Coal Age Magazine - For nearly 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.
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1911-1919 world," Consolidated had built the town of Jenkins in Letcher County to help support the mines in the area. The drift mines in the area accessed the 7- to 13-ft Elkhorn Seam. Jenkins was built to be a large and perma- nent town. In addition to homes, churches, schools and other buildings, Consolidated constructed a "large auditorium seating 500 people for entertainments of all kinds. Moving-picture shows are run regularly during the week. Two bowling alleys and four pool tables are in constant use, and there is also a newsstand, soda fountain, barber shop and showerbaths." In 1913, Coal Age described the growing Harlan County coalfields. First accessed by rail in 1907 by a predecessor of the Louisville & Nashville (presently CSX), at the time the Harlan seam, the lowest that was commer- cially workable and most regularly occur- ring was primarily sought after. But other operators including those of the Wisconsin Steel Co. in Benham were going after the Kellioka, Wallins Creek and Looney seams too. Hall wrote that Wisconsin Steels' mines were "by far the most important in the county" and would be for many decades to come. Another large company town, Benham, was in the process of getting its own YMCA and large hotel. But near town, "all the coal is converted into coke for which purpose they have built 300 ovens of the beehive type, a breaker equipped with two crushers and flight conveyors driven by motors. All of the coke made in the county at present goes to the steel plants to the Wisconsin Steel Co. at South Chicago." Equipped with "an excellent reputation," the district's coal found ready markets over the L&N; to the north and west, and the Southern Railway to the east and south. Likewise, when the well-engineered Virginian Railway was constructed west from Sewell's Point—just across from Norfolk—through the Blue Ridge moun- tains more than 400 miles through a 40 mile gap between two already constructed com- peting railroads, the Virginian line was able to access some of the richest coalfields of southern West Virginia. Now just a section of today's Norfolk Southern, the Virginian opened up vast fields of 14,800 to 15,300 Btu/lb coal "which heat value is not excelled by any variety of anthracite or bituminous coal in any country." Constructed to ultra-modern standards by owner and railroad builder Henry H. 36 www.coalage.com 100th Anniversary Special Issue August 2012