The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-02-05
GEOLOGY OF WEST VIRGINIA.
!MoRaANTowN, WEST VIRGINIA,
l EebrnarV 1863

At the time of the establishment of
our Agricultural College, at Morgan
town, much was appropriately said re-
specting the attractions of the locality.
the faculty, &C.; and the inquiry now
Is, how is the College progressing2 I
can say, that every department ap-
pears to be moving on, like noiseless
machine, withouta jar. The COLLEGE.
having made such favorable com.
mencement, should have its efficiency
increased by all possible acquisitions.
Having frequently seen strong solicit
tations, through the medium of the
papers, by other installations, for addi-
t1ons to their IMMORAL cabinets, be-
lleve that immediate attention to this
subject, in the case of our own College,
is highly important. I therefore suggest
the proprtetys of the Legislatures
taking action on this matter at once by
making an appropriation for thorough
geological survey of the State; and for
collecting specimens of all the differ
ent minerals in the State into our Col
lege cabinet. This would be a grand
and valuable acquisition to our College.
Not only so, but the financial interests
of the State would also be greatly ad-
vanced by proper development of its
minereral resources; especially, in view
ofthe very apparent fact, that the wealth
OF our State consist mainly in
its minerals. Besides, after properly
developing all our mineral resources.
we could see, at once, to what points
we should direct our public i'm
Provements. will here state
ton would be sufficient to se-
cure a survey of the. State; because,
as we believe, our State is already more
completely Reologized than any other
State in the Union. This can be shown
by geological map or chart. In order
to have such chart completely sys-
tematized5 it is necessary only to make
q few, sections across the State. Then
the geology of the whole State would
be shown by fine painted sketch from
twenty to twenty-five feet long, suited
to the dimensions of our ca binet room,
and showing the centre OF the great
coal basin, with some four thousand to
four thousand five hundred feet of stra-
Ia, at the centre; with the undu-
latiOns, inclinRtions and out groupings
of these strata, from the mouth Of Big
Sandy, on the West, to Harper's Fer
ry, on the East. Such q delineation of
the geology of our State might thus be
made, as would show every stratum
worthy of note-coal, ores, limestone,
fire clays, fertilizers, paints, oil bearing
strata, salt bearing rocks, &C.; and all
these would be shown In their relative
positions to each other, with their sew
eral distances apart, and their out-crop-
pings at each end, or on any line that
may be run from the centre. Speci-
mems being collected from each end,
East and West, could readily be COM
pared; the specimens, and also the map,
being so numbered that it could he seen,
at once, whence each specimen
was taken. Such map would also
show not only the outcroppings, but
also the parallel courses of the differ
ent strata, in all their undulations, to
n a nd foo
hundred feet. This work being accom-
plished, our College would have more
effective attractions,i in this respect, than
any other in the land; and have no
doubt that the best theoretical and
practical geologists In the States, might
come and receive from it lessons of in
structton. By this means, moreover,
the College would be enabled to send
forth its graduates not only theoretical
but also practical geologists, able to
take the field and perform practical
service at once. 41f
Why are so many millions ofdollars
spent in boring wells and sinking
shafts, without success2 All for the
want of practical geological knowledge.
Much more might be said, showing
the propriety of immediate action
in this matter, but will conclude by
saying, that the knowledge already at
tanned on this subject should not be
lost to the State, when, for a few thou
sand dollars, at most, the]whole matter
could be shown by practical demon
stration. And If the Legislature should
manifest favorable disposition in the
matter, the person from whom this
knowledge can be obtained, will ap-
pear before them and explain, by means
of rough sketch, all that is necessary
to show the truth and importance of
what 1 have stated, and also give some-
thing near the probable cost of the
work proposed. The Legislature is
referred, for further information, if
they should desire it, to the Faculty of
the Agricultural College.
,.. A CITIZEN OF MoRaANTowN.