Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-10-15

lick and the w est virginia Sohsiai eA~
Pittsburgh near Huntersville.
Last, but maybe not least in import
ance, is the
Baltimore. Cincinnati and Western
or what is locally known here as the
"Byrne" road, because that single
handed and alone the indefatigable Col.
Ben Byrne, of KanaWha, has been work
inc M this enterprise in this section.
This company is better known as the
"Grain Merchants" enterprise, and ID
headed by Col. Tom Young, OF Cincln,,
natl. 1t is projected up the Gauley an1
enters Pocahontas at the head oi Will
liams' river, thence northeasterly Tor
thirty or forty miles to the head oil
the Greenbrier, where it intersects the
West Virginia Central and crosses the
Allegheny, and on out by way OF the
South branch OF the Potomac. The en-.
terprise is deserving and feasible, but
the main difficulty in the way OF its COM
pletion is the company is at tloggerheads
with itself, and you know what scrip
ture saws, ga house divided against
ITSELF" etc. 1t is to be hoped that Col
onel Ben will heal up this family feud,
and push his work to an early compile
ton. He has q good route and rich
country to develope.
Natural Advantages.
One reason why Pocahontas county
becomes the focus of railroad enterprise
in this part OF the State is because OF its
geographical advantages. The Frost
gap in the Allegheny is the low
est in that range and permits
an east and west road to
cross without a tunnel. Immediately
west of it on the Elk mountains is the
Cloverlck Gap, the most favorable pas
sage for any line seeking an outlet either
by the Elk or Monongahela waters.
But in addition TO its geographical
features, the county possesses attrac-
tions for lines of transportation in its
wonderful natural products. The soil
is rich, the climate salubrious, its for
ests unsurpassed for the size and quail
ty of its timber. Coal is found in the
western parts OF the county, bordering
as it does upon the great coal fields i'm
mediateiy west.
But its chief attraction in this line IS
the possibilities of its iron development.
Nothing has been done, and nothing was
really known of the iron deposit OF this
section until the present summer. A
thorough and exhaustive study and de.
velopment of the geological features OF
this region is being done during the
present summer under the supervision
of ex Speaker George II. Mofett. In
this work Captain Moffett has been as
sisted by Profs. T. Benton Brooks, OF
Newburg, N. Y, and Fred. j. King, OF
the Michigan Geological Survey. These
gentlemen have not yet completed their
work and decline to be interviewed un.
ill it is completed. 1t is understood
that the result of their researches will
be submitted at an early date, and then
it is expected the projected railroads
will boom right along.
1t is a geological fact tina: the range OF
mountains lying between the Green
brier river and the Allegheny
mountains is in the Clinton aud Oris-
kary formations. The former is well
known to be persistent ore-bearing
formation from New York to Alabama.
The latter is barren in the North-New
York and Pennsylvania for example
but is rich in its ore-bearing qualities in
the Clifton Forge locality. AS PoCa.
hontas county is a near neighbor to
Allegheny, it is likely to be in tho pro-
ductive ielc. Fromla personal exami.
nation of some pits opened in this range
by Capt. Moffett and Prof. Knight, l see
for myself the following facts exist: The
Clinton ore in veins ranging from Is to
So inches in thickness, averaging over
20 inches, and probably extending along
the Brown mountain and Beaver Lick
mountain range for 40 miles. In the
Oriskary formation l see veins exposed
from u to 25 feet in thickness. So l
take it that when these scientific gentle
men make up their report it will be
found to be encouraging as to the iron
deposits.
When come this way next summer,
l confidently expect to ride on rail.
EXPLORER.