Chapter XVI

THE COAL INDUSTRY

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That phase of history which treats of industrial development may be less exciting than which treats of war, upheavals, and conspiracies, but it should be no less entertaining.  It is not so easily clothed with human interest, because the individual is lost sight of.  The ordinary reader is more interested in the romance of an Indian fighter's cabin than in the operation of a thousand coke ovens or a hundred coal mines; and a deeper interest attached to the pioneer's pack horse threading its way across wild and forested mountain than in the rush of a freight train through a tunnel beneath the mountain.  It will be so long as human nature remains as it is; but that does not change the fact that the story of the development of the natural resources of a great region is epic in it nature.  The people generally do not appreciate what has been going on, is still going on, and will continue to go in Fayette county.

Many of the old pioneers expected to stop only temporarily in this region.  They thought that family could not be supported very long on the products of the soil alone when the hunters had killed wild game.  They intended to load their pack horses and trek again in a few years, and leave what is now Fayette county and exhausted wilderness.  There were many, however, among the pioneers who took a more hopeful view and who expected to stay in the county, and to leave their children and their children's children in it.  But in the lightness of heart with which many a man left his cabin and the few stumpy acres where his corn crops grew, and moved on, is silent testimony of the fact that he saw no future for the county.  The low price of wild land until recent years was proof that very few were looking ahead.  In many instances a thousand acres could be bought for less than what the mineral right in one acre is now worth.  That happened many a time when the seller knew that the land was underlaid with coal.  He simply had no faith in the future though it should not have required the prophetic foresight of an Isaiah to see that coal land could be profitably held for a long time with only a few cents tax a year on

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it.  The men who foresaw and were willing to wait as well as labor were the ones who made fortunes among the hills of Fayette county.

The story of the late material development of Fayette county may lack some of the peculiar and romantic interest which clings around the pioneer; but for all that, it is a wonderful story.  The cutting and marketing of the millions of feet of timber which has gone out; the tram roads which penetrated the wilderness; the mills among the poplars, the hemlocks, and the spruce; the rafts on the river, the log drives, the splash dams, the booms; the lumberman's camp; the forest fires; the rough life; the successes and failures - these are not lacking in human interest, and concerning such are the incidents that make up the industrial history of Fayette county during the last half of a century.

The coal mines and the coke ovens may contain less of fresh air and free life; but they are filled with activity and show the master hand of men of large affairs.  They yearly payroll of many a coal company now greatly exceeds the entire revenues and all the business transactions of the region in early years.  In affairs conducted on so large a scale, the individual may not stand out with such comparative prominence as in the days of small things; but let no one imagine that the individual is not present and is not as intense now as ever.  The difference is that mind more than hands directs large affairs, and mind is invisible.  The clock-like precision of every part of large operations reveals the presence of a master mind back of it all.

     Industries go hand in hand. The progress of one encourages another. The opening of coal mines has increased the mileage and business of railroads, the founding of new towns, and the increased growth of old ones. The consequent addition of revenues had made better highways possible, more substantial bridges, more commodious public buildings, and better schools. The schools alone are worth all that the whole line of public improvements has cost.

West Virginia has more extensive coal deposits than any other State of the American Union. It lies in the heart of the Appalachian coal system, which is the most extensive contiguous coal formation of the known world, and within its borders bituminous coal exists in greater quantity and higher quality than in any other section known to geology or industry. Professor Edward Hitchcock,

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   In his well know work on the "Geology of the Globe," estimates this Appalachian coal field to be 100,000 square miles in area. Some authorities have placed it at 80,000 square miles; Professor William Barton Rogers estimated the production area at 63,000 square miles.

The earliest mention of the coal deposits of what is now West Virginia is found in the writings of John Peter Smalley who left his home at the base of the Blue Ridge, in Augusta county, March 16, 1742, and began a trip of exploration into the country west of the mountains. He proceeded to New River, which he followed for a good many miles, then struck across the hills to another river which he followed to its mouth. "In these mountains," said Mr. Smalley, "we found great plenty of coals... we named it Coal river." And thus did Coal river and West Virginia coal first became known to the history of the country.

The first effective exploration of the Appalachian coals, however, did not come until 1835, when Dr. Samuel P. Hildreth of Marietta, Ohio, published an account of the field in Siliman's "Journal of Sciences." The paper contained many details of the strata underlying the western border of Virginia, the territory now embraced within our own state border.

The development of the coal mining industry in West Virginia has place among the industrial romances of the country. At the beginning of the last century coal was little used by the people of the territory now embraced within the present limits of the state. It was used only by neighboring blacksmiths and settlers whose cabins stood near the outcrops, where the coal could be taken out without going under ground for it. Long years of exploration and experimental development were required to prepare the way for the recent period of active remarkable development.

It was not until 1817 that coal was discovered in the upper portion of the Great Kanawha valley, bringing to light the riches of the heart of the greatest coal field of the world. At that time the Kanawha Salines formed the most productive salt region of the world. Wood was the fuel burned in the evaporation of the brine, and the nearby hills had been stripped of their timber to supply the demands of the furnaces. But in 1817 John P. Turner, who had resided in the Pittsburgh region, came to the Kanawha valley

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and engaged in supplying wood for the salt furnaces. He opened a mine at Burning Springs run, two miles above the town of Malden, and made a contract with one salt company to supply that fuel instead of wood. Other salt makers adopted coal as a better fuel, and soon it was the only kind used throughout the salt-making territory.

The account of the Appalachian coal field, previously mentioned, which was published in 1835 by Dr. S. P. Hildreth directed attention to West Virginia. From 1836 to 1840, Professor William Barton Rogers, Virginia's most expert geologist, visited the West Virginia mines which had been opened at the time, and made analyses of the coals in Fayette and seven other counties. Two mines visited by Professor Rogers during this time were Big and Little Sewell. In his report for 1840 Professor Rogers states that there were nearly ninety salt furnaces in the Great Kanawha valley, manufacturing a million bushels of salt and consuming 200,000 tons of coal annually. There were 995 workmen employed in the mines, and the capital invested totaled $1,301,855. Most of the coal produced was used in the salt furnaces on the Kanawha and for domestic purposes in the homes of Wheeling.

In 1843 the General Assembly of Virginia discontinued appropriations for the geological survey, and thus brought an end to Professor Roger's work. But the work already done was destined to have further results, for it brought into the field for investigation purposes numerous other geologists from various parts of this and other countries. One of these, Richard Cowling Taylor, an Englishman, known as the "Father of British Geology," came into the West Virginia field in 1848 to see for himself. In his "Statistics of Coal" he corroborated what Professor Rogers had reported as to the wonderful value of the field.

Embryo operations in the coke industry began quite early, but larger operations began only recently. The first coke produced in West Virginia was made in 1843 on the Cheat river at the old Green Springs iron furnace. The first brick coke oven in the state was built in Monongalia county about 1853, and the first fire-stone coke oven in 1878. After 1880 there was a speedy growth in the development of that industry.

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    In 1853-57, the salt industry on the Kanawha was impoverished to satisfy the demands of the salt men of Meigs county, Ohio, and Mason county, Virginia, who formed the Ohio River Salt company which was not dissolved until 1872. As the manufacture of salt became a "vanishing industry," the mining of cannel coal arose to prominence largely through investment of foreign capital which was attracted by reports of exploration of Kanawha coal deposits by Professor Rogers of the University of Virginia. Several coal companies, organized between 1848 and 1856 to operate on the Kanawha river, were the forerunners of business expansion and increasing prosperity. In 1857 the Kanawha Cannel Coal Mining and Manufacturing company erected at Charleston buildings for use in the manufacture of cannel coal oil. All the various companies advertised for all classes of laborers in 1859 and were in a very prosperous condition in 1860. The General Assembly on March 3rd, 1854 passed an act to provide for the organization of companies for mining and manufacturing purposes. In 1854 corporations were formed to develop coal in the territory now comprising West Virginia, and by 1860 there were twenty-five such corporations in existence in what is now West Virginia. The western part of Virginia led in such companies as were formed, as Professor Rogers said, "not for the purpose of working stock, but of working coal." There were two such corporations in Fayette county in 1857, the Crescent Coal company and the Mount Carbon Mining company. The attempt of these companies to interest foreign capital in its development work was interrupted by the Civil War.

At the close of the war there was an awakening interest in the latent mineral resources. It was the beginning of a new era of development for Fayette county.

The development of coal in Fayette county has a history the would be, if faithfully portrayed, like a story from the "Arabian Nights." Before it settled down under efficient management, the opening and development of the early mines presented scenes of many ups and downs and many novel incidents. These were examples of what men can do with few auxiliaries in spite of the many difficulties under which pioneer coal operators labored.

