The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-08-23
ElI1 River---Its minerals, J, etc. e..
Editors InteMgeaeer: % gsHs.!5

-I III
This riyer empties into the, Great Ka-.
nRwha at Charleston, and next to that
river IS the largest in West Virginia.
To Clay Court House from its moTItli is
titty miles. The fnIl in the river to that
place IS two feet per mile. The railroad
chnrtered 10 connect with the Baltimore
and Ohio road by way of Elk river at
or near Grnfton, Will be of grade of
some three and one-haIf feet per milo.
from Braxton. Court House to Charles
ton, a distance of some ninety miles
and connecting with the Ohio at Bie|
Sandy, brings Baltimore nearer to Cin7,
einnatt by perhaps one hundred miles
than any other route.
bituminous, sphnt, cannel coal and
eannel coal shale. of inexhaustible
quantity and superior quality abound
in the county of Clay and the upper
part of kanaYhn county, Immediately
in the river bluffs, The carmel coaII
yeln, however, hero us elsewhere, pre-
Seven miles from Charleston, on Mil
creek, two coal oil factories are in OPP
ser2Hon. The one owned by the Messrs.
i3lhtoli, and now operated with ffftY
retortsi Yields, Us j am credibly .infofiIi=
ed, N net profitsq $50 900 per annum for
the crude oil, these gentlemen selling the 4
oil IN the crude state. They are now
putting up fifty additional retorts. The
other factory ON u more extended scale,
IS worked by n Boston company at n
large profit. The next well defined
camel, or oil bearing coal, is on FALL
ing Rock creek, sixteen miles above
CharleStoH, Here was erected, and in
operation up to 1901, tho most eXtensiyel
oil factory in the West, mt u cost ofl
some Sl5O,000. This property has re-
Gently changed hands, and the mnnu-
tacture of oil is about to BIO resumed on
u large scale: The oil nom these Goals,
and particularly the latter, is of Yery
superior quality. The next camel coal |
IS twenty-five miles from Charleston,
near Qneensholc, known as the RootI
vein. A company has been formed for
the manufacture of oil here. The next |
We'll defined camel, or oil bearing coaI. |
IS Mt Clay Court House. This vein
Yields very superior oil, md is exten-I
slye s.sIl IN deposit, being, opened Tor 3}z
miles Mt intervals on both sides of the /
river, and above and below Clay Court |
House. The yield of oil per bushel is |
about that of the Failing Rock coal. |
which 1t also resembles in quality. But |
1t has this advantage over all other coal |
OILS known to the writer, to wit: Ton
per. cent. less of tar and twenty per
cent. less than some coal oils. The oil |
is also tluid and stands mt 30 nt n tenn
perature of 600. In addition to these
camel coal veins, others doubtless eN-
ist, and viii be defined, and are said to |
crop out at other places.
But am combining myself to those
seen and examined. Several superior
bltuminous and splint Veins have been
opened in various places on and near
the river in the upper part of Kama
wha and throughout the county of CLAY
say frQm Queenshole to the BraNton
county line, some 40 miles. Among
them foot Yein,. known as the Pier
son vein, s milos below CLAY Court
House; a . foot vein, known as the
Salisbury vein, 3 miles below, and a o
foot Yein-the Summers Vein-I mile
below and y mile above Clay Court
House. These three veins, known TO
exist from miles above to 10 miles be-
low Clay Court House, lie in regular
strnta, one above tue other, separated
by from 40 to 90 feet sand stone. Be-
sides these, many other superior veins
and perhaps the same, have been
opened Mt various places on and near
the river from Queenshole to Clay
Court House.
The oil or petroleum indications from
Sandy Creek, so miles below, to some
80 miles above Clay Court House, are
numerous and distinct Among others
the river bubbles with gas i'll sundry
places TO such an extent as to attract
the most casual observer. The gas on
miles above Clay Court, House, has
been known TO take fire from fisher
mems torches. Other surface indica-
tions are numerous. Iron ore can bel
seen along the river bluffs i'll many
plnces. The river affords fine naViga-
ton for all purposes eonnecfed with thel
manufilcture and shipment of oil in
bouts, &c., for 100 miles, but for com
mercial uses needs Improvement, which
could be .had at small cost. .NIAToR,
4 Parkersburg, Aug. II, 1865. T.,
y. S.-The Falling Rock Oil Works
have been recently purchased by a.
New York capitalist. The camel coal
yein ut 4, 2nesnshole is owned by w. II.
Rand, Charleston, KanUwhH. The Gan-
mel coal at Clay Court House, OH the
north side of tho river, is owned by
Jno. s, Swami, Charleston, KnnaEvhn
On the south sideby VIM, II. Edwards,
New York. The Pierson vein is owned
by the heirs of David Pierson, Clay
county. The Salisbury vein Is owned
by j. Salisbury, Clay Court House. The
Summers vein, on the north side of the
river, is owned by Jno. S., Swami.
South side by Vim. II. Edwards. The
lands in this vicinity are owned byVa-I
rtous persons. ".
THE MIGHTY FALbEN.-A correspon-
dent writing from Huntsville, Ala,
gives the following interesting account
of the Clay family, of which @. c. Clay,
jf., is the most prominent member just
now. It illustrates very forcibly the
effects of secession
u have occupied, since my arrival
here, q large and pleasant second. floor,
front room, in the dwelling house of
Gov. G. @. Clay, father of the notorious
rebel bearing the same name. In the
year of our Lord 1860, the Clays, OF
Huntsville, Ala, were the autocrats of
all they surveyed. They possessed
wealth, influence, power and rank.
Yankeeism covered before their impe-
rious Will. A brother of G. O., jr., at
that time edited n paper here, and de-
manded the warfare of the black flag
TO the Union armies. The Canada cut