xt7kh12v6014_392 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kh12v6014/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kh12v6014/data/2008ms006.dao.xml Benham Coal Mines. (Benham, Ky.) 151.0 Cubic feet 302 Boxes The Benham Coal Company records (151 cubic feet, 302 Boxes; dated 1911-1973) focus primarily on the early years of Benham Coal through the 1940s, including office files, Employee Benefits Association records, files on accidents and safety, and photographs. archival material English University of Kentucky This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed.  Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically.  Physical rights are retained by the owning repository.  Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws.  For information about permissions to reproduce or publish, contact the Special Collections Research Center. Benham Coal Company Records African American coal miners--Kentucky--Harlan County Coal miners--Kentucky--Harlan County Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region--History. Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Benham--History Company towns--Kentucky--Benham General Correspondence text General Correspondence 2015 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kh12v6014/data/2008ms006/2008ms006_35/2008ms006_35_1/28706/28706.pdf 1911 1911 1911 section false xt7kh12v6014_392 xt7kh12v6014 - x . , ·\
h.554—THAF?KC HATTQBS,
Poor Fork—Benhem. December 8,l91l.
Mr. L. 1. Smith, Brd V.?.,
Louisville & Nashville R.h.,
Louisville, Ky.
Deer Sir:— A
This will ecknowledge your letter of the fifth instent.
The Superintendent of our operations et Benhem is here end
I have just hed n conference with him end Er. Perkins, President
of the Tisconsin Steel Company.
There seems to be some misunderstanding on the pert of your
` Superintendent regarding the service needed end performed. For example,
your passenger trein, of course, will be of no meteriel benefit to
f /-us, ns you stete, in handling our construction materiel, though te
J/f" are thoroughly epprecietive of the lute chenge which will permit
J interested perties to come to Benhem, trsnssctybusiness for en hour
and get ewey on your trein the sums dey. We iske it for grented e
I little leter on when the track is in good shape you cen well lengthen
this ley-over in Benhwn, which will be en edventege to us end those
with whom we do business.
dow, the freight trein service works poorly for us. The trsin
leevcs Benhem in the morning and comes beck there in the evening, which
meens that during the entire dey we ure without any service between
Benhsm end Woor Fork so fer ss our construction materiel is concerned,
end it is because of this our people heve been eshing for end insist-
ing upon e treckege errengement.
The five doller charge for the heul between Foor Fork end Benhsm
when the service is performed by our engine will be entirely sotis—
foctory to ws end we ere very appreciative of your extending the
courtesy to} us.
How, on the question of this $5.oc rate; our Sup't. edvises that
this rote es nemed by your Bup't. simply epplied to handling of logs
end stone from severel smell docks we hed constructed elongside of or
right neer your side trucks et Benhnm proper, meaning e service of
probebly helf u mile ut the outside, end our people neturully felt
thet with our own engine performing the work, for this amount of
service over your truck five dollers nes s high rete. I believe you
will sgree with this; certainly with e five dollur rate to Foor Fork
we should be entitled to {2.50 et least for the traffic we ere new
referring to. -
In connection with your complaint regarding the amount of business
we have furnished you so for having been very disappointing; you could
herdly expect us to do very much business except in construction
materiel und supplies. As our understending with your Compeny clearly
stipulates, we were to be given twelve months time between the comple-
tion of your Railroad end the beginning of our shipping of coke. To
‘ I

 -2-k.554:AHS.l2[B[ll. ,_ .·_
show you that we are carrying out our part of this agreement I em
pleased to advise we will begin coke shipments from the Bonham
operations very shortly after the beginning of the new year. Some
of the ovens alreeuy have fire in them and about the first of the
year there will be e battery of at least sixty ready for operetion,
so you will note we ure really enticipating by o number of months
our actual understanding with you. However, we ere very sorry that
the traffic up to this time has been disappointing but you must agree
with us that it woe unavoidable because we coule not possibly have
anything much to ehip until the coke ovens were completed, except
probably cool.
Nom, the question of coal is o live one sith ue one no ure cxceel-
imgly anxious you shoulo establish coal rates from Bonham bo points
on your Line as for South oe Atlanta, one to points in the southeast
emo southwest. These rates should bc as our other rates are on en
couel basis with Big Stone Gap. Z&#ii4.ri»/
In smother communication we are also asking you for rotes on coal
from Bonham to north of the Uhio Eivor points, Lhicago imcluoed. our
people anticipate their ability to move between fiftyA&nd one humoral
thousand tons of coal in the next twelve months if me can got the
freighr rates we are osking for. We would like to heve those retcs
established without delay because there is cool elroouy sveiluble
. t}i&=.’G we 0oul