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   In 1848, Ben Burnett was lumbering on Cannelton mountain, and was sending logs down a chute cut in the timber of the mountain side next to the Kanawha river. The logs gradually wore away the crust of the surface and uncovered a ledge of coal, which when tested proved to be of very superior quality. Colonel Aaron Stockton, the owner of the land, gave Burnett for his discovery a home for the remainder of his life.

In 1849 Colonel Stockton opened the mine, which was found to be a superior cannel coal, and commenced operations. Coal was drawn from the mine by means of a muley ox, and lowered down the mountain side on brush, loaded in large barges, shipped to New Orleans, and sold for a very high price.

In 1852, Finch brothers organized a company and operated the mines for two or three years. An incline was built by the company and other improvements added. After Finch brothers had failed, Coon, Picket & Co. organized the Union Coal & Oil Co, erected a fine oil factory and used the output of the mine for the manufacture of cannel oil, which was then with the exception of candles, about the only light used by people of this country. The big strike of petroleum about 1866 caused the decline in price of manufactured oil, and caused the company to go into bankruptcy.

After lying idle for some time, the property was bought by a northern company of which William Remsen of New York was president, and T. Tatnall Lea of Philadelphia was treasurer. They built a new incline, a fine store house, and a steam transfer to the Chesapeake & Ohio railway. The incline was 1,365 feet long, and the cars two at a time were run down the mountain side on to the transfer boat, and taken across the river and by incline to the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, and the coal shipped east to be used as an enricher of gas coals, etc. The product of the mine was both cannel and semi-cannel coal. The success of this company was due to efficient management. Henry Davis, who had been formerly employed by the Union Coal & Oil company, was at one time in charge of this operation.

John Cooper, one of the pioneer coal operators of Fayette county, was born in England. He emigrated to America about 1866 and located first in Pennsylvania where he engaged in coal mining, the business he had followed in England. In 1871 he removed to West

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Virginia and worked at different times in the mines at Fire creek, Quinnimont, Hawks Nest and Caperton. It was in these mines he gained knowledge of conditions in this State, thus fitting himself for more extended operations on his own account in the Pocahontas-Flat-top region, which began a dozen years later.

David T. Ansted, a celebrated geologist and scientist of London, England, visited and explored in Fayette county during the latter part of the sixties and the early seventies. He had been sent over by some English capitalists and had authority to buy coal land which he found desirable. General John Imboden had made a trip to London in order to interest English capital in an investment in coal mines in the vicinity of what is now known as Ansted. David T. Ansted reported to the English company that he had found the prospects even better than had been represented by General Imboden.

In 1872 Colonel George W. Imboden bought a considerable tract of land from James Westlake for David T. Ansted, who deeded it to the Gauley-Kanawha Coal company which formed in 1873 backed by English capital.

The Gauley-Kanawha Coal company continued in business till 1875, when it was organized under the name of Hawks Nest. In 1889 the narrow gauge railroad was converted into a standard gauge road and in the same year the Hawks Nest was dissolved by order of the United States District Court.

The Gauley Mountain Coal company was then organized, taking over all the property both personal and real of the old company and adding 8,000 acres, this making its holding 11,000 acres comprising all lands between Gauley river and New rive, excepting a five thousand acre tract and a few acres of smaller tracts. William N. Page, Abram S. Hewitt, Levi P. Morton, George Bliss, and the son of the famous Peter Cooper were stockholders. This company has continued in control of mining interests at Ansted to the present time.

In 1873 John Nuttall came from Pennsylvania and began operating the uppermost seam of the Pottsville series in Great Sewell mountain, in Fayette county.

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   William H. Holland was a native of England. He came to this country about 1868 and settled in Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the mining business. In 1873 he came to Nuttallburg, and with John Nuttall opened up the mine at this point, which with Quinnimont and Sewell, were the first to ship coal over the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad. The Nuttallburg mine was opened and developed as the railroad was still in progress of completion from Hawks Nest. When the Keeneys creek branch was projected, Mr. Holland went to Winona, and in 1896 organized the Ballinger Coal company in which he actively interested with his sons until the time of his death in 1918. His three surviving sons, William H., Solomon and George, are still engaged in the mining business at Winona.

Colonel Joseph L. Beury was a member and manager of the first coal company organized in the great New river coal field known as the New River Coal company. This was the first company to ship the celebrated New river steam coal, the first shipment being made in September 1873, when he associated himself with Jenkins Jones, John Freeman and others, and operated what was known as Quinnimont mines.

   From Fire Creek Colonel Beury went to Hawks Nest and opened a mine in the extreme lower end of the New river basin. Leaving Hawks Nest he leased and operated what is now known as the Gauley Mountain Coal Company's Ansted mines, but after six months successful operation he was compelled to give up the mine on account of a stipulation in the lease, which provided that the original owners might re-enter and terminate the lease at the expiration of six months, of which stipulation they availed themselves.

Leaving Ansted, Colonel Beury associated himself with John Cooper and together they developed the Caperton mine. Beury and Cooper were not wealthy operators at that time and did most of the mining themselves, not being able to hire much labor. It is related that when they first started at Caperton they had one mule but no harness. A collar was borrowed from a neighboring farmer, and work at the mines began. A week or so later the farmer demanded his harness and thus forced the Beury-Cooper operation to suspend business for a few days.

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   Colonel Beury came to the New river district when it was practically a wilderness inhabited by wild beasts. He was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Julia A. Forbes, and soon after brought her to the wilds of the New rive country. She was a girl of seventeen years of age, and left a comfortable home to follow her husband

 into the wilderness. They lived in a log cabin for about five years at Fire Creek, when the nearest railroad was at White Sulphur Springs. From there they went to Hawks Nest which was wild country also and where they could get provision but once a month; from Hawks Nest the moved to Caperton, and from there to Beury.

The mines of the Quinnimont Charter Oak Coal and Iron Co. were located near the old coke ovens and were opened by Col. J. L.

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Beury under contract as he had no funds himself, in the years 1873 to 1877. These mines were next operated by Noah Jenkins. Col. Beury went to Fire creek in 1876. He sold out there and went to what is now McDougal and built a stone house there. In 1880 he opened up mines at Elen, later known as Caperton. He was associated Wm. Beury, and John Cooper, father of Congressman Edward Cooper, who was born on Quinnimont mountain.

Mr. Beury next opened up mines at Echo, one mile east of Fire creek which is now called Beury. He lived there until his death.

      Stone Cliff was opened by Mr. Bramwell and Noah Jenkins about the year 1881 or 1882.

Alaska was opened in 1888 by Alaska Coal & Coke Company. Mr. Lawton, Dr. J. E. Robins and W. A. Brown were promoters.

      Beechwood, now Claremont was opened up in 1887 by Beechwood Coal & Coke Company.

Central between Fire creek and Beury was opened by Major Gordon and Mr. Seal in the year 1885.

D. C. Boyee operated old Quinnimont mines. They were operated under the name of Quinnimont Coal Company. They have been worked out and abandoned.

Big Q was opened in the year 1887 by D. C. Boyee. He built five miles of railroad as an outlet for coal. He was associated with James Ray and others. This company afterwards sold out to the Beury interests. They still own it today. Most of the land in this section is owned by the Quinnimont Land Company of whom Gen, Lawton is president.

Greenwood Coal & Coke Company was opened up and owned by Lawtons Brown, and Robins in the year 1890.

Laurel Creek Coal & Coke Co. was opened up in the year 1892 by the Browns, Lawtons and Dr. Robins.

Robins, now Export, was opened up by the same company as at Laurel creek. This was known as Robins Coal & Coke Co.

Hemlock Hollow Coal & Coke Company was composed Mr. Hunsinger, Dr. Woods, Gus Guthrie, and others and afterwards sold to Browns, Lawtons, Robins and C. C. Beury with Mr. Guthrie retaining his interest. In the year 1917 it was sold to Guthrie, Dempsey and Duncan who now own and operate it.

Glendale opened by the Beurys, Boyds and others. They operated Glendale for a number of years and worked it out.

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   The Pioneer coal operators of Quinnimont district were: the Beurys, Browns, Lawtons, Freemans, Millers and Robins.

These early openings were soon followed by others, and before long coal mining in the Kanawha and New river fields was in full sawing. During the eighties the development was continuous and rapid. Since the late eighties the developments have been so many and they have come in such quick succession, that a mere mention of them would prove tiresome. Two coal corporations, however, on

account of their importance as a factor in the recent rapid development of Fayette county, deserve to be given special mention in this chronicle of the county's leading industry.

