.
Perhaps many people have not fol-
lowed the line of progress in this
respect, for it is not so long ago
when people from the Bluegrass
State came into New York or to Chi
cago and talked of the possibilities
rather than the actualities of their
coal resources. They were told that
West Virginia must have its chance
before Kentucky could come in for
anything in that particular line. The
Mountain State has had its chance
until it has reached the proud posi-
ton of being second, in point of
coal production, among the States
of the Union.
Kentucky is now taking a pretty
good step forward and it has dis
tanced Alabama, of which We heard
so much a few years ago concerning
possibilities in the coal line. During
the dull year of 1914 Kentucky also
went ahead of Ohio in coal produc-
ton, but this was doubtless due to
the fact that there was discussion as
to the wages to be paid the miner
and the controversy lasted such
length of time that the production
of coal in Ohio in 1914 fell to little
more than half its normai figure
and has not grown to full proper
tions since. On the contrary, Ken
lucky has come along right smart"
as the saying is, and we find that
the output achieved last year was
21,0OO,0O0 net tons, which is quite
something in the line of coal output
for any Southern State, barring, of
course. West Virginia.
Kentucky has often been referred
to as the only State in the Union
possessing two separate and distinct
soft coal fields. In Eastern and
Western Kentucky are coal fields of
different geological relations. In
this connection it may be said that
ftr1 CT ri
made in recent years in what is
known as the Northwestern district,
the output increasing in that section
of the State from 1,375,S54 tons in
1909 to 6,235,519 tons in 1914. In
the Southeastern district production
increased from 9,342,130 tons in
1909 to 6,137,S24 in 1914, while
in the Western district the output
grew from 5,57S,161 tons in 1903
to 7,794,S tons in 1914.
One of the great notable facts in
connection with Kentucky coal is
that some of it goes to the vicinity
of Chicago. where it is used for
IldhlHS COht thS iueSot wi III VI
by-product ovens, with the result
that the iron ore of Minnesota is
turned, by the use of Kentucky coke,
into steel products, which are after
ward distributed in many forms to
many parts of the world. Kentucky
may produce various exhilarating
products from its soil, but the one
greatly desired product in the econ
omies of to-day-coal-is of more
value in its dynamic force than any
other form of carbon.
Coal was first produced in Ken
lucky in 1927 in either Laurel or
Pulaski county, according to c. EE.
Lesher, of the United States Geolog-
zeal Survey, and in 1928 five boat
loads of coal arrived at Nashville.
For a number of years thereafter
something between twenty-five and
thirty-five boatloads of sixty-six tons
each were sent out yearly from the
Kentucky mines. the number grow
ing to 100 boatloads in 1887. this
product being consumed In salt
works and iron furnaces convenient
to the rivers. the only means of