The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-03-09
T5sT VIRGINIA
,ieh Orc Fields of Our Mountain
"' State.
,,,,,,, OfGoyeruor Mathews YES
@'' terday n
,,t,n the Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Chamber Of
!, ,.,.,ioo as to ths Development OF
''''iB the Orc Territory
atbsr Conference to be Held
To-Day.
: Interest Manifested in the
u Subject.
!. I,tsrest Manifested in the
!" Subject.
p,r7snuRGn, March s.

- :. n,ouineturers ~ Of Pittsburgh , hay'
4. =. ,assn great interest in the deysl vel
als , n tbe ore fields Of Virginia an'
e.. l9'1S vi,,jpl.. u Numerous articles haV'
'a' .,;,,sD Oh the subject, and the re
.S,b. IIls,,i Investigations of some OF The
.,. ~" :" "sirsers have attracted q gfeat
= e,,.,sor " rss Mathews, OF West Virginia
Us ,.,;tsI sometime ago to address the
S,.S., y J d Commerce of this city, to en-
q, S. =. members Of that body, and the
. -.s,Tt, oI the Iron City generally to
1 N. .ops tangible information regard
~. nv .,tept and nature Of the ore fields
I M, State. Owing to other engage
y, de Governor has been compelled
/ = nspone bis visit until the presen,
4, Tbe announcement that he would
~. n. public meeting at the Chamber
s,,Snnetce rooms this afternoon, there
isn ir.s large attendance.
n Mn. o'clock, Gen. J. X. Moorehead,
p,sil.pt Of the Chamber OF Commerce,
i,,rdr,.d Governor Mathews, who ad'
i,.s.i the meeting as follows:
GOV. MATHEWS SPEECH.
Ib.Uu,s Of the Pittsburgh Southern
,,ar.dIuuden,and to be from Pittsburgh
n po,r.utOvn, thence through Monon'
an, ,ai Marion counties to Grafton in
,,b, county, thence up Tygart's Valley
RtIs through Barbour and Randolph
au,tiss 10 Valley Mountain, thence down
tS4G,,subrier river through Pocahontas
Gr,pbtier and Monroe counties to New
Nrt thence along the New River 10
sza POINT near the lead mines in Wythe
e..ty, Virginia. No better route than
lii Gould, l think, be selected, both on
,sSuut Of the small cost Of the construc'
i'm md because Of the valuable minerals
,,aShsr resources which would be reach
did made available to your city.
Itbpnpert TO say that the information
ysih Twill present has been derived from
nlab!e persons who have no pecuniary
iAss. whatever in the country through
VIA ths road will pass, and that l am
| tAy Indebted for the greater portion oil
|ah Information To Prof, VIM. NJ. Fon-
| hts Ol the University Of Virginia, who
/ IN EIde a personal examination OF the
olntry and lis resources, Of which l will
sslk. | shall consider the subject OF this
is!nd the resources Of this State solely,
alss4ing the interests OF the people Of
lfsbGRh. The terminus Of the road
kali Be- at least as far East as the point
IftA ! have named. When the vicinity
Il he lead mines Is reached, the road
| MD be within short distance Of two
EtsSI narrow guage road which would
eiikt It with the Virginia Midland r.
r md the entire Eastern sea board
edllo with the Southern system OF rail
issk These narrow guage roads are the
llnTle and New River railroads which ID
t1Tsel to run from Danville or some
pd1t between Danville and Pittsylvania
Z Il. through Mar,insville in Henry
@lrg, Va, Patrick C. II. Hillsville in
Carroll county to some point on the
Aatndc, Mississippi and Ohio railroad not
e9d Christiarsburg, the Pittsylvania
fd dfnnklin narrow guage now complet.
q which leaves the Virginia Midland
ir!Sld L Marrow Guage Junction.
ilynies south Of LyDchburg, and termi.
ti!t' At Rocky Mount, Franklin county.
As nad has been constructed to secure
70 magnetic ores OF the counties ol
HtVlTania and franklin. 1t could be
taly eGIeldel through Floyd county Ia
~ The road from Pittsburgh and this in
sitHdd1 TO bringing your city into direct
sanetiou with the entire Atlantic and
h'uthern Seaboards and opening to her an
eisaEve market. Such an extension anC
saastion Of the roads would give her &C
g. sVill appear hereafter TO the pures
10 point out tho resources which may
sEsnsd up by the Pittsburgh Southern
LGlnit, Il will be well to follow the rout,
ntball attention to the character OF tht
SSatT which it traverses.
tfun the Pennsylvania line to Morgan
sSn The road would pass in the lowel
l'fen measures, which contain In this re
nG several well developed deposits o
~ iron ore, Of the usual coal measure
anaster, which in the early history o
"a Manufacture supported several fur
slaa The Goals Of the upper productive
s.1su'ss are oil in the hills above wate
", iSd reach an aggregate development
S gaaled elsewhere. They are tn
,.aIp,oargh y bed, averaging from eight I,
"a set the RedStone, Of from about thre,
- lhllttO four feet, the Sewickley, o
Y sSS ive to six feet, and the Waynesburs
y J. tioE seven to nine feet. There Is rea
~ % believe that some OF these coal
Prove to be excellent coking Goals
tga !, " Noylntown to Grafton aud theme
sas wv, vicinity Of Beverly, in Randolp
@Sat, the general conditions as !
- ~. and iron are much the sam
sseA that the lower barren meal
aT are nov chiefly In the hill
aSale lower productive measures ar
\ ~ ,EhlCh yield most oil the coal whic
l,.ilneF :, 4 50 abundant nor so good as thi
\ ny ny uppes productive measures slon
= = aonongAhelA, From Beverly eastYa,
i,'e! is,sI'e! region where the timber, whio
/. S,aned IN kind and great in quanit,
y SateeIy been touched. This belt
lying along the western side
49, Ss& lfontidge Of the Allegheny sndi !
SSSs,sI;aaattolsto NJ; the south, extending vii
SJlas width through Tucker, Randolph
c.aSrlAs, and the northern portion
Satao'ieE, has in the valleys aud low
IN mingled growth Of white oak ar
~ y oaks, wild cherry, poplar. Waln
~ 5,,o oIesr valuable timber. Nowhere el
~ sHe walnut and cherry trees alta
~ ~ dimensions. The higher hills, Al
W sa'Ally the mountains, have Rn ent
M. g'oEth Of henlocE spruce, yario
3 ~. o. pine and notably the black spru
Az 1ss y pine, a. II is there CailGi lbotan
r,.,,3 = Ms aIios ntgGD, This latter tEVe
nv developed In the region n.
Il . q Il n NNsaI