Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-03-01
ARE MINING COAL
IN CUMNOCk FIELD
EGYPT" REGION IN LEE AND
CHATHAM COUNTIES ARE
BEING DEVELOPED.
DISPATCHES FROM RALEIGH
ooinos and happenings That Mark
the Progress Of North Carolina Peo'
pie, Gathered Around the state
Capital.
D...,un
Raleigh.


Raleigh.
The "Egypt" coal region lying chief.
ly in Lee and Chatham counties Is be-
ing developed by two interests at
present and 1t is gratifying to learn
that the operators in both instances
are getting satisfactory results, Both
have mined coal of superior quality
for steaming, heating and even crate
and stove purposes
II this development reaches the
scale that the prospects seem to hold
out in every respect, 1t will mean
much for Wilmington, for the mines
are on the Atlantic & Yadkin rail
road Coast Line and Southern Rail.
way which runs directly TO the port
OF wilmington The coal region is
only 1870 miles from the Cape Fear
ocean gateway Coal seams which
are six feet thick are yielding bitum'
nous coal that government: tests
prove to be equal TO the famous Poca.
hontas coal OF the Virginia fields.
The older, or original development,
10 the Cumnock mine, once known as
the Egypt mine, when It was first
operated just prior to and during the
civil war. and later operated on a
small scale. about 90 or 40 years ago
when a disastrous mine explosion put
the operating company out OF com
mission. II is now being operated by
the Norfolk Southern railroad the
main line OF which also runs through
this North Carolina coal field
After years Of abandonment the
Cumnock mine, 425 feet deep, filled
with water, so the Norfolk Southern
operators have been engaged since
last summer in pumping out the
shaft. That work was accomplished
late In December and about two
weeks ago the company began TO mine
coal and make experiments with II
for supplying the locomotives OF the
railroad company. couple OF car
loads of coal was used In steaming
test on Norfolk Southern locomotives
with the most eminently satisfactory
results. The company is proceeding
with mining operations In seam
six feet thick. and from now on the
railroad expects to handle its own
coal proposition. II controls about g.
900 acres in the old Egypt coal tract.
The Cumnock mine is in Lee county.
adjoining the Chatham county line.
Just across the line, in Chatham, on
the Norfolk Southern railroad, lies an
other coal tract of some l,200 acres,
which is being developed successfully
by the Carolina Coal Company. in
corporated and organized few months
ago by some enterprising home capt.
talists, including the famous North
Carolinian. Bion H. Butler, who came
from Pennsylvania years ago and
domesticated as a statewide citizen.
The Carolina Coal Company is now
doing business with an organization
as follows: President, John R. Nc.
Queen. OF Southern Pines; vice presi-
dent, Bion II. Butler. OF Southern
Southern Pines; superintendent, How
ard NJ. Butler, OF Southern Pines.
The Carolina Company has sunk an
incline shaft to depth OF $50 feet.
following the coal seam down at an
angle OF about 30 degrees, pitching
east. The coal seam is six feet or
more thick all the way down and the
company proposes to go on and de
velop the mine on a commercial basis.
People all over the country are beg
ging this company for coal, but It can
not afford to make contracts till the
developments reach a regular operat.
ing scale. 1t is hoped to be able to
do that this summer and fall.
Meanwhile that company has taken
IL
has supplied the Southland hotel in
Southern Pines during the winter Mr..
J. N. Powell proprietor Of the hotel
as well as secretary Of the coal com.
pany, has not had to worry about any
coal supply for his hotel. He has been
defying the arctic wave with good
North Carolina coal. The Carolina
Coal Company at present is working
twenty hands and has driven two lev
els out from its main shaft, stripping
six foot coal seam in each direction.
The long and short of 1t is that the
Norfolk Southerns Cumnock shaft
and the Carolina Coal Company's shaft
discloses such vast quantities that
when operations get down to the
regular mining basis contemplated,
coal will be plentiful.