THE McKELL PROPERTY

One of the most interesting properties in Fayette county is that which was left by Thomas Gaylord McKell, and which is now known as the McKELL HEIRS' ESTATE. The nucleus of this estate lay in an interest, which was given as a wedding present to Mrs. McKell in 1870, by her father, John Dun, of Chillicothe, Ohio, in the 12,500

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acre tract of coal and timber land which the latter owned on Dun Loup creek, and which he in turn had inherited from the Graham estate and which was part of the original Banks 50,000 acre survey. At this period but little interest had been taken in the valuable coal deposits in the New river field. A few small mines had been opened along New river and shipments were made over the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad which had recently been completed.

Mr. McKell personally investigated the property which Mrs. McKell had acquired and later purchased the interests of the other heirs in the 12,500 acre tract, as well as many adjacent properties from Morris Harvey, Samuel Coit, John McCoy and others until he had rounded out a solid boundary of approximately 25,000 acres underlaid by the famous Sewell and Fire Creek seams. He had exhaustive surveys made and a preliminary railroad located from Thurmond to Macdonald. He then secured, by contract with the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad company, the construction of the Dun Loup creek branch for the purpose of developing the Loup creek coal field. This branch railroad was completed in 1893, and the first car of coal was shipped from the mine of the Collins Colliery company, at Glen Jean, on November 7, 1893. Mr. Justus

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Collins, president of that company, was the pioneer operator, and came from the Pocahontas field where he was interested in several operations. Subsequent properties developed in 1893 were Macdonald, Dun Loup, and Turkey Knob, all being on property leased from Mr. McKell.

   In the year 1900, Mr. McKell decided to develop so of his properties himself and organized the McKELL COAL AND COKE COMPANY for this purpose, and during the period from 1900 to 1905, he had the following mines opened: Derryhale, Kilsyth, Oswald, Graham, and Tamroy. More recent mines which the same company has opened are North Kilsyth in 1923, and Siltix in 1924. During normal times the company furnishes employment to from 750 to 800 men.

    In 1896, Mr. McKell built the opera house at Glen Jean from plans of architect, Frank L. Packard, of Columbus, and in 1901 he built the Dun Glen hotel and viaduct at Thurmond. Mr. Thomas G. McKell died at Atlantic City, New Jersey, following a severe attack of pleurisy, on September 22, 1904, at the age of 59 years.

Mr. Thomas Nichol, on completion of the Collins Colliery company plant at Glen Jean, became engineer for Mr. McKell's properties in 1894, continuing in that capacity until 1900, when he opened and equipped the mines developed by McKell Coal and Coke company 1900 to 1905. He served the company successively as superintendent, general manager and

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treasurer until 1916, when he resigned to look after his own interests.

Mr. William McKell took up his residence at Glen Jean in 1893, and after the death of his father, took general charge of the property and the various enterprises connected therewith. He organized the Bank of Glen Jean in 1909 and has been president since organization.

The McKell heirs leased various tracts of land to mining companies and as a result the following mines were opened and operated: Laura, Nichol, Dun Glen, Meadow Fork, Newlyn, DeWitt, Calloway, Lee, Cadle Ridge, Sunset, Cepece, Hitop, Balwood, and Fay-Ral.

The Kanawha, Glen Jean and Eastern railroad, a McKell enterprise, which had been built from Tamroy to Glen Jean, was extended, in 1910, six miles, from Mount Hope to Pax, thereby, making it possible for great many mines on Dun Loup creek to ship their product over the Virginian railway to tidewater. This service embraces not only all the McKell Coal and Coke company mines, but also a number of other mines.

The headquarters of the McKell Coal and Coke company is located at Glen Jean, and the interests of that company are looked after by Mr. W. R. Ballard who is general manager and treasurer.

The New River Company with general offices at Mount Hope, is the largest producer of smokeless coal in the New river coal field. It owns and operates fifteen modern, well-equipped mines, ten of which are located in Fayette county and five in Raleigh county. The company was organized by Colonel Samuel Dixon, who interested eastern capital in an enterprise to purchase and develop certain properties in Fayette and Raleigh counties. The New River Fuel company was organized in 1906 as a result of Mr. Dixon's efforts, and was later succeeded by the present corporation which is known as the New River company, with an authorized capitalization of $18,000,000 divided into 60,000 shares of preferred stock and 120,000 shares of common stock. Mr. Dixon served as president and general manager until he resigned in 1913 to look after private business interests. He was succeeded by Robert H. Gross of Boston, Massachusetts, who is still in charge.

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   Since the organization of the company, the following mines were either purchased or developed from new leases: Macdonald mine at Macdonald, Klondyke mine at Dun Loup, Collins mine at Glen Jean, Harvey mine at Harvey, Great Kanawha mine at Mount Carbon, Eureka mine at Donwood, Lochgelly mine at Stuart, Parrall mine at Summerville, Beech Creek mine at Oakwood and Carlisle mines at Carlisle, Whipple mine at Whipple, Scarbro mine at Scarbro, Wingrove mine at Wingrove, Prosperity mine at Prosperity, Cranberry mine at Cranberry, Skelton Mine at Skelton, Sprague mine at Sprague, Beckley mine at Wickham, Mabscott mine at Mabscott, Price Hill mine at Price Hill, and Sherwood mine at Mount Hope.

   The White Oak railway company was organized to connect up the various mines with the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, as well as with the Deepwater railroad, later known as the Virginian railroad, which was then under construction. A branch line was built from Macdonald to Price Hill to serve Price Hill and Sherwood mines. A branch line was also constructed from Glen Jean to

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Lochgelly, and a connection built from Duncan's crossing to Bishop, to connect with what is now the Virginian railroad. The purpose of the White Oak railway was to eventually reach the Kanawha river, at Deepwater, in order to transport coal via river. A part of the grading on the Wolf creek extension, as this part was known, including the driving of a tunnel, was finished, but the entire project was abandoned. The Paint Creek and Piney River railway was organized which constructed a line from Beckley Junction, on the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, to Prosperity, in order to serve Sprague, Skelton, Cranberry, and Prosperity mines.

The White Oak Coal company was formed to market and sell the output of these various mines under the trademark of "WHITE OAK" New River Smokeless coal and coke, as Macdonald, Collins, Harvey, and Mount Carbon mines produced coke as well as coal. The White Oak Coal company began a very aggressive policy under Mr. Dixon's direction. Large retail yards were either purchased or constructed in Washington, D. C.; Richmond, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Chicago, Illinois, so as to insure a ready market for the output of the mines. Extensive advertising was done, and today the coal is known practically everywhere.

After Mr. Dixon retied as president, Mr. Gross was elected to the presidency, and Col. S. A. Scott, formerly manager of mines for the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company, was given charge as manager of mines and properties. A complete reorganization of the New River company and its subsidiary companies followed when Messrs. Gross and Scott assumed charge. Beech Creek and Sherwood mines were abandoned. Eureka mine was sold. Wingrove mine was consolidated with Scarbro, and all coal is now being taken out of Scarbro, and Wingrove mine was dismantled. The same action was taken at Carlisle which was consolidated with Oakwood and the Carlisle mine was abandoned. The Great Kanawha mine at Mount Carbon was dismantled and abandoned. The coke ovens at all three plants were closed downed and abandoned. The retail yards were immediately disposed of, wherever located; the railroads, bit the White Oak railway, and Piney River and Paint Creek railway were leased, the latter being leased to the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, and the former to the Vir-

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ginian railroad, and later sold outright. Then began a complete reconstruction of the mines and properties. The entire power equipment of the company was scrapped, and replaced quickly as continuous operations would permit. All steam power plants were disposed of, and the mines equipped with modern up-to-date electric equipment, and a contract entered into with the Virginian Power company, to supply power at a rate that represented a very distinct saving. All frame engine rooms and power plants were replaced with fireproof stone, brick and concrete substation buildings and hoisting rooms. Wooden tipples and shaft frame heads were torn down and replaced with steel and concrete structures, with self dumping cages, shaker screen loading booms, etc. The interior of the mines was given a thorough overhauling. New pumps, new motors, miles and miles of steel rail replaced wooden rails, miles of copper wire for trolley and feed line purposes was erected, also new and later type of mining machines installed. The machine and repair shop was enlarged and finally moved to a fine new fireproof building at Mount Hope, where they are now quipped to handle nay repair or erecting job that may arise. A splendid new general office building was erected at Mount Hope, same being completed in 1915, on a site donated by the city of Mount Hope. Later a large warehouse, machine shop and foundry were constructed, which centralized all operating matters. New homes of much better type and design were constructed for the miners, old houses repaired, all yards fenced, electric street lights provided, store buildings erected, churches and schools remodeled, repaired and painted, Amusement buildings were erected, baseball diamonds and children's play grounds provided for, and everything possible done to cater to the welfare of the employes.

Today the mining towns of The New River company are models of their kind. This company was the first in the entire United States to take up a full and complete course in first aid and mine rescue work. They have the distinction of being the first mining company in the United States whose entire force have had individual instruction in the first aid work and each employe holds a first aid certificate. The first aid team of this company won the national championship at Denver, Colorado, and the mine rescue team won the

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national championship at St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the West Virginia state championship at Charleston, West Virginia.

