CUMBERLAND, Ohio, May 20, 1999 -- American Electric Power's Central Ohio Coal Co. announced today the 220-cubic-yard bucket of the company's historic Big Muskie dragline will be preserved as a monument to the men and women who worked the mines of southeastern Ohio. The bucket will become the centerpiece of a display that will tell visitors about the Big Muskie, surface mining and reclamation in the area. The display is viewed as an appropriate way to memorialize the men and women who helped mine and reclaim the area. AEP announced in January that Big Muskie would be dismantled and the site reclaimed to meet the company's state and federal mining permit requirements. The demolition continues. The machine's massive boom was taken down Thursday. AEP applauds Franklin Conaway, David Cater and the Byesville Area Community Development Corporation, local county commissioners, the Historical Construction Equipment Association and others for their efforts to save Big Muskie. Despite their efforts and tireless energy, sufficient time and funds were not available to overcome the difficulties associated with AEP's long-term legal liability to the land and the machine. AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West Corp., a public utility holding company based in Dallas.