The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1865-06-14

here with good success and fine quality
Of tobacco may also be raised in this
State. But labor, intelligent and patient
labor, is needed for the production of all
these things. Our population is INSULT.
cicnt and must be increased from with.
out unless We are willing to lag behind
our sister States in the march Of i'm.
provement and wealth..
But, rich US are the agricultural 70.
sources Of our State, they DO not, con
stituto the only. nor chief advantages
which it affords. Our mineral wealth is
even greater than that of the soil. Vast
beds of coal underic all our hills. In =.
mensc deposits of valuable iron orc are
found in many localities, and veins OF
rarer and more precious metals have been
found within our limits. Salt is already
produced, in large quantities, from nu.
mcrous wells, and by her immense yield
Of petroleum West Virginia has fairly
merited the title Of ",he Oil State" In
this last respect, VIC may challenge the
rivalry Of the world. In every county
in West Virginia where wells have been
sunk for that purpose, oil has been OBJ.
tanned. Thousands of wells have
already been bored, and VIC havo yet to
hear of q single we'll being sunk in this
State, in which some quantity of pctro.
leum has not been obtained. The sup.
ply seems inexhaustiblc, for while the
wells IN the Pennsylvania oil region are
diminishing the volume Of their product,
those in this State arc generally incrcas.
ing. 1t is estimated that two thousand
wells ore being sunk in West Virginia
at the present time, aud still there is
room, and oil, for thousands more. New
discoveries arc being made daily, and
tend to demonstrate the fact that almost
the entire area Of the State may bc con.
sidercd good oil territory"
The region Of the Little Kanawha
river and its tributaries seems desti6cd
to. become the richest oil region yet dis.
covered on the continent. Already, in
the ncishborhood Of Burning Springs,
more oil has been produced than in the
samc circumference in Pennsylvania or
Ohio, and there is good reason to believe
that the territory on both sides Of the
river, from its source TO It's. mouth, will
eventually prove as productive as the
small portion that has been already dc.
yc!opcd. Among the streams Of West
Eirsiuia whose valleys promise immcdi.
a;c and certain reward to the oil seeker.
may be mentioned the Great kanawha,
Elk, Sandy and hughes rivers and their
tributaries, On either side.
Blu; it is almost useless to specify 10.
calItics. Oil may be obtained in greater
or less quantities, by greater or less dif.
Gculty and expense. in nearly every
portion Of the State. We need money
for the development Of this and our
other great mineral wealth. We need
money to mine our coal and take i, to
market; money TO dig ores from our
mountains, and build furnaces for the
production Of metal money to bore
wells for petroleum and pump up oil
enough to supply the commerce OF the
world. Capital judiciously invested in
the prosecution Of either Of these pur.
suits in West Virginia cannot fail to
bring to its owner Il large and constant
reward. The State is just starting upon
a career of uncxamplcd prosperity, and
offers rare inducements to those who will
cultivate her soil and those who will dc.
veop her hidden wealth.