   The great excellence of the coal put out by this company, as shown by the official analysis, has been its own best advertisement, and besides being extensively quoted in government specification, it is in great demand in the New England markets. Off shore points of consumption for this product are Cuba, the Mediterranean, Mexican and South American ports. The Panama Canal Commission, under whose supervision the United States government built the great canal, was a considerable patron of The New River company, and shipments for one year to points along the route of the canal reached a total of one hundred thousand tons.

While the coal mining industry in Fayette county may be said to be yet in its infancy, it has grown and expanded, however, from very small beginnings until now, Fayette is one of the greatest coal producing counties in our Commonwealth, and one which for many years held the primacy in coal production over all the other counties of West Virginia. From the year 1888, the first year for which we have extracted records of coal production, to and including the year 1903, Fayette ranked first of all counties of the state in the production of coal. This county yielded the palm to McDowell in 1904, but held second place in production up to and including 1917. Logan county crowded Fayette county out of second place in 1918 and has ranked second in coal production since that time. Fayette ranked third in coal production from 1918 to 1921, inclusive. Raleigh county moved up to third place in 1922 and held the same record in 1923. Fayette county ranked fourth in coal production in 1922 and 1923.

From the year 1888, when we have our first extracted records of production, up to and including 1923, the output of coal in Fayette county has totaled bout 285 million short tons, and probably about 300 million tons for the county's entire coal history, since her commercial production did not fairly begin until the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad was opened to traffic between Richmond and Huntington, in January 1873.

Based upon R. V. Hennen's field work and surveys, R. C. Tucker of the Survey Staff, has calculated that Fayette originally contained, in round numbers, 72 million short tons of Allegheny

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coal, 2,735 million tons of Kanawha coals, 1,410 million tons of New river coals, and 202 million tons of Pocahontas coals, or a total for the county of 4,420,000 short tons of coal. With an estimated allowance of 20 per cent for loss and waste in mining which would be 884,000,000 tons, there would remain 3,536,000,000 short tons of coal in Fayette county originally available for use. With over 3-1/2 billion short tons originally available there has been approximately 300 million tons, or almost 8-1/2 per cent, of the coal available already taken out. This leaves about 3,236,000,000 short tons of coal yet to be mined and marketed.

The rapid increase in Fayette county's coal production for the past thirty years renders it practically certain that this increase will continue until it attains a maximum of 20 or 25 million tons annually, at which rate it would require a period of only 130 to 160 years to exhaust the same completely. Hence, the rich resources of the purest coals in the world should be carefully husbanded and not destroyed by improvident mining plans as has often occurred in the past.

RECORD OF COAL COMPANIES IN FAYETTE COUNTY IN ORDER
OF COAL PRODUCTION FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1923
WITH OTHER DATA, STATISTICS AND INFORMATION

New River & Pocahontas Consolidated Coal Co.

The New River & Pocahontas Consolidated Coal Company, which produced the greatest tonnage of coal in Fayette county for the year ending June 30, 1923, maintains one office at Minden in Fayetteville district and another at Layland in Quinnimont district, both on branch lines of the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad.  This company operated three mines at Minden known as No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4.  Each has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 feet to 4 ft. 6 in.  These three mines employed 649 men who worked 283 days.  With 48 pick miners and 283 machine miners and output of 543,009 tons of coal was produced.  Fifteen mining machines were used.  The coal was moved by use of twenty-seven locomotives.  Isaac Murray was superintendent at Minden, with George Watkeys, Andrew Easton and Robert Wiltshire as mine foremen.  The Layland mines known as No. 1,2 and 3 have drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in.  These three mines employed 183 men who worked 291 days.  Forty-six pick miners

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and forty-eight machine miners produced 112,612 tons of coal.  Five mining machines were used.  The coal was moved by the use of fourteen locomotives.  O. A. Kneer was superintendent at Layland, and L. J. Nahodil was mine foreman.  The total production of this company was 655, 621 tons of coal.

Kanawha & Hocking Coal & Coke Company

The Kanawha & Hocking Coal & Coke Company, which ranked second in the production of coal and first in the production of coke in Fayette county for the year ending June 30, 1923, maintains an office at Longacre and another at Carbondale, in Falls District, on the K. & M. railroad. This company operated four mines known as Nos. 111, 114, 115, and 116. These mines have drift openings in the No. 2 Gas and Eagle coal beds with thickness of 5 ft. 8 in. to 6 feet. The company employed 716 men who worked 180 days. With 106 pick miners and 316 machine miners an output of 503,765 tons of coal was produced. Twenty-two mining machines were used. The coal was moved by use of twenty-six electric locomotives and thirty-one mules. This company has 537 coke ovens of which number 519 ovens were operated for 186 days employing 101 men with a production of 156,420 tons of coke. J. S. McKeever and Charles Whitlock were mine foremen.

Loop Creek Colliery Company

The Loop Creek Colliery Company, with offices at Beards Fork and Page, in Kanawha district, on the Virginian railroad, operated mines known as Beards Fork North & South, and Loop Creek Nos. 1 and 2. These mines have drift openings in the No. 2 Gas and Eagle coal beds with thickness of 4 feet to 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 584 men who worked 240 days. With 32 pick and 242 machine miners an output of 474,447 tons of coal was produced. Twenty-three mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of two steam and thirty-six electric locomotives. The company reported 505 coke ovens, none of which were in operation. R. G. Stevens was superintendent at Beards Fork, with N. B. Lee and L. H. Arthur as mine foremen. D. S. Dooley was superintendent at Page, with C. C. Hendricks and W. E. Wilson as mine foremen. John R. Taylor is general superintendent of the Loop Creek Colliery Company.

White Oak Fuel Company

The White Oak Fuel Company, with offices at Carlisle, Scarbro, and Whipple, Fayetteville district, on branch lines of the C. & O. railroad, operated three shaft openings known as Oakwood, Scarbro, and Whipple mines. These mines are in the Sewell coal bed with an average thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 633 men who worked 188 days. With 44 pick and 280 machine miners an output of 416,743 tons of coal was produced. Twenty-six machines were used in mining the

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coal which was moved by use of ten mules and forty-seven electric locomotives. R. P. Nicholls was superintendent at Carlisle with Lucian Jones as foreman. Edgar Blackwell was superintendent at Scarbro with John Samuels as foreman. Edward Malone was superintendent at Whipple with Fred Lamb as foreman.

Cannelton Coal & Coke Company

The Cannelton Coal & Coke Company, with offices at Cannelton, in Falls district, on the Kanawha & Michigan railroad, operated four drift mines known as Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5. These mines are in the No. 2 Gas and No. 1 Eagle coal beds with thickness of 4 ft. 2 in to 6 ft. 6 in. The company employed 515 men who worked 116 days. With 183 pick and 78 machine miners and output of 295,998 tons of coal was produced. Twenty-four mining machines were used and the coal was moved by the use of twenty-two mules and nineteen electric locomotives. Ben Davis was superintendent, with William Mulligan, W. T. Hawkes, Bert Evans and Gus Mease as mine foremen.

Kingston Pocahontas Coal Company

The Kingston Pocahontas Coal Company, with offices at Kingston and Westerly, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. railroad, operated mines known as Kingston Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 5, and Westerly Nos. 1 and 2. These are drift openings in the Eagle and Powellton coal beds with thickness of 6 feet to 6 ft. 6 in. The company employed 414 men who worked 102 days. With 69 pick and 150 machine miners an output of 273,272 tons of coal was produced. Ten mining machines and twenty-eight electric locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. F. H. Morton was superintendent at Kingston with B. W. Tygrett and T. V. Simms as foremen. C. H. Sigmon was superintendent at Westerly and W. R. Bayes was mine foreman.

Boomer Coal & Coke Company

The Boomer Coal & Coke Company, with office at Boomer, in Falls district, on the K. M. railroad, operated four drift mines known as No. 2 South, No. 3, and No. 4. These openings are in the No.2 Gas and Eagle coal beds with thickness of 5ft. 6 in. The company employed 424 men who worked 102 days. With 112 pick and 142 machine miners and output of 237, 699 tons of coal was produced. Fourteen machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by the use of forty-four mules and nine electric locomotives. Joe Bell was superintendent, with Ernest Norris, John Long, James Long and James Arthur as mine foremen.

New River Collieries Company

The New River Collieries Company, with office at Sun, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. railroad, operated two mines known as Sun Nos.

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1 and 2, one with slope and the other with shaft opening. These mines are in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 261 men who worked 119 days. With 45 pick and 70 machine miners an output of 201, 749 tons of coal was produced. Eight machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by the use of eleven mules and fourteen electric locomotives. Thomas Morgan, Jr. was superintendent, with W. A. Mills and Criss Hentie as mine foremen.

