Bethlehem Plans Big Pike Mine
Jenkins, Ky., Oct. 25—The giant Bethlehem Mines Corporation, one of the three largest mining firms in Eastern Kentucky-announced plans here Friday for developing a “multimillion dollar” underground coal mining and preparation plant in southwestern Pike County. The modern plant and mine will be located on a 1,150-acre tract of land on Pigeon Fork of Elkhorn Creek within nine miles of Jenkins, in Letcher County. Announcement of the new operation was made by D. A. Zegeer, Jenkins, superintendent of the Elkhorn division of Bethlehem mines.
Few Details Disclosed
No details of production and employment were disclosed by the company. Bethlehem Mining Corporation is a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Company. The mining firm operates three mines along the borders of Pike and Letcher counties in the vicinity of Jenkins. It employs around 800 miners. Zegeer said the new mine, to be known as Bethlehem Pike No. 26, will begin operations soon.
Coal To Become Coke
It will produce a metallurgical coal that can be reduced to coke for the production of iron, presumably at the parent company’s blast furnaces in Baltimore, Buffalo, and Bethlehem, Pa.
Announcement of the new mine had been expected here since earlier this year when the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway started construction of a five-mile, $4,000,000 spur from Jenkins to the mine site.
One of the features of the new plant will be a railroad yard capable of handling 240 cars,
Zegeer said. The yard will include six parallel tracks, each a little more than a third of a mile long.
Beth-Elkhorn Mines No. 25, Portal No.1 & No.2 was located in the Fireclay Seam on Cassell’s Fork of Marrowbone; just East of Beth-Elkhorn Preparation and Loadout located the Pigeon Br. of Elkhorn Creek. The Fireclay Coal Seam is formally known as Flatwoods Coal Seam originally surveyed and named by A.R. Crandall with the Kentucky Geological Survey.
Belt line feeding from top of the mountain from the No.25 mine.
The Construction of Beth-Elkhorn Mine No. 26
Mine Number 26 was located in the Upper Elkhorn No. 2 Seam
Beth-Elkhorn Mine 26 would eventually have 3 Mine Portals in the
Upper Elkhorn No.2 Coal Seam on Pigeon Creek of Elkhorn Creek
Beth-Elkhorn Mine No. 26L was located just up the hollow from Preparation Plant on Pigeon Creek in the Lower Elkhorn Coal Seam. Formally known as No.24 but later changed to No. 26L
Portal Area for Beth-Elkhorn Mine 26L
Beth-Elkhorn Corporation Mine No. 29 A was located on the Rob Fork of Caney Creek, mining the Upper Elkhorn No. 2 Coal Seam
