The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-07-02
WHEELING WEST VA, THURSDAY MORNING, JULY q 1874

Sreek, WHICH ClAlWH ll6 largest pAft
GAuly Mountain, to cross over 10 th
Gsuly K. Cos. main enterprise, the Goa
mine and railroad at Hawks Nest. Il will
some day bela very important stream
The lumber upon 1t q magnificent. Fo
six or seven miles we wound gently up
wards, and as we got away from the river
where the bottoms had been Q good dca
culled and cultivated, we passed under |
succession Of magnificent poplsrs, syca'
mores and beeches; up on the hill side
the oaks came In with hickory, walnut
ash, the Inns and other wood; at the sum-
mits are red and chestnut oaks, chestnutI
and small pines. My Canadian was very
much pleased with the show, and won.
dered, as indeed any one might, why witt
two logging operations upon It, and mil
at It's mouth Q serViceable wooden tran
road has not been put up this creek bot
tom, which Is 90 admirably suited for Il
However, I believe that county and Bar
Der will soon put one up. There are sev
eral fine openings OF coal upon Rich
Greek, made simply to prove its existence
which they have done most satisfactorily
The seams Of bituminous spllnt and can
mel coal Shew very fine promise, both as
TO thickness and quality for future devel-
opments.
Very little Of the land upon Gauley
Mountain remains in the hands Of Its anti
r. R owners. Col. Tompkins, Of Rich
mond, still OWLS q large slice, but the resi-
has been bought by Messrs. Norris, Faut
and Taylor, Of Baltimore, Washington
and Alexandria; MIR. Cantley, lately Of
England, now Of Lewisburg; Major Jed
HotchkiSs, Of staunton, Va; The Gauley.
KanawhA Co; Gen. Gilmour, q. s. En-
glReer; and another English Co. Is In the
treaty for buying o fine tract Of 5000
acres. A good deal OF the land Is not In
market; the balance Is held at from $l2
TO $25 per acre-not very high, consider.
ing the neighborhood OF the G. o. r. R
and water Communication, the TACT that
there is at least fifty feet Of workable coal,
and by Canadians estimate $500 feet
Of inch-boards per acre.
DISTANT vIEws.
Well, alter about 81 hours we got 10
tho divide at the head Of Rich Greek,
where the southern stream falls into the
New River at Hawks Nest, some 1900
ieet below. This Mill Greek Is occupied for
q considerable part Of its course by the
three mile coal railroad Of the Gauley-
Ksnawha Co., and from the gap upon
which we stood, we could see parts Of its
course appearing among the trees far be.
low US We were above the head oil the
creek and railroad; we were far above
the surrounding country, and for thirty
miles could see the rolling lands and hills
trending away by the Big Sewell and
other ranges into Greenbrier, Summers
and Raleigh counties. We could see the
few houses Of Fayette Court House glist-
ming white in the sunshine, and here and
there among the endless forest q group Of
cleared farms. All was sunny, and fresh
and peaceful. From these nights Of
Gauley Mountain, where we now were,
we descended BY a ridge to the Ksnawha
Pike and the coal railways lovely de-
scent, with the fresh breeze upon our
cheeks, the rich forest sinking abruptly
from our feet on both sides, aud differ
ent landscape coming continually into
view.
THE COAL WORKS.
Arrived at Col. Tyree's hawks Nest
Inn, we found that Capt. Howe, the
Gauley Co., manager, had Just left for
England. We therefore were deprived
OF his guidance over the works. They
have driven some 700 feet into mag
niacent foot bituminous stream, which
has 600 feet out of 300 Of the central
Kanawha measure above It, and 800
below. Gauley mountain Is about 800
feet above the opening. A few tons Of
this coal was being carried down to the
@. o. r, r. to be sent 10 Hyland as q
specimen. 1t Is five inch, pure, sulphur.
less coal. The Company proposes 10 run
q perpendicular shalt through all the coal
strata down 10 this main art, thus en-
abling Il at any time to ship any coal for
which the market may call. have said
before that Gauley Mountain contains
the whole Of the Middle Kanawha meas.
ures. In fact the "tiint ledge" which
marks the top Of them Is found sin situa-
tlon" on the mountain top, and the con.
glomerate which divides them from the
lower serles 10 the rock Of the Hawks
Nest cliffs below. The Companys Coal
r. r. is three miles long from the O. o.
r, r. TO the adit and rises 900 feet
"a heavy grade, but Mr.. Latrobe OF the
b, q 0. r. r. told mo that he once ran
up grade OF 450 feet per mile, Tor half a
mile. This road Is 10 carry two ton cars,
and Is nearly ready for the metals. In
view oi It's completion General Gilmore
has bought his 1000 acres on the noun.
tain, and the new English Company has
arranged to take It's 5000 acres on the
east, all hands proposing 10 ship down
the Gauley Company Railroads.
A FAMOUS PREolPIcE,
From Colonel Tyree's we strolled along
the pike TO the Hawks Nest, that famous
precipice which the ruthless level of the
engineer has reduced from 1000 feet In
height 10 497 Nevertheless, when one
looks down from that giddy spot upon
the blue New River, toaming and wind
ing below, upon the tiny workmen on the
O. o. r R, upon the massive hills which
bound the gorge, one feels that 497 feet
are quite enough for all the elements Of
grandeur and beauty-and q great deal
100 many for 9 tumble down. .
But how fresh and pure the air Is up
here. How tired one feels after q long
days workl Come, let Us sleep at this
farm house hard by, and walk down 10
GaWley Bridge in the cool Of the morning.
For seven miles further, the turnpike
keeps well up above the river, and one
catches charming glimpses Of the gorge
below; here one crosses Q picturesque
hollow, descending from the high noun
tain; here q little coal seam is laid bare,
and there one finds q delicious chAly-
beate and alum spring flowing from q
barrel under q tree.
ToMPKINs COTTAGE. lr.
At last, q turn In the road brings Us to
some open meadow; where before the
4. - N q INt