McKell Coal & Coke Company

The McKell Coal & Coke Company, with offices at Dunloup and Kilsyth in Fayetteville district, on the K. G. J. & E. railroad, operated three drift openings known as Derryhale, Kilsyth, and North Kilsyth mines. These openings are in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 feet to 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 290 men who worked 155 days, With 52 pick and 69 machine miners an output of 190,306 tons of coal was produced. Six machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by the use of fourteen mules and seven electric locomotives. W. R. Ballard was superintendent at Dunloup with S. N. Smith as foreman. C. G. Wood was superintendent at Kilsyth with I. J. Boyd and C. C. Bailes as mine foremen.

Long Branch Coal Company

The Long Branch Coal Company, with office at Long Branch, in Fayetteville district, on the Virginian railroad, operated Long Branch mines Nos. 1 and 2. These are drift openings in the No. 2 Gas and Eagle coal beds with thickness of 6 feet. The company employed 289 men who worked 164 days. With 25 pick and 100 machine miners an output of 184,350 tons of coal was produced. Five machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by the use of thirty mules and nine electric locomotives. C. R. Turner was superintendent and H. L. Hendrickson was mine foreman.

Gauley Mountain Coal Company

The Gauley Mountain Coal Company, with office at Ansted, in Mountain Cove district, and at Jodie, in Falls district, operated drift mines known as Ansted, Buck Run No.1, Rich Creek No. 2, and Rich Creek No. 3, on branch lines of the C. & O. railroad. These mines are in the No. 2 Gas and Big Eagle coal beds with thickness from 4 ft. 5 in. to 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 264 men at Ansted who worked 115 days, and 124 men at Jodie who worked 147 days. With 24 pick and 76 machine miners at Ansted an output of 94,073 tons of coal was produced, while 5 pick and 60 machine miners at Jodie produced 86,122 tons of coal. The total production of coal by the company was 180,195 tons. Twenty-one machines were used by the company in mining this coal which was moved by the use of twenty electric locomotives. This company has 152 coke ovens at Ansted of which number 65 ovens were operated for 193 days

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employing 38 men with a production of 28,066 tons of coke. R. H. Massey was superintendent at Ansted with Oscar Skaggs and A. D. Ferguson as mine foremen. R. R. Kirkpatrick was superintendent at Jodie with E. A. Forloine, Galford Williams and Samuel Simms as mine foremen. R. H. Morris is general superintendent of the Gauley Mountain Coal Company.

Maryland New River Coal Company

The Maryland New River Coal Company, with office at Winona, in Nuttall district, on the C. & O. railroad, operated four drift openings known as Boone, Dubree, Rosedale, and Smokeless mines. These openings are in the Sewell coal bed with thickness averaging 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 244 men who worked 80 days. With 19 pick and 108 machine miners an output of 151,174 tons of coal was produced. Seventeen machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by the use of one steam and eight electric locomotives and twenty-eight mules. J. W. Garvey was superintendent with J. E. Davis, S. S. Sandige, Charles Higgins and W. H. Cross as foremen.

Low Moor Iron Company Of Virginia

The Low Moor Iron Company of Virginia, with office at Kaymoor, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated two drift openings known as Kaymoor No. 1 and Kaymoor No. 2. The mines are in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 feet and 3 ft. 4 in. The company employed 300 men who worked 152 days. With 12 pick and 102 machine miners a total of 143, 503 tons of coal was produced. Nine mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by the use of two mules and 17 electric locomotives. Kaymoor mine No. 1 reported 202 coke ovens, of which number 101 ovens were operated for 283 days employing 25 men with a production of 53,316 tons of coke. J. W. Monteith was superintendent of Kaymoor No. 1, with H. E. Clingman as foreman. A. L. Monteith was superintendent of Kaymoor No. 2, with D. H. Stull as mine foreman.

Indian Run Collieries Company

The Indian Run Collieries Company, with offices at Kimberly and Elk Ridge, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated three drift openings known as Powellton No. 2, Kimberly No. 4, and Columbia No. 5. The coal bed is in the Powellton seam and No. 2 & No. 5 Block, thickness of 4 ft. 8 in. to 6 feet. The company employed 273 men who worked 87 days. The mining was done entirely with machines, 153 machine miners producing a total of 139, 836 tons of coal. Ten mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by the use of 25 mules and ten electric locomotives. W. H. Humphries was superintendent. P. S. Holden was foreman at Elk Ridge, Alfred Brown at Kimberly, and W. W. Gill at Columbia.

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Milburn By-Products Coal Company

The Millburn By-Products Coal Company, with office at Milburn, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated mines known as Nos. 1 and 2, drift opening, thickness 4 ft. 2 in to 6 ft. 7 in. The company employed 170 men who worked 105 days. With 6 pick and 77 machine miners a total of 125,824 tons of coal was produced. Five mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of twelve electric locomotives. P. J. Summers was superintendent, with James Painter and W. T. Wills as foremen.

Ingram Branch Coal Company

The Ingram Branch Coal Company, with office at Ingram Branch, in Kanawha district, on the Virginian R. R., operated the Ingram Branch mine, drift opening in the Eagle coal bed, thickness 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 178 men who worked 144 days. With 12 pick and 60 machine miners a total of 120,750 tons of coal was produced. Two min-

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ing machines were used and the coal was moved by the use of seven electric locomotives. T. F. Smith was superintendent, with A. A. Tucker as mine foreman.

Stuart Colliery Company

The Stuart Colliery Company, with offices at Lochgelly and Summerlee, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. and Virginian R. R., operated two shaft mines known as Lochgelly and Summerlee mines. The mines are in the Sewell coal bed, with thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 305 men who worked 167 days. With 34 pick and 124 machine miners an output of 111,117 tons of coal was produced. Eleven mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of six mules and eight electric locomotives. Charles Thomas was superintendent at Summerlee, with G. F. Scarbro as foreman. Samuel Frye was superintendent at Lochgelly, with Claude S. Decker as mine foreman.

Rock Lick Smokeless Coal Company

The Rock Lick Smokeless Coal Company, with office at Concho, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Rock Lick mine which lies in the Sewell coal bed, with drift opening, thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 197 men who worked 114 days. With 7 pick and 71 machine miners a total of 103,234 tons of coal was produced. Five mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of six mules and eight electric locomotives. J. R. Bailey was superintendent, with James Powell and W. l. Burgess as mine foremen.

Oakland Coal Company

The Oakland Coal Company, with offices at Smithers and Glen Ferris, in Falls district, operated the Glen Falls mine on the K. & M. R. R., and the Crescent No. 1 on the C. & O. R. R. The Glen Falls mine is a drift opening in the No. 2 Gas coal bed with thickness of 5 feet. The Crescent mine is a drift opening in the Mo. 1 Eagle coal bed, thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 248 men who worked 83 days. All coal was produced by machine mining, 125 men producing a total of 99,900 tons of coal. Ten mining machines were used, and the coal moved by use of ten mules and nine electric locomotives. E. L. Mickie was superintendent of the Glen Fall mine, with W. H. Thompson as foreman. W. H. Hutchinson was superintendent of the Crescent mine, with Charles Spencer as foreman.

Sugar Creek Coal Company

The Sugar Creek Coal Company, with office at Mount Hope, in Fayetteville district, operated the Sugar Creek mine, on the C. & O. and Virginian R. R. This mine is in the Sewell coal bed, with drift opening, thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 105 men who worked 108 days. Only pick mining was done, 60 miners producing 97,588 tons of coal. The coal is moved by use of 26 mules, W. L. Sydnor was superintendent, with O. I. Jenkins as mine foreman.

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Turkey Knob Coal Company

The Turkey Knob Coal Company, with office at Turkey Know, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Turkey Knob mine, which is in the Sewell coal bed, with drift opening, thickness of 5 feet. The company employed 165 men who worked 144 days. With 43 pick and 16 machine miners a total of 93,348 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines were used, and the coal moved by use of 22 mules and 7 locomotives. The company reported 100 coke ovens, of which number 94 ovens were in operation 306 days employing 33 men with a production of 22,416 tons of coke, J. G. Thayer was superintendent, with R, M. Odell as mine foreman.

Elkhorn Piney Coal Mining Company

The Elkhorn Piney Coal Mining Company, with office at Powellton, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Powellton mines Nos. 1, 3, 4, and 5. These mines are in the Powellton and Eagle coal bed, with drift opening, thickness from 2 ft. 8 in. to 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 250 men who worked 98 days. Only machine mining was done, 130 miners producing 93,237 tons of coal. Twelve mining machines were used. The coal was moved by use of eleven mules and 8 electric locomotives. Lew Roach was superintendent, with A. F. Gearhart, T. P. Shabdue, and C. C. Parker as mine foremen.

