The Big Sandy news., 1918-02-08
LETCHER COUNTY

Whitesburg, KY, February 6.-The
coal fields OF Letcher county suffered
irreparable damage by the floodtide
which swept mountain streams last
week following the melting of the snow
Conditions are being improved to a
marked extent but it will be some time
before conditions will be restored to
normal. The Mayking Coal company
suffered heavy damage in the loss OF
track washed away and the bridge and
trestle across the Kentucky river. The
Elkhorn Coal company at Kona sta
tion lost heavily in damage to bridges
and side tracks. In many places the
Louisville * Nashville railroad was
damaged thousands Of dollars in wash
ed away and inundated track, trestles
washed away, etc. Much of the track
between Fleming and McRoberts at the
roads terminus was swept away and 1t
was several days before train service
into McRoberts was restored. Wire ser
vice into nearly every section OF the
mountains has been completely para
lyzed, both telephone and telegraph
lines. AT this time service over the tele-
phone is being restored between this
city and Pikeville, the nearest western
union Office. Long distance connection
between Lexington and Louisville is
still broken.
Logging men and lumbermen in all
section lost heavily. Roads are dam
aged and are in almost an impossible
condition. Farmers suffered consider
ably in slips and slides, and overflow
ed and washed away bottom land. TAX
ing all in all this was perhaps the most
disastrous floodtide that ever swept
this section.
Contracts have been awarded 10 Ad-
ans & Sullivan, Louisville, for the con-
struction OF an important six mile
branch of the Louisville & Nashville
railroad up Carr's Fork below here.
penetrating an immensely rich unde-
yeloped coal field, the construction to
be started at once and rushed to com
pletion. The Carr's Fork Coal company
has been organized by DR.. d. o. Foley, |
Lexington, H. E. Bullock and Charles
Bischoff, Hazard, with 100000 capi-
tai. Something over three thousand
acres of rich coal lands have been
leased from The Virginia Coal & Iron
company and the development work
will be launched at once. 1t is the in
tention of the corporation TO be ready |
TO begin shipping coal as soon as the
branch road is completed. This will be
one OF the most important new coal
fields opened in Eastern Kentucky for
some time.
ttt
The town of Whitesburg was visit |
ed by a disastrous fire last week when |
the Felix G. Fields building adjacent |
to the county bridge in which are the |
Swisher Furniture store and The Eagle |
Bottling company's plant was burned
entailing loss of ten thousand dol |
lars or more, about one third covered |
by insurance. It is said that lighted |
match which came in contact with a |
can OF gasoline caused the starting OF |
the fire The bridge which spans the |
river at that point was badly dam
aged. Mr. Swisher will entire business
again on Main st. 1t is said Mr.. Fields |
will rebuild BY heroic efforts adjacent |
were saved. These would have |
no doubt caused the flames to spread |
to other sections of the town. For a |
time II looked as II the whole of the |
town was at the. flames mercy.
ttt
improved weather conditions since
the heavy washout Of last week has |
started development factors to much |
activity throughout the coal fields OF
this section. There will be unusual ac-
tivity with the continued improvement |
of the weather.
fttt
Attorney F. G.. Fields, Charles Back
and others are spending month in
Florida rejuvinating in the balmy |
zephyrs of the Land of Flowers" The |
family of Attorney l.. w. Fields is al
so spending some time down South"
1t is said that several coal land leas-
es have been made in this section with