The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1922-12-01
Final Inspection to be Made
at Once by the Famous
Automobile Man
ufacturer.

Henry Ford has an option on about
100000 acres of coal lands in the Big
Sandy valley, being nearly all of the
holdings of the Elk Horn Coal Cor
poration. .--. ...'.
This includes a number of opera
tions on Beaver. creek, mostly in
Floyd county. The finest of coking
coal underlies great percentage of
the lands.
The price is reported to be about
twenty millions, which is not a great
sum for Mr.. Ford. According to a
report recently given out he had
S20O00O,0O0 on deposit in the banks,
so he would have lot of change LETT
after writing check for twenty mil.
lions.
He and a party of engineers and
heads of departments are due to
make a tour of inspection of the prop.
erty this week. They will go up Big
Sandy in a private car. Messrs. j.
w. NJ. Stewart and John E. Bucking.
ham of Ashland will accompany the
party. They have been prominent in
the negotiations and have had con
ferenCes with Mr.. Ford and his de-
partment heads both in Ashland and
Detroit. ..a =.
1t is believed Mr. Ford will buy
this great property because it fits so
well into his enterprises. His rail
road, the Detroit Toledo G. Ironton,
extends from his enormous plant to
Ironton. Piers are already in the
Ohio river for bridge that would
bring his trains across to Ashland.
1t is surmised that his plans in;
Clude an extension into these coal
fields il he buys the lands.
ashland hopes for great things to
happen there if the deal goes through
and there are reasonable grounds for
the hope.
The Elk Horn Corporation is one
Of the Jno. c. c. Mayo organizations,
in which his estate and Senator C. w.
Watson Of West Virginia are large
stockholders. ..
The publication of the negotiations
is said to have been premature, and
the denial which Is printed herewith
was given out from Detroit. However,
matters are said to be progressing.
Mr.. Ford needs enormous amounts
OF cQking coal and bituminous coal
and he will get all he will ever want
if he buys this property. 1t is with.
in easy reach for him. II this deal
goes through. it will be by far the
largest ever Consummated in Ken.
tuCky and the result of it is bound to
ne stupeDdous. No one can foresec
its possibilities. -. -. 49,.
Louisville, Ky, Nov 23.-The Elk
horn Coal Corporation, reported to
have been taken over by Henry Ford,
was Incorporated in 1918 under the
laws of West Virginia and represents
q combination of several powerful in.
terests. with an authorized capital.
ization of S2S,600,00O Under it's con
troll by outright ownership, fee, sur
face or mineral rights were a total of
205,00O acres of coal properties
These lands are in Pike, Floyd, Knott,
Magofiin, Johnson and Letcher coun.
ties in Kentucky and in Upshur and
Randolph counties, in West Virginia
The company also had controlling in.
terests in several minor fuel-produc.
ing concerns,
The last available report of opera.
ton of the corporation were to the
effect that 90 mines were being oper.
ated which were developed to pro.
duCG 100000 tons of coal annually
The properties of the Elkhorn Coal
Corporation included 1880 miners
dwelling houses at the various min
ing towns, as we'll as hotels, office
buildings, stores and other buildings
and mining equipment necessary for
the production of coal
The principal mining towns on the
vast property, several of which would
come under Mr.. Ford's control, are
Fleming, Raymond, Hemphill, Way.
land, Garrett and Wheelwright in
Kentucky, and Interstate and Ocean
in West Virginia
The property is served by the Lou.
isville and Nashville, Chesapeake and
Ohio, Baltimore and Ohio, and Long
Fork Railroads. The mining opera.
tions are ultra-modern, being con.
Quoted with electrical mine locomo.
tives. A large amount of power is de-
use in the mining operations, approx.
thirty miles of 10000 volt
transmission line is on the property,
furnishing sufficient electric power
for full development of the vast coal
area.
Middletown, Ohio, Nov. 2S.-Fol.
lowing information that Henry Ford
has completed negotiations for pur.
chase of S20.OO0,00O worth of coal
fields in Kentucky and reports from
Irontoh, Ohio that Ford has obtain
ed an option on the A., C. & |. rail,
road, with the intention of joining II
with his d., r. G. |. system. Officials
OF the American Rolling Mill Com
pany. who own controlling interest
in the A.. C. & |. road, had no com.
MANI IN p,ala cnnonrnfpu tho ,.anort. Z