West Virginia Eagle Coal Company

West Virginia Eagle Coal Company, with office at Boncar, In Falls District, on the K. & M. R. R., operated drift mines known as Nos. 1 and 2, in the Eagle and No. 2 Gas coal bed, with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. to 8 feet. The company employed 131 men who worked 197 days. Only machine mining was done, 85 miners producing 90,893 tons of coal. Three mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of six electric locomotives. J. W. Warren was superintendent, with Thomas Birt and J. B. Kuhn as mine foremen.

Harvey Coal & Coke Company

The Harvey Coal & Coke Company, with office at Harvey, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Harvey mine in the Sewell coal bed, with drift opening, thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 150 men who worked 128 days. With 44 pick and 42 machine miners, a total of 89,136 tons of coal was produced. Five mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of 38 mules and 7 electric locomotives. H. N. Meade was superintendent, with W. H. Morris as mine foreman.

Babcock Coal & Coke Company

The Babcock Coal & Coke Company, with offices at Landisburg and Cliff Top, in Sewell mountain district, operated drift mines on the Manns creek railroad which branches off the C. & O. R. R. at Sewell.

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The mines are known as Cliff Top Nos. 3, 4, and 7, and Landisburg mines. The Cliff Top mines are in the Sewell coal bed while the Landisburg mine is in the Fire Creek coal bed. The thickness is 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 135 men who worked 297 days. With 25 pick and 20 machine miners, a total of 83,434 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of four mules and three locomotives. The company reported 193 coke ovens, of which number 188 were in operation for 305 days employing 53 men with a production of 47, 189 tons of coke. C. L. Hensley was superintendent, with C. C. Meeks, L. E. Herndon, and J. T. Kincaid as mine foremen.

Scotia Coal & Coke Company

The Scotia Coal & Coke Company, with offices at Finlow and Rush Run, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated drift mines known as Brooklyn and Rush Run. The Brooklyn mine is in the Sewell coal bed with a thickness of 4 feet. The Rush Run mine is in the Fire Creek coal bed with a thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 125 men who worked 97 days. Only machine mining was done, 60 miners producing 81,179 tons of coal. Four mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by use of eight electric locomotives. W. J. Benkiser was superintendent of the Brooklyn mine, with J. L. Pannell as foreman. G. H. Caperton, Jr. was superintendent of the Rush Run mine, with W. E. Morton as foreman.

Greenwood Coal Company

The Greenwood Coal Company, with office at Lawton, in Quinnimont district, on a branch line of the C. & O. R. R., operated a drift opening known as the Greenwood mine, in the Fire Creek coal bed, thickness 3 ft. 10 in. The company employed 146 men who worked 102 days. With 24 pick and 64 machine miners working an output of 77,491 tons of coal was produced. Three mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by nine locomotives. A. D. Lawton was superintendent, with S. W. Amick and H. H. Hicks as mine foremen.

New River Export Smokeless Coal Company

The New River Export Smokeless Coal Company, with offices at Lookout, in Nuttall district, on Keeneys Creek branch of the C. & O. R. R., operated mines known as Blume and Lookout, in the Sewell coal bed, thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. Another office at Fayette, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Michigan mine, a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed, with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 190 men who worked 119 days. Only machine mining was done, 82 miners producing a total of 78,849 tons of coal. Thirteen mining machines were used, and the coal was moved by the use of twenty mules and five locomotives. W. R. Herndon was superintendent at Lookout, with J. G. Robinson and Robert Hanna as foremen. A. R. Jones was superintendent at Fayette, with A. Jones as mine foreman.

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American Rolling Mills Company

The American Rolling Mills Company, with office at Marting, in Falls district, on the K. & M. R. R., operated the Marting and Big Creek mines which have drift openings in the No. 2 Gas coal bed, thickness 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 149 men who worked 165 days. With 18 pick and 67 machine miners, an output of 74,569 tons of coal was produced. Nine mining machines were used and the coal moved by use of four mules and five locomotives. J. J. Pennington was superintendent, with Earl Casto as foreman.

Branch Coal & Coke Company

The Branch Coal & Coke Company, with office at Elverton, in Fayetteville district, C. & O. railroad, operated the Elverton mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 108 men who worked 170 days. With 4 pick and 48 machine miners an output of 71,829 tons of coal was produced. Five mining machines and eight locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. The company has 58 covens of which number 57 ovens were in operation for 308 days employing 16 men with a production of 14,775 tons of coke. J. H. Allen was superintendent and J. H. Ballinger was mine foreman.

Prudence Coal Company

The Prudence Coal Company, with office at Prudence, in Fayetteville district, C. & O. railroad, operated the Prudence mine which has a drift opening the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 121 men who worked 122 days. With 20 pick and 38 machine miners an output of 69,335 tons of coal was produced. Nine machines used in mining the coal which was moved by use of thirty mules and four locomotives. L. C. Simpson was superintendent and W. F. Cheek was mine foreman.

The Star Coal & Coke Company

The Star Coal & Coke Company, with office at Red Star, in Fayetteville district, C. & O. railroad, operated the Star mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 feet. The company employed 126 men who worked 88 days. With 38 pick and 23 machine miners an output of 66,735 tons of coal was produced. Two machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by use of twenty mules and three locomotives. John Whitehead was superintendent with Emmett Lively and James Devine as mine foremen.

Coal Run Coal Company

The Coal Run Coal Company, with office at Cunard, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Cunard mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 feet. The com-

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pany employed 96 men who worked 132 days. With 2 pick and 72 machine miners and output of 63,330 tons of coal was produced. Two machines and eleven locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. C. L. Garvin was superintendent and Aaron Richmond was mine foreman.

Lee Coal Company

The Lee Coal Company, with office at Mount Hope, in Fayetteville district, K. G. J. & E. railroad, operated the Lee mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 76 men who worked 171 days. Only machine mining was done, twenty-five miners producing 63,019 tons of coal. Two machines and five locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. F. F. Pitt was superintendent and Elmer Whitt was mine foreman.

Lick Fork Collieries Company

The Lick Fork Collieries Company, with office at Lick Fork, in Fayetteville district, on the Virginian railroad, operated the Lick Fork mines Nos. 1 and 2, which have drift openings in the No. 2 Gas and Big Eagle coal beds with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. to 7 ft. 6 in. The company employed 91 men who worked 83 days. With 5 pick and 50 machine miners an output of 62,740 tons of coal was produced. Three machines and fourteen mules were used in mining and moving the coal. Joseph Roncaglione was superintendent and Edward Saunders was mine foreman.

Midvale Colliery Company

The Midvale Colliery Company, with office at Gamoca, in Falls district, on the C. & O. railroad, operated the Midvale mine which has a drift opening in the No. 5 Splint coal bed with thickness of 6 feet. The company employed 110 men who worked 89 days. Only machine mining was done, sixty miners producing 61,990 tons of coal. Four machines, eight mules and three locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. T. A. Deitz was superintendent and J. C. Grissinger was mine foreman.

Cadle Ridge Coal Company

The Cadle Ridge Coal Company, with office at Thurmond, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Cadle Ridge mines Nos. 2, 3, and 4 which have drift openings in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 2 in. The company employed 87 men who worked 116 days. With 8 pick and 40 machine miners an output of 57,919 tons of coal was produced. Two machines, two locomotives and twelve mules were used in mining and moving the coal. E. J. Casey was superintendent and R. J. Morton was foreman.

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Ephraim Creek Coal & Coke Company

The Ephraim Creek Coal & Coke Company, with office at Thayer, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Buffalo and Slater mines which have drift openings in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 7 in. The company employed 121 men who worked 135 days. With 6 pick and 44 machine miners an output of 57,353 tons of coal was produced. Five machines and fourteen locomotives were used in the mining and moving of the coal. C. E. Rollyson was superintendent and J. H. Carter was foreman.

Beechwood Coal & Coke Company

The Beechwood Coal & Coke Company, with office at Claremont, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. railroad., operated the Beechwood mines Nos. 1 and 2 which have drift openings in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 106 men who worked 208 days. With 30 pick and 34 machine miners an output of 57,344 tons of coal was produced. Two machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by the use of two locomotives and twenty mules. C. L. Garvin was superintendent and W. W. Capps was mine foreman.

Nichol Colliery Company

The Nichol Colliery Company, with office at Glen Jean, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Nichol mine which has slope opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 73 men who worked 132 days. With 32 pick and 7 machine miners an output of 56,366 tons of coal was produced. One mining machine and six locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. J. F. Hinton was superintendent, and R. W. Withrow was mine foreman.

