The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., August 01, 1925, Page 16, Image 16

AUGUST 1925
THE UNITED AMERICAN
Page Sixteen
was aided by his reputation. He organized needed, and the majority stockholders of Warfield, Kentucky, and runs on to
a fifty thousand dollar corporation and wanted Himler to raise it. Himler now Himlerville. The engine whistle shrieks,
went down to West Virginia with a group saw that they meant to use the coopera­ and the sirens of the great power -house
of stockholders. There they bought a tives as a catspaw, and declared that he wail a welcome. There are cheers and
little mine near Ajax on the Norfolk and would not put up another penny unless happy smiles. The train halts, and the
Western Railroad, and tested the cooper­ he was given full control of the bridge. crowds pile off. Frank Demjen, Hun­
ative principle for the first time. The The majority stockholders refused, know­ garian, plays Old Kentucky Home on a
principle was found good enough-, but not ing well that control of the bridge meant cornet, solus. It is the big moment....”
The “great power house” marked an
the property. So they sold it and crossed control of the 40,000 acres of Martin
County coal and timber lands. Himler achievement very similar in its evolu­
the Tug River into Kentucky.
Himler’s following grew now to the stood his ground. Work on the bridge tion to that of the bridge itself. While
impressive number of 1,400. The capital stopped. The land owners surrendered. the difficulties of bridge construction
was increased to $500,000; and the Himler bought their interest outright, were at their -height, Himler opened
The co­ negotiations with the local power com­
Himler Coal Company, incorporated and resumed construction.
under the laws of West Virginia, leased operatives now were absolute owners of pany for a supply of electricity. The
a property of 3,000 acres near Warfield, the key to the future of the whole region. company is controlled by resident coal
It took $300,000. and twenty-two operators of the district and they were
in Martin County, opposite Kermit, West
Virginia, which was the railroad terminal. months to complete the bridge, instead naturally not over-anxious to help out
their new competitor. Still terms were
There was plenty of coal on the pro­ of the $150,000 and ten months of the proffered. The company demanded from
original
estimates.
Every
penny
of
the
perty; nevertheless the investment looked,
Himler an advance of $60,000 to improve
in the beginning, very much like a white amount represented the investment of its equipment. Himler agreed to pay
elephant. The Hungarian pioneers had the Hungarian cooperatives. But com­ it, but stipulated that the contract had
to do everything from the bottom up. pleted it was in * 1921.
* *
to be filled within a certain length of
They had to install machinery, bore the
May 21, 1921, was a great day in the time. Weeks passed, -and he was in­
shaft and construct the slope; they had
formed that arrangements could not be
to build houses for themselves, to put history of Martin County. Under an completed by the date set. Himler at
in a water system. And the nearest eight-column front page streamer reading once broke off negotiations and proceeded
railroad station, Kermit, was two miles Vast Coal and Timber Land Opened, the to erect .his own power plant. He had
away. Not very far, by Interborough Huntington (West Virginia) Herald- no cash—the bridge absorbed every
Rapid Transit standards. But in those Dispatch described the event with typical penny.
An associate suggested the
two miles between Kermit and Himler- American dash:
construction
of a small power house at
“
The
gates
of
Martin
County,
Ken
­
ville, as the Hungarians called their new
a
cost
of
$20,000.
settlement, lay the unbridged Tug River, tucky, locked for countless ages, were
am not building for the present,
and a long stretch of Kentucky mud. thrown wide today, when a train of two but “I for
the future,” was his chracteristic
coaches,
gaily
bedecked
and
crowded
with
Pieces of machinery weighing between ten
answer.
small plant would become
and twenty tons had to be carried across men, women and children in holiday inadequate A within
or three years.
the river on floats, dragged by horses dress entered. The special train with Money was dug up two
and
a power plant,
Daniel
Elmer
Hewit,
Huntington
lumber
across the trackless mire. Thousands of
with
every
piece
of
machinery
in dupli­
tons of concrete had to be hauled in the baron, at the throttle, and Martin Himler cate for emergencies, was erected
at an
same way. In early spring, with ice wielding the fireman’s shovel, made expense of $150,000.
drifting down the river, and the roads, history for eastern Kentucky. It was
Up to July 1921 the capital of the
such as they were, transformed into a the first standard gauge train to roll concern
represented 5,000 shares of $100
muddy sea by the melting snow, it took upon Martin County soil.
