The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-05-31
Our Greenbrler Letter.
The Timber Regions Of West Vir-
ginia-AFine Opening Tor skill
ed Labor.
LEwEBURG, W. VA May q, 1879.

line OF the Chesapeake & Ohio r, r, and
down the tributaries Of the Great Kama
VIVA river to the Ohio river at Point
Pleasant. Its principal feeders are the
Greenbrier river, the upper New river,
Blue.stone river, Piney creek and the
other small tributaries OF the lower New
river; Gauley river, which, joining the
New river, makes the Great Kanawha;
Paint creek and dozen more considerable
creeks Of the Kanawha, Elk river, Coal
river, Pocatalico river and GuyandottO
river. OF these the Greenbrier, New
river, Gauley, Elk, Coal and Guyandotte
have an average width Of from 10 to 100
yards, and in the case OF New river, 300
yards. A gOodly company in all, you see,
The character OF the country must DO
studied. The G, 4 o. Z, Il. follows the
great natural assures, say assures adj
yisedly, for except the Greenbrier, which
is fed half by the Allegheny ridges, the
rocks OF which are upheaved, more or less
metamOrphosed and the strata contOrted,
the whole Of these streams have been
eroded, and many OF them have more or
less Of the canon type-mild, it is true,
and their very steepest places are half hid
by heavy foliage-but still for miles they
arc more or less canon like.
THE VARIETIES OF WOOD,
Part Of the hills which feed the Green
brier are barren and poorly timbered
enough, but where the soil has accumu.
lated there is a fine growth Of white and
yellow pine, very valuable for local use,
but not good enough for distant ship.
ping. Mixed with II Is good deal Of
white oak, and in some places this is Of
very good quality and size, while the rich
valleys contain fine punches Of yellow
poplar white wood), hickory, walnut,
&c. The st. Lawrence Boom and Manu-
featuring Company are operating on the
Greenbrier, although It's many islands
and its liability to ice make It the most
difficult stream in this section to manipu-
late.
On New River, Bluestone and Piney
there is u smaller quantity Of pine and
large development Of the hard woods.
Hinton, on the q. & 0. Railroad, will be-
come the head Of this district, which has
been very little known. From Piney to
the Ohio there is no pine timber tOspeak
Of, with the exception Of some superb
forests OF Norway pine, called yew pine
locally, ut the headwaters OF Gauley and
possibly OF other rivers, and the hemlock,
which Is everywhere scattered along the
Water-cOurses. The whole forest may be
said to DO one great forest Of white oak,
yellow poplar, ash, hickory, cucumber,
linn, chestnut, red and black oak, black
walnut, sycamore, locust, beech, sugar
and black maple, dOgwOod, &c. 1t Is
very difficult to give the average cut per
acre. A Canadian gentlemen Of expert
encc put 1t at 1900 feet az rough est.
mate Of a heavily timbered hollow, and
| have seen land with heavier timber.
Again, on southern exposures the timber
Is much lighter, and that Is mostly white
oak, chestnut oak and chestnut, On the
pIateaux the timber varies with the soil,
and ia Of all kinds.
As anybody who reflects would con.
clude, the timber Is far heavier towards
the heads Of the streams, and on the high
plateau lands between them, than II is
near the railroad, where the land has
been cleft down into 80 many and deep
hollows that there Is not soil for very
large amount Of timber. Still, within q
mile and half OF the river, Ihave seen In
one place, on six several acres, measured
four white oaks to an acre, withRn aver.
age girth of eight and one.half feet at five
feet from the ground, and there is good
deal Of land near 10 the railroad equally
well supplied. But tho timber OfTtwenty
to forty miles from the railroad Is uni.
versally conceded to DO wonderful in all
respects-white oak, maple, poplar, black
walnut, &c.
THE QUALITY OF THE TIMBER.
The quality Of the timber Is all that
could be desired, and large quantities Of
II have been taken from the Kanawha
and its lower tributaries. Pipe slaves are
now being gotten in several places, and
on one small creek four saw mills have
been located for cutting up the poplar
and oak. Some Of the walnut fully equals
and has been sold at the same price Us
tire Indiana. A New York party has
for months gotten out square timber for
export. Quantities Of poplar have been
shipped TO Eastern markets. Large lots
OF locust pins have been made and shipped
and one firm has sent several hun.
dred poplar logs for European export.
And all this has occurred since the panic.
THE CHARACTER or TIE COUNTRY.
OF course the country Is rough, and
here and there are hollows which will
never 10 cleared; but the vast majority Of
the land can DO cut over proitably, II the
proper means are used, especially as in
every case the stuff must 70 dorm hill to The
railroad. The rivers will require some
thought and little work in order tOgive
them their full development as logging
waters, but have heard Of no insurmoun-
table obstacles anywhere, and the streams
are very numerous.
SKILLED LABOR WANTED.
The main drawback to the country Is
the want Of labor, skilled labor. II there
were men who could teach the art OF log.
ging, there would DO found pupils among
the younger men; but there is scarcely
any one who understands II. We need
very much n few lOgmen with n little
capital and more experience. They could
locate on the river farms, the owners Of
which are longing to put out end find
some prairie lands to worry; and II they
were unable to purchase timbered lands
for themselves, they would find their SER
vices Indispensable to the owners Of such
lands, who In the present condition Of Ia.
Dor really cannot move their timber.
Many owners will sell timber on the
stump, but the largo proprietors are gen.
orally unwilling to have their timber
touched; they hold The lands for sale.
Timber lands are worth 81 90 to 81 90 nh
acre. timber and coal lands 81 90 TO SIS 90,
and small farms 81 90 to $50 90 per acre.
Men who had located themselves as 1haye
suggested would always he above The
fluctuations Of the timber market; their
farms would insure that. There isfeady
sale for products at reasonable prices.
EXpERTo CREDE.