Dunn Loop Coal & Coke Company

The Dunn Loop Coal & Coke Company, with office at Dunn Loop, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Dunn loop mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 63 men who worked 149 days. Only pick mining was done, 32 miners producing 54, 930 tons of coal. One mining machine, five locomotives and eight mules were used in mining and moving the coal. W. S. Fink was superintendent, with John Thompson as mine foreman.

Christian Colliery Company

The Christian Colliery Company, with office at Mahan, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated a drift mine known as No. 1 which is in the Eagle coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 4 in. The company employed 143 men who worked 85 days. With 46 pick and 34 machine miners an output of 54,066 tons of coal was produced. Five mining

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machines and seven locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. F. L. Grisby was superintendent, and Robert Flint was mine foreman.

Dorkent Coal Company

The Dorkent Coal Company, with office at Bellwood, in Quinnimont district, on the Sewell Valley R. R., operated Bellwood mines Nos. 1, 2 and 3. These mine have drift opening in the Pocahontas No. 3 coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 99 men who worked 124 days. With 23 pick and 30 machine miners an output of 49,899 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines, three locomotives and eight mules wee used in mining and moving the coal. Joseph Roncaglione was superintendent, and John Mees was mine foreman.

Weewin Coal Company

The Weewin Coal Company, with office at Thurmond, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Weewin mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness 4 feet. The company employed 42 men who worked 225 days. Only machine mining was done, 25 miners producing 47,313 tons of coal. One mining machine and two locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. E. M. Houseknecht and mine foreman.

Collins Colliery Company

The Collins Colliery Company, with office at Glen Jean, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Collins mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 71 men who worked 134 days. With 29 pick and 10 machine miners an output of 46,669 tons of coal was produced. Five mining machines, three locomotives and twenty-one mules were used in mining and moving the coal. R. J. Holmes was superintendent, and Stanley Farr was foreman.

Hemlock Hollow Coal & Coke Company

The Hemlock Hollow Coal & Coke Company, with office at Lawton, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Hemlock mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 4 in. The company employed 52 men who worked 184 days. With 24 pick and 7 machine miners an output of 43,728 tons of coal was produced. Three mining machines and five locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. J. H. Dempsey was superintendent, and O. C. Wiseman was mine foreman.

Quinnimont Coal Company

The Quinnimont Coal Company, with office at Lawton, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Big "Q" mine which has a

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drift opening in the Fire creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 8 in. The company employed 94 men who worked 100 days. With 18 pick and 43 machine miners an output of 42,944 tons of coal was produced. Three mining machines, three locomotives and nine mules were used in mining and moving the coal. J. S. Davenport was superintendent, and G. A. Campbell was mine foreman.

Beelick Knob Coal Company

The Beelick Knob Coal Company, with office at Meadow Bridge, in Quinnimont district, on the Sewell Valley R. R., operated the Beelick Knob mine which has a drift opening in the Pocahontas No. 6 coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 74 men who worked 81 days. Only machine mining was done,42 miners producing 40,159 tons of coal. Three mining machines and four locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. F. B. Thompson was superintendent and J. H. Johnson was mine foreman.

Deitz Colliery Company

The Deitz Colliery Company, with office at Wyndal, in Falls district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Deitz mine which has a drift opening in the No. 5 Splint coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 77 men who worked 90 days. Only machine mining was done, 40 miners producing 39, 487 tons of coal. Three mining machines, two locomotives and six mules were used in the mining and moving of the coal. T. A. Deitz was superintendent, and L. D. Moran was mine foreman.

Dunedin Coal Company, Inc.

The Dunedin Coal Company, with office at Concho, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Dunedin mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 48 men who worked 200 days. Only machine mining was done, 30 miners producing 39, 187 tons of coal. Two mining machines and two locomotives were used in the mining and moving of the coal. Gilbert Smith was superintendent, and H. F. Tell was mine foreman.

Laurel Creek Coal Company

The Laurel Creek Coal Company, with office at Laurel Creek, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Laurel mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thick ness of 4 feet. The company employed 51 men who worked 105 days. With 20 pick and 10 machine miners an output of 38,212 tons of coal was produced. One mining machine and five locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. W. E. Lawton was superintendent, and E. A. Groves was mine foreman.

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Stover Coal Company

The Stover Coal Company, with office at Nuttallburg, operated the Brown mine in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R. This mine has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 8 in. The company employed 71 men who worked 134 days. With 3 pick and 26 machine miners an output of 36,863 tons of coal was produced. Five mining machines, five locomotives and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. George Darlington was superintendent, and George Rosamond was foreman.

South Side Coal Company

The South Side Coal Company, with office at Mincar, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the South Side mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 8 in. The company employed 68 men who worked 88 days. Only machine mining was done, 32 miners producing 36, 539 tons of coal. Three mining machines and four locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. F. E. Brown was superintendent, with Richard Martin and W. W. Statts as mine foremen.

The Stone Cliff Collieries Company

The Stone Cliff Collieries Company, with office at Stone Cliff, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Stone Cliff mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 feet. The company employed 49 men who worked 195 days. With 10 pick and 20 machine miners an output of 35,459 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines, five locomotives and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. C. R. Wilson was superintendent, and G. D. McDaniel was mine foreman.

Lynchburg Colliery Company

The Lynchburg Colliery Company, with office at Vanetta, in Falls district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Lynchburg mine which has a drift opening in the No. 2 Gas coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 66 men who worked 83 days. Only machine mining was done, 32 miners producing 34, 958 tons of coal. Three mining machines, five mules and one locomotive were used in mining and moving the coal. T. A. Deitz was superintendent, and B. F. Murphy was mine foreman.

Macdonald Colliery Company

The Macdonald Colliery Company, with office at Macdonald, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Macdonald mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 3 in. The company employed 48 men who worked 122 days. Only pick mining was done, 31 miners producing 33,363 tons of coal. Two locomo-

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tives and twenty mules were used in moving the coal. W. S. Fink was superintendent, and George Stevens was mine foreman.

Willis Branch Coal Company

The Willis Branch Coal Company, with office at Willis Branch, in Fayetteville district, on the Virginian R. R., operated Willis Branch mine which has a drift opening in the Alma coal bed with thickness of 6 feet. The company employed 129 men who worked 53 days. With 40 pick and 25 machine miners an output of 33,307 tons of coal was produced. One machine was used for mining the coal which was moved by use of seven mules and five locomotives. W. H. O'Neal was superintendent and William Warner was mine foreman.

Fire Creek Coal & Coke Company

The Fire Creek Coal & Coke Company, with office at Fire Creek, in Sewell Mountain district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Fire Creek mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 4 in. The company employed 62 men who worked 203 days. Only pick mining was done, twenty-eight miners producing 32,642 tons of coal. One locomotive and four mules were used in moving the coal. The company has 70 coke ovens of which number 64 ovens were operated for 203 days employing 16 men with a production of 4,791 tons of coke. R. L. Murphy was superintendent and J. Higginbotham was mine foreman.

Meadow Fork Fuel Company

The Meadow Fork Fuel Company, with office at Newlyn, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Meadow Fork mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 4 in. The company employed 45 men who worked 147 days. With 12 pick and 15 machine miners an output of 30,934 tons of coal was produced. One machine, two locomotives and six mules were used in mining and moving the coal. W. C. Thompson was superintendent and E. T. Lilly was mine foreman.

Mill Creek Colliery Company

The Mill Creek Colliery Company, with office at Ansted, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Mill Creek mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 feet. The company employed 60 men who worked 160 days.  Only Machine mining was done, thirty-five miners producing 30, 013 tons of coal. Four machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by use of two locomotives and eight mules. W. H. Evans was superintendent and A. R, Russell was mine foreman.

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Ajax Coal Company

The Ajax Coal Company, with office at Fayette, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Ajax mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 feet. The company employed 68 men who worked 166 days. Only machine mining was done, thirty-eight miners producing 29,593 tons of coal. Three machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by use of two locomotives and six mules. Aaron Carver was superintendent and G. H. Disney was mine foreman.

Export Coal Company

The Export Coal Company, with office at Export, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Export mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 to 4 feet. The company employed 65 men who worked 174 days. With 7 pick and 33 machine miners an output of 27,598 tons of coal was produced. One machine was used in mining the coal which was moved by use of one locomotive and six mules. A. O. B. Hogue was superintendent and Frank Ewing was mine foreman.

Signal Knob Coal Company

The Signal Knob Coal Company, with office at Ansted, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated Signal Knob mine which has a drift opening in the No. 2 Gas coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 3 in. The company employed 60 men who worked 100 days. With 5 pick and 30 machine miners an output of 23,600 tons of coal was produced. Two machines were used in mining the coal which was moved by use of two locomotives and eight mules. W. H. Evans was superintendent and R. A. Forloine was mine foreman.

