Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-12-31

!
i Charlottesville Advocate, a very interesting ed,
| itorial letter dated at the Salines, in Kanawha
county. The editor has been spending some
| time looking through the county, and his CLEAN,
ings are very Interesting to all Western Virgin,
iaas or to that portion of them who believe and
I hope that Western Virginia has the resources
within herself to enable her to take the stand po
iitically and commercially, which the anti-im-
provement policy of our State legislature has
denied her. These undevcloped resources oil
Western Virginia are, each day, attracting the
attention of Eastern capitalists, and notwith-
standing all the fogy lamentations of the Rich,
mond Enquirer, and kindred prints, about col
onizing our State with enterprising Northern
men, the day is at hand when Western Virginia
will find thatit is to her true interest to welcome
these hardy, intelligent cmigrants, whose pick
axes, shovels and school systems have made
their native States great industrial empires:
Here, within the lrnge of twenty miles, are
located the famous Salt Wells of kanawha, yet
scarcely worked to anything like their full &C.
vclOpcment. Hero, along the very banks of the
kanawha, Elk and Coal rivers, lie deep and in
eXhaustable veins Of bituninous and camel
coal unsurpassed for variety and richness by
the coal mines of Pennsylvania or Of England.
Why have they not been extensively worked ?
Why does not Camel coal of Kanawha fill the
coal yards Of Alexandria and Richmond aud
thence TO New York, become the successful com
pe:itor of the Lehigh and Cumberland coal, thus
enriching Virginia and making our Atlantic
coasts tue coal yards Of the Union? Already
is the coal from this Valley filling the markets
of Cincinnati and Louisville. Even under all
the disadvantages of an uncertain and cxpen-
INn nF flNn II.
know that it can be carried by Rairond to Cow
ngton and thence by Canal to I4ynchburg, Rich
mond Petersburg, Norfolk and all intermediate
points, and sold there ut less price than is now
commanded by the coal of Pennsylvania Why
is all this: The answer is easily given. 1t is
because Virginia is so foolish, SO very suicidal
in her policy of internal improvements.
We have made some enquiries into the statis-
tics of the Salt and the Coal business of kanaw-
ha and will give our readers Il mere outline of
the facts. There are in the kanawha Valley,
commencing about . miles above Charleston and
extending some twenty miles up the river some
eighty or hundred Salt Wells The quantity
OF Salt annually made is about two millions and
quarter of bushels The Salt business is, and
has been for some years under the control OF 81
Joint Stock Company. This Company for the
purpose of limiting the supply of Salt and in or
der TO prevent ruinouS competition in the sales
OF Salt, have rented many Wells which they
throw idle, and have contracted to purchase the
Salt made 10y individual enterprise, at n fixed
price, Iii cents the buShcl The same Company
is generally the purchaser of all Salt manui;lc-
tured near Pomcroy, Ohio. For all purposes
connected with curing OF bacon and beef the
hnnawha is worth vastly more than any Salt in
our market. The Salt Of tie New York Wells
is a strong competitor in the Western markets
Vast quantities of money have been made in the
business in this country; but owing to the great
fi,,,, ,,ct
Satl"n and the cost of operation, very few have
left the business in as prosperous condition as
they entered
The Coal wealth of Kanawha is beyond all
computation. In extent of mines, in variety of
kinds and i'll favorable locations for mining and
tranSPortatiOnS there are no coal mines in the
Union equal to them. The coal fields are prin-
cipally owned by wealthy New York and Eng
liStl Companies who are willing to cxpcnd vast
sums OF money in developing their resources.
The best specimens of Canned and hituminous
coal are to he found upon Coal and Elk rivers.
Knowing the deep interest which these coal
companies-Somc lG or % in number-havc in
this section, one is not therefore surprised in the
streets ofCharlcSton or on the banks of the IA
nawha, the many intelligent and fine looking
men of New York and England, whom we have
met with during our stay here. The salaries
pad the agents OF these companies average about
$4,000 per annum, thus securing the best geo.
logical and mining talents for the controlling at.
lars oil the respective companies. The best of
coal is delivered in Charleston at cents the
bushel. Would not our friends in Charlottcs-
willie like to get such coal ut even 30 cents the
hushcl:
At StOckton'S mines of Camel coal-a WEIGH
corruption of L.tadIe, so called because u fire
made Of this coal is so bright as to do away with
the necessity of candlcS-about 20 miles above
Charleston, operations have been commenced
far tI1Fn r,E
version of this coal into oil and the residuum
into candies y ton Of coal will make 40 gal
Ions of oil at Il cost of rs cents the gallon The
rcsiduutn, after making the oil is made into a
beautiful candle OF the color OF clear WAY. The
Oil thus made is very far superior in briIIiancy
and other qualities toany material ever yet used
for lights
The population dependent directly and indi-
rectly upon the Salt and Coal operations Of Ka-
nawha cannot fall far short of seven or eight
thousand. Maiden, business town Of some
importance, located some five miles above
Charleston, has been entirely built up by the
Salt business. Every thing else in Kanawha
has been so completely lost sight OF, that until
within n few years past little or no attention
was bestowed upon the pursuits of agriculture
The rich allnvial valleys OF those rivers and the
fertile hill lands were not made to produce grain
enough to supply the home demand. y differ
cnt order OF things now exist. Instead of bring
ing Hour and bacon from Cincinnati, the county
supplies its own demand and ships large guam
titles down the river
a letter writer in Washington, says:
Some fun was had this week over the election
of Chaplain. Strange subject to have fun over;
but such was the fact. remember few years
ago, when Petit, of Indiana, was in the House,
he always contrivcd to have some jokes out OF
50 pious matter. Last year the Rev. Daniel
Waldo, an aged man of revolutionary merit and