Matewan Question

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

The following is from Prince's Norfolk & Western Railway -  Pocahontas
Coal Carrier -- and remember, I'm only the  messenger.
 
P. 51 - "F.J. Kimball, in reporting the progress of constructing the  Ohio
           Extension,  mentioned that Hatfield Bend of Tug Fork (located
           between  Matewan and Sprigg, WVa., about 7 1/2 miles east of
           Williamson),  consisting of a great sweep of the river, several 
miles
           around, was  the worse place on the Ohio Extension.  It was the
           center of the  Hatfield-McCoy feud.  There has been so much law-
           lessness  and shooting that we have found it almost impossible to
           get good men  to work.  To avoid winding the railroad around this 
long
           bend of the  Tug that eventually returns to the opposite side of 
the
           mountain, only  1300 feet away, the track of the Ohio Extension was
           constructed  to pass from West Virginia over a bridge into 
Kentucky.
           In that state  it passed through 800 ft. Hatfield Tunnel, to then 
recross
           Tug Fork on  another bridge back into West Virginia.   This route 
is
           still  used by the N&W Ry. 85* years later, although  
double-tracked   
           and is the  only point of the main line entering the state of 
Kentucky.
 
Incidentally, the bore that has natural lining is rigged with a cave-in  
detector.
 
                                                              Harry Bundy
*  Prince's book was copyrighted in 1980, so 85 years earlier would  have made
   it 1895 or so.
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