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                                                           OMB APPROVAL
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                                                  OMB Number           3235-0104
                                                  Expires:    September 30, 1998
                                                  Estimated average burden
                                                  hours per response ....... 0.5
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                     U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                     FORM 4

                  STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

    Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
       Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
               Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

[  ] Check this box if no longer subject of Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5
     obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*

 Hunt                           Douglas                 H.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (Last)                           (First)             (Middle)

3900 Thanksgiving Tower, 1601 Elm Street
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    (Street)

Dallas                               Texas               75201
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   (City)                           (State)              (Zip)


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2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol

     Arch Coal, Inc. (ACI)

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3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)


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4. Statement for Month/Year

     12/1997
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5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)


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6. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer
   (Check all applicable)

   [ x ]   Director                             [   ]   10% Owner
   [   ]   Officer (give title below)           [   ]   Other (specify below)



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7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check applicable line)

   [x ] Form filed by one Reporting Person
   [  ] Form filed by more than one Reporting Person



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           Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of,
                             or Beneficially Owned
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6. 4. 5. Owner- Securities Acquired (A) or Amount of ship 3. Disposed of (D) Securities Form: 7. Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Direct Nature of 2. Code ------------------------------- Owned at End (D) or Indirect 1. Transaction (Instr. 8) (A) of Month Indirect Beneficial Title of Security Date ------------ Amount or Price (Instr. 3 (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) Code V (D) and 4) (Instr.4) (Instr. 4) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock 12/4/1997 P 500.00 A $26.25 500.00 D - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================================================================================
* If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see Instruction 4(b)(v). Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. Page 1 of 2 FORM 4 (continued) Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) ================================================================================
9. 10. Number Owner- of ship 2. Deriv- of Conver- 5. 7. ative Deriv- 11. sion Number of Title and Amount Secur- ative Nature of Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ities Secur- of Exer- 4. Securities Date Securities Price Bene- ity: In- cise 3. Trans- Acquired (A) Exercisable and (Instr. 3 and 4) of ficially Direct direct Price Trans- action or Disposed Expiration Date ---------------- Deriv- Owned (D) or Bene- 1. of action Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative at End In- ficial Title of Deriv- Date (Instr. (Instr. 3, ---------------- or Secur- of direct Owner- Derivative ative (Month/ 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity Month (I) ship Security Secur- Day/ ------ ------------ Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. 3) ity Year) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ====================================================================================================================================
Explanation of Responses: /s/ Miriam Rogers Singer January 7, 1997 - --------------------------------------------- ----------------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date Miriam Rogers Singer, for Douglas H. Hunt ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedures. Alternatively, this Form is permitted to be submitted to the Commission in electronic format at the option of the reporting person pursuant to ruke 101(b)(4) of Regulatiob S-T.
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