The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1917-01-03
The Govern
ment Armor
Plant.

The following letter written
by General Rufus A. Ayers to
Senator Thomas S. Martin
places Wise County upon the
fighting line for the armor
plant:
Big Stone Gap, Va.
Dec. 30, 1916.
Hon. Thomas S. Martin.
Washington, ID G.
Dear Senator:
On behalf of Wise County
Virginia, desire through YOU
to present the advantages we
possess for the location of the
Government Armor Plant to
the board having the matter in
charge.
The location of the plant
should not be influenced in any
way whatever by partisan de-
signs, nor the interests of any
particular locality. The inter
est of the Government alone
should be considered unin-
iluenced by town boosters or
community builders.
There are three important
points to be considered: First.
1t should be located where il
will be safe from destruction by
hostile forces securing lodge
ment upon our coasts and aero
planes from blockading fleets
or squadrons.
Second 1t should be located
at II point airording adequate
transportation facilities for re-
ceiving raw materials ana dis
tributing the manufactured
products to the different points
required by the Government.
Third. 1t should be located
where the largest quantity of
the best raw material can be
assembled ut the lowest cost
reasonably accessible to the
points OF consumption.
There are only two large
fields of the highest grade cox {.
ing coal in the United States
One is the Connellsville field in
Pennsylvania, and the other is
the Wise County, Virginia,
field. There are other Goals in
different localities equal to
these two, but the area is small
and tue supply would not justi-
~ the erection OF permanent
plant expected to grow and de
velop in size and Importance.
Whilst the deposits in the Con-
nellsville, Pennsylvania, fields
are large, the enormous produc.
ton required for the large steel
plants of that section is rapidly
depicting this supply.
The Wise County, Virginia,
field embracing Goals of Black
Mountain in Lee County, Vir-
ginia, and Harlan and Letcher
Counties, Kentucky, is by far
the largest field of high class
coking coal in the United States
and will last for centuries.
In addition to the coal there
is practically an inexaustible
field OF low phosphorus and
sulphur, red fossil iron ore lying
adjacent in the counties of Lee
and Scott, Viuginia, and Han.
cock, Tennessee. All of this
raw material can be assembled
ut low cost, the Big Stone Gap
furnace having a rate of %
cents per ton for both coal and
coke from the fields.
There is probably no point
that can excel Wise County in
transportation facilities, as IL
is served by four trunk line
railways, viz: Norfolk & Wes-
tern Louisville & Nashville.
Southern and the Clinchtield
and OHIO, penetrating With
their connections every section
of the country, giving easy ac-
cess TO every seaport on the AT.
lantic and Gulf coasts.
Wise County with it's abund
ant railway facilities will en-
able a plant located here to as
semble such raw materials as
may be required, in addition to
those we possess: Such as lake
and interior ores at as low Il
freight rate as it can be done
elsewhere. and we claim the