“Thousands of acres of untouched coal each, held by 1,500 individual stock­
six weeks for an exceptionally heavy
Himler himself holds- but 2 or
piece to cover that distance of two miles. and timber lands lie within the gates holders.
cent of the shares; the rest is held
The colonists saw that their problem which were unlocked for the first time 3 by per
in such small lots that no less
was above everything else one of com­ today, awaiting the magic touch of than miners
450
individual
holders of the largest
capital
harnessed
to
industry
....
Behind
munications; that their investment was
are necessary to form a majority of
worthless unless Martin County was the remarkable development of the huge lots
connected with the outside world. What project involving construction of a great 51 per cent. A board of eleven directors
elected by the yearly convention. With
was needed was a steel and concrete steal bridge and a railroad by private is.
bridge across the Tug River, which would capital, lies an notable story of individual the exception of Himler, president,
secure an extension of the Norfolk and vision.... A guiding genuis in the tre­ ■general manager -and mine superinten­
Western Railroad into Martin County. mendous enterprise is Martin Himler, dent, and Eugene. Lang, a young Hun­
It was estimated that the bridge would a native of Hungary, but long a natural­ garian business man working for a
cost $150,000 and could be completed ized American citizen, who has organized salary, who is secretary and treasurer,
within ten months. Coal land owners the first workable cooperative coal the directors are all common miners. The
of Martin County underwrote most of mining company in America, if not in net receipts are divided in three equal
the amount; the Hungarian cooperatives the world.... The announcement made parts. One part is issued as a dividend
subscribed $20,000. Four months passed. by Himler that the bridge would never on the 5,000 shares. The second part
The mine of the Himler Company was be used for selfish purposes, but, together is paid out as a bonus to the miners who
opened in the meantime. Then the with the railroad, would be devoted to are actually employed at Himlerville. At
' engineers discovered a bed of quicksand the public use for the development of present they number 120—mostly stock­
eighteen feet below the bottom of the the tremendous resources of Martin holders, naturally, and from five to ten
river. Only by boring to a depth of County, was held the most important newcomers are added weekly from a long
from thirty to forty feet could they development of the day’s celebration.... waiting list of stockholders. The bonus is
“Today’s celebration was unique in issued in equal portions regardless of the
reach the. rock. Estimates rose to ■
$200,000; the cooperatives accordingly many particulars. The two-car train, number of shares held by individuals. The
raised their subscription to $45,000. decked with garlands and flags and third part is joined to the reserve capital.
When the convention of the coopera­
Further physical difficulties developed. laden with holiday crowds, leaves the
The, majority stockholders of the Kermit- little settlement of Kermit (on the West tives met in July, 1921, at Himlerville, and
Warfield Bridge Company, the corpora­ Virginia side) amid cheers of such Himler rendered -account of his steward­
tion organized by the coal land owners, multitudes as are able to gather on the ship, the 600 delegates representing
declared they could not increase their slopes.... A great bridge is approached. 2,975 votes unanimously raised the
contribution, and asked Himler to advance It is THE bridge, the only bridge in the capital of $500,000 to $2,000,000, and
cash. Himler met the contingency by world as far as Kermit and Martin decided on the opening of two new mines,
borrowing $125,000 on twelve-year bonds County folk care.... It is the gateway in addition to the one then in operation.
In addition to the 3,000 acres originally
mortgaged on the bridge. But it soon of the hopes of thousands of people....
“The train enters the famous village leased options are held by the coopera-
appeared that another $100,000 was