The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1922-03-10
FORD WILLBUILD
new RAILROAD IN
MARTIN COUNTY
Rumor Gets Start When
Several Deals for Coal
Property are Con-
summated.


another railroad win be built into Mar
tin county are flying thick and fast
The fact that some Goa! company is
buying up all the land at the mouth OF
Rockcastie ssTssk has revived the old
dream OF railroad up Rockcastie VAL
It II !s :.ot known what interests
are back OF the new movement but !,
Is thought that tiIe> same people VINO
made up the directorate OF the Ken
tucky By-Products Coal Company are
furnishing the finances for the pur-
chase or the lands on the headwaters
OF Rockcastie and Wolf creeks, and II
ii 10 decided to place iss coal on the
market by building road up the
Rockcastie Valley. II would be a great
ADVANTAGE 70 the company TO own IN
fee ali the land about the mouth or the
creek
A raiiroad has been surveyed up
this valley two OF three times In the
past. Before the close OF the last CEN
tury. a New Yorker who owned some
eight or ten thousand acres OF coal
land on the headwasers OF the Middle
Fork Of Rockcastle. planned to buiid
the road 10 his property but he died
before the arrangements were made
and tho plans fell through. The Simp-
ksns heirs held this property until the
iast few years when, II Is said they
sold IL 10 the Kentucky By-Product
Cool Company.
The coal aelds living on the head
waters OF Wolf and Rockcastle creeks
arc known To be the richest In the
Emitted States. Coal seams of. almost
unbelievable thickness are found In
the hills. One seam has six feet OF sol
I'D coal OF the very best quality and, u
"a said. that a man can easily ride in-
10 another on horseback. These seams
are found In the hills while under
meath all this country can be found
the famous warfieia seam Of coal
which the Hlmier Coal Company at
its mines at Himlerville, KY, and is
mines at Kermit, w. Va, are now
working. This coal has proved It's
quality on the markets OF the world AZ
II Is being sold ora badly overcrowded
market where 1t Is Impossible 20 sell
other cuai AT any price
Ii is hardly reasonable to suppose
these vast coal beds will remain un-
developed much longer Inferior coal
found In small seams can be found
more accessible 10 the railroads but
expense OF working these extra and
above that required to work veins like
those found on the Rockcastle and
Wolf creeks more than overhalances
the cost OF building a railroad to these
latter seams.
Then there is another element that
Will 20 10 furnish a basis for the sup
position that another railroad viii be
built into Martin county. The Balti-
more hnd Ohio Railroad has several
stretches OF road on the Big Sandy.
on Beaver creek in Floyd county this
company has several miles of road,
II also owns the Miller's Creek Rail-
road at Van Lear. Ky. These roads
now are only branch roads TO the
Chesapeake & Ohio railroad and are
great feeders to II. II Is thought that
the b. x o. win some day connect all
these small roads with its main lines
at Kenova, W. Va, and In Virginia. II
the company does this there Will be
no better route for the road than along
the Rockcastle valley In this way 1t
can avoid the c, & o. the Big Sandy
and can leave the course OF the Nor
. IOlK ana nthltI az viz "
Rockcastie. This will give II almost n
straight course TO the mouth OF Bea-
yer creek whore II can connect up
with It's line already built up this
creek.
II Is known that this company has
purchased large farm on this side of
the Big Sandy river just across from
the mouth OF Beaver creek. This farm
Is mostly all level land and the com
pany could have no other use for II
except TO give an approach to a rail-
road bridge at this place.
A railroad running out to the head
OF Rockcastle would enter the Johns
creek valley which lacks only one mile
OF being one hundred miles long. Be-
sides being a fertile farming region,
this territory could be developed by a
branch road running from the main
line between Rockcastle and Beaver
creeks. Containing Beaver creek and
other territory adjacent to the main
line OF the road II the railroad COM
pany decides to build trunk line thru
this part OF the country, Johns creek
and the Rockcastle. the b. & o. would
have territory IL closely worked, SUI
perior to either the territory OF the c.
a o. or the N. & w. Others say there
Is chance for Henry Ford to build
his proposed road to Beaver through
this part OF the country. II he should
do this and should become the owner
OF all this mineral land and should be-
come a coal operator himself, Martin
county would be fortunate as far as
labor troubles are concerned
The early development of this great
coal area would mean much to the
people Of Martin county Towns rival
ing Jenkins and Van Lear would be
built In the Rockcastle Valley.--Hunt-
ington Herald Dispatch