The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-09-13
The Valley Of the Kanawha.

verScd by the Chesapeake and ONO rail-
road, is the richest on this continent. It's
coal measures arc unsurpassed for their
extent, and the quality of the coal de-
posted in them is superior to any we have
ever seen. and not excelled By any yet
discovered.
Besides the coal are the ine1haustibie
salt wells, and the petroleum, that lies yet
lower down under the salt deposites' ana
from which it is supposed arises the gas
that in some Of the kanawha salt "oFhs
supplies the fame that boils down the
water to salt, and also lights up the WORKS
at night. Besides these, again, are the iron
ore and other mineral deposites of value,
the first being found in vast abundance.
The limestone formation prevails in the
larger part Of the Valley, whose soil IS
rich and exceedingly productive, whether
we regard the small valleys, the lofty
hills, or even the mountainous. The
forests are dense, and include some of the
very finest timber for house building, ship
building. heavy work Of all kinds, and for
slaves. SC. The white pine, which is
abundant, will make an extensive busl'
ness.
The Kanawha coal measures embrace
an area of $4,000 square miles. Inc coaI
on the Kanawha river is the best yet ais
covered for smelling iron, for CRATES, ana
Whatever.
better. can be mined cheaper and at less
risk to life and property than any coal yet
discovered. This coal lies in strata OF from
two to fourteen feet in thickness, ana IS
found 500 feet below the water and rises
500 feet above it. The mining for centu-
rios need not 20 beneath the water, but
the mines being pierced from the water
mark and worked inwards and upwards,
the miner encounters no water and IS no.
in danger from the inflammable Vapors
which in other mines have destroyed so
much life and property. AS these mlnes'
with this sort of working, extend for nearly
a hundred miles along the route OF the
Cbesapeake and Ohio railroad, the reader
may imagine with what ease the cars may
be loaded. and with what uncXampled
facility this vast coal trade may be con-
Quoted.
Transported by a road whose sharpeSt
grade over the Allegheny mountains is
twentynine and half feet to the mile, we
NAV suppose that it will convey to Covlng-
ton an amount Of freight in coal that what
is now called the Central railroad Will ma
il difficult to take away. But here the
James River canal comes to its relief. and
can easily transport everything that the
Central road cannot or prefers not TO re-
move. This coal must come to Richmond;
and here will be established vast coal
dcp6t, whose annual receipt will soon
reach a million of tons. The camel coal
has been selling in New York at $40 to
S2j per ton. 1t can be delivered here al
81 TO So. A steam vessel may carry Its
fuel at sea in camel coal for twice the
distance that it can in any other.
With such an amount Of fuel, and with
the immense supply Of iron ore that will
be afforded by the mines along the canal
and road from the kanawha to this city,
we can see that with the aid Of ordinary
enterprise Richmond must become one OF
the largest iron manufacturing towns IN
the United States.
Immediately below the coal measures
lies the salt, and biologists say under the
salt is the petroleum. OF the last-namcd
the extent is not known. The petro-
lcum operations in many parts of north
ern West Virginia and Pennsylvania
have come to an end with sad losses; but
in kanawha there are other interests 50
much superior to it that no great con-
sideration has been given to it.
OF the soil of this wonderful valley the
statistics of the Census Bureau furnish the
poorest idea. The want of market mas
greatly restrained the operations OF larn'
ing, and enterprise has been chiefly ol'
rected to salt and coal. The forest still
covers the great bulk of the land. Ever
in the most billy and broken part, the
moment the forest is removed the olue
grass appears, and discloses the hnes'
grazing lands. The crops produced II
some fields would astonish our people. A
friend of ours has this year beheld the
crop of corn in field from which CHARLIE:
LEwIs's men plucked roasting ears or
their way to the battle with the Indians al
Point Pleasant in l774-ninety-o years
ago-and although, from reliable tradition
it has been in corn every gear since then, II
will now average from sirty to Serent.
bushels per acre, and it is not good corn
year in that locality! There were other
fields in the same region that had been
cultivated in corn for sixty and seventy
years successfully, and in some OF them
100 bushels to the acre is not an uncom-
mon yield.
This is the picture of the lower Kama
wha. Higher up-Fayette county, for in
stance, which is called poor-there are
fields Of tobacco the present year that can
be surpassed by none in Eastern Virginia,
and the corn crops, whether in valley or
ON hill, are worthy of the richest lands in
old Virginia. Grass grows everywhere,
furnishing excellent grazing. One of the
most obseryant men We know says that
this poorest county of the kanawha valley
is better than three out Of four of Eastern
Virginia for all the purposes of produc-