Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-08-23
MINERS"
OF VIRGINIA ARE
MAKING FORTUNES

Continued f'rolu First pagc.)
poor fellow had made only $500
clear profit on his mine the day be-
fore. The new coal baron is prone
to worry. Worrying was a habit with
him during the lean years when he
drove Snake and Julie up in the
Monkey Heading at ,2.5o per day.
There is another poor chap who
worked for ss5 per month SO long
that he grew to believe that there
was no more money In the world.
Today he is frctting with his new
eight. The fan belt had snapped and
a new one meant al outlay Of almost
ii. He was up in the air. lie forgot
that he was "A buyer for n dozen coal
companies hat paid him 81 on every
ton Of GOA he bought. The day he
fore he sold 1000 tons. with a clear
profit Of $1,000. The month previous
he banked $4,000. II he remembered
these things he might save himself
a nasty headache. But habit-weli-
''1'he TrnIi OF tho Lonesome Pine
They were a quaint people who
!!Fed In he shadows of the Cum
b~erlant,s. In the old DAYS. and who
Gap TO air their fierce grudges and
settle their differences after the man
ner OF the hills. They nave passed
on. So has Princess Flats: or, rather.
~ has changed its name to Norton.
cream. progressive a beehive OF en-
ergy and thrift, over which a new
romance hovers-a romance so start
csquc that IL bids fair 10 oycrshadow
the famous boom period OF the early
sOs when fablous fortunes were made
and lost overnight.
To-day the pioneer OF those wild
ana wOOllf DAVIS Will snort I'm ifgI1iu
!! you mention the few paltry thou
sands that were gobblcd up by the
coai baronS during the hrs; grand
rush into Wise County. And well he
might. Today this same veteran OF
the memorable boom points a lean
finger 10 the hills above norton. hills
with numerous drifts and invites
you TO look and understand.
iouthfuI Efnanci-rs.
Overnight new fortunes arc he
ing made. Today tho boy who drove
the mules In the Monkey Heading
III live and don, get shot,
III make my home on Postum Trot.'
has leased Il wagon mine OF his own.
lie no longer dreams of being a
'white-collar' man. or rising TO the
g.ddy heights OF Super He liz more
than that-h- is "A young coal baron
quite as IMPERIAL and naughty as any
OF the old regime that ruled with an
iron hand. He builds his new home
on a scale that cvokes EXPLANATIONS
OF envy from the rich OF yesterday.
ne PUSHES a6out town in a petroleum
buggy That holds seven and has more
cylinders than IA Liberty motor. His
are OF the best. by day he is
bus as a June bug, and by night he
wrecks will block the path OF coal
cars on their way to his sidings. Nor
is the old miner the only man who
falls victim 10 the dizzy price of coal.
Tho hntrhar tha "a. l-a- a-t - -
dlcstick maker have thrown aside the
prosaic implements OF hum-drum
existence and taken up the magic
profession OF mining coal.
Henry NJ. Bandy came TO Norton
with nothing but 4 head full OF de-
termination. lie was a lawyer. lie
bought a home. When he is in need
fire he steps down in his cellar and
digs "A huckctful from his mine. When
coal Is selling for S17 per ton Mr..
Bandy simply steps downstairs and
gets all he needs. He also operates
a mine that is producing with the
best.
Very Simple Process.
of these little fortune makers? The
process is quite simple. Every one
GOAL. They sit in small groups and
figure how much Mr.. Bandy and others
cleared today. a ear holds forty tons;
solic NioTc' Inc oW II gets inc mar
ket price, which is $l7 or less. The
average cost OF mining n ton OF coal
from 81 to Sc. They figure for
a while and the bug gets into their
system. The profits are amazing and
they go forth to lease n mine from
any owner of large coal tracts. They
obtain the lease by paying a small
OF n few cents per ton. The
step is TO get men and open the
drift. Putting in railroad siding is
expensive proposition. so they haul
the coal to the cars by wagon. thus
the name wagon mine
so Norton is in the realm of ro-
nance again. Her banks arc bullying
with clean profits when the East is
talking about hard times and empty
lockers. Only here and there can one
lind q dissatisfied eXpounder of the
gospel of the Bolshevist. While nor
tons OF West Virginia lie idle as
operators and workman wranele
about recognizing unions and higher
wages. Wise County is waxing fat.
but not lazy. They have no unions
to spoil good returns for all con- !
cerned.. and there is not n section in
the United States that pays her coal