Simms Branch Coal Company

The Simms Branch Coal Company, with office at Longacre, in Falls district, on the K. & M. R. R., operated a drift mine known as No. 1 which is in the No. 2 Gas coal bed with thickness of 5 feet. The company employed 19 men who worked 240 days, with 4 pick and 8 machine miners an output of 23,475 tons of coal was produced. One mining machine and three mules were used in mining and moving the coal. W. T. Martin was superintendent and mine foreman.

Echo Smokeless Coal Company

The Echo Smokeless Coal Company, with office at Beury, in Sewell Mountain district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Echo mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 2 in. The company employed 50 men who worked 192 days. With 10 pick and 16 machine miners an output of 21,407 tons of coal was produced.

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mining machine, one locomotive and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. H. B. Clarkson was superintendent, and T. C. Atkinson was mine foreman.

Fayette Gas Coal Company

The Fayette Gas Coal Company, with office at Krebs, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Krebs mine which has a drift opening in the Eagle coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed 54 men who worked 56 days. Only machine mining was done, 30 miners producing 20, 690 tons of coal. Three mining machines and three locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal.  W. J. Warwick was superintendent, and G. W. Hensley was mine foreman.

Ballinger Coal Company

The Ballinger Coal Company, with office at Winona, in Nuttall district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated Ballinger mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 51 men who worked 127 days. With 8 pick and 21 machine miners an output of 20,514 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines, five mules, one steam and one electric locomotive wee used in mining and moving the coal. George Holland was superintendent, and James Nelson was foreman.

Aileen Creek Coal Company

The Aileen Creek Coal Company, with office at Keeney's Creek, in Nuttall district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Aileen mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 2 in. The company employed 47 men who worked 153 days. With 6 pick and 25 machine miners an output of 19,692 tons of coal was produced. Three mining machines, one locomotive and five mules were used in mining and moving the coal. W. H. McDaniel was superintendent and mine foreman.

Sewell Smokeless Coal Company

The Sewell Smokeless Coal Company, with office at Caperton, in Quinnimont district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Sewell mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 40 men who worked 199 days. With 8 pick and 18 machine miners an output of 19,349 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines, two locomotives and three mules were used in mining and moving the coal. W. R. Cobb was superintendent and mine foreman.

Elmo Mining Company

The Elmo Mining Company, with office at Elmo, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Elmo mine which has a drift

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opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 2 ft. 8 in. The company employed 55 men who worked 131 days. Only machine mining was done, 55 miners producing 19,005 tons of coal. Four mining machines, three locomotives and five mules were used in the mining and moving the coal. Daniel K. Flynn was superintendent, with Herman Dews as mine foreman.

Atlantic Coal & Iron Company

The Atlantic coal & Iron Company, with office at Bachman, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Bachman mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 44 men who worked 75 days. Only machine mining was done, 17 miners producing 16,957 tons of coal. Four mining machines, two locomotives and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. J. W. Garvey was superintendent, and E. H. Turner was mine foreman.

Packs Branch Coal Company

The Packs Branch Coal Company, with office at Pax, in Fayetteville district, on the K. G. J. & E R. R., operated the Packs Branch mine which has a drift opening in the Eagle coal bed with thickness of 4 feet. The company employed 31 men who worked 180 days. With 5 pick and 8 machine miners an output of 16,750 tons of coal was produced. One mining machine, two locomotives and eight mules were used in mining and moving the coal. A. J. O'Neal was superintendent, and Frank Williams was mine foreman.

DeWitt Fuel Company

The DeWitt Fuel Company, with office at Harvey, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the DeWitt mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed 29 men who worked 159 days. Only pick mining was done, 18 miners producing 16,745 tons of coal. Fifteen mules were used in moving the coal. W. I. McPheeters was superintendent, and J. Clapperton, Jr. was foreman.

V. S. Veazey

V. S. Veazey, with office at Glen Jean, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Veazey mine which has a shaft opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 ft 2 in. Twenty-seven men were employed and the mine was in operation for one hundred days. Only pick mining was done, twenty-six miners producing 14,400 tons of coal. One steam locomotive and six mules were used in moving the coal. V. S. Veazey was superintendent, and E. M. Ryan was mine foreman.

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Bob Coal Company

The Bob Coal Company, with office at Mount Hope, in Fayetteville district, on the Virginian R. R., operated the Bob mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 6 in. The company employed nine men who worked 282 days. Only pick mining was done, eight miners producing 14,141 tons of coal. Two mules were used in moving the coal. O. I. Jenkins was superintendent and mine foreman.

Alpine Coal Company

The Alpine Coal Company, with office at Eagle, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Edgewater mines Nos. 2 and 5, which have drift openings in the No. 2 Gas and No. 5 Block coal bed, with thickness of 4 ft. 8 in and 6 ft. 6 in. The company employed 84 men who worked 60 days. With 25 pick and 25 machine miners an output of 12,390 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines, two locomotives and twelve mules were used in mining and moving the coal. R. S. Long was superintendent, with M. C. Maynard and A. B. Hudson as mine foremen.

Fay-Ral Coal Company

The Fay-Ral Coal Company, with office at Kilsyth, in Fayetteville district, on the K. G. J. & E R. R., operated the Fay-Ral mine which has a slope opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 6 in. The company employed sixteen men who worked 180 days. With 2 pick and 7 machine miners an output of 11,312 tons of coal was produced. One mining machine, three locomotives and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. C. P. Calloway was superintendent, and R. M. Ramsey was mine foreman.

Newlyn Coal Company

The Newlyn Coal Company, with office at Newlyn, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Newlyn mine which has a drift opening in the Fire Creek coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 4 in. The company employed twenty-six men who worked 264 days. Only pick mining was done, twenty miners producing 10,975 tons of coal. Two locomotives were used in moving the coal. H. P. Thomas was superintendent and mine foreman.

Beckley Coal Mining Company

The Beckley Coal Mining Company, with office at Meadow Bridge, In Quinnimont district, on the Sewell Valley R. R., operated the Keeley mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 feet. The company employed twenty-three men who worked 145 days. Only machine mining was done, twelve miners producing 10,948 tons of coal. One mining machine, one locomotive and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. A. B. Reese was superintendent and mine foreman.

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SUNSET MINING COMPANY

The Sunset Mining Company, with office at Sun, in Fayetteville district, on the K. G. J. & E R. R., operated the Sunset mine which has a slope opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 ft. 2 in. The company employed fifteen men who worked 120 days. Only pick mining was done, ten miners producing 10, 382 tons of coal. Four mules were used in moving the coal. Charles Ash was superintendent, and John Dower was mine foreman.

EAGLE COAL COMPANY

The Eagle Coal Company, with office at Montgomery, in Kanawha district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Black Eagle mine which has a drift opening in the Eagle coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed twelve men who worked 95 days. With 5 pick and 2 machine miners and output of 10, 337 tons of coal was produced. Two mining machines and four mules were used in mining and moving the coal. Archie McKinney was superintendent and mine foreman.

FORDSON COAL COMPANY

The Fordson Coal Company, with office at Nuttallburg, in Nuttall district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Nuttall mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 ft. 6 in. The company employed 125 men who worked 52 days. Only machine mining was done, forty-five miners producing 9,522 tons of coal. Seven mining machines and eight locomotives were used in mining and moving the coal. C. S. White was superintendent, and J. H. Bowyer was mine foreman. This mine is owned by Henry Ford & Son, of Detroit, Michigan.

MOUNT HOPE FUEL COMPANY

The Mount Hope Fuel Company, with office at Mount Hope, in Fayetteville district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Mount Hope mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 4 ft. 8 in. The company employed fourteen men who worked 160 days. Only pick mining was done, nine miners producing 9, 223 tons of coal. Four mules were used in moving the coal. P. C. Garney was superintendent and Thomas Evans was mine foreman.

E. G. BLUME COAL COMPANY

The E. G. Blume Coal Company, with office at Fayette, in Mountain Cove district, on the C. & O. R. R., operated the Fayette mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 3 feet. The company employed twenty-three men who worked 130 days. With 8 pick and 8 machine miners an output of 8,850 tons of coal was produced. One mining machine, one locomotive and two mules were used in mining and moving the coal. E. G. Blume was superintendent and L. D. Miller was mine foreman.

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Balwood Coal Company

The Balwood Coal Company, with office at Glen Jean, in Fayetteville district, on the K. G. J. & E railroad, operated the Balwood mine which has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of 5 feet. The company employed fourteen men who worked 135 days. Only pick mining was done, ten miners producing 8,403 tons of coal. One mule was used in moving the coal. W. R. Ballard was superintendent and G. C. Stone was foreman.

Thomas Smokeless Coal Company

The Thomas Smokeless Coal Company, with office at Morganette, in