The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-04-16
KANAWHA'S COAL.
THE GREAT APPALACHIAN FIELD.
Magical AuaksaISs Of a Great west yIrsIaIA
Iadustry-work and Wages for Tea Thou.
Eaad Hsa-rhs Past, the Present Aad
the Fulurs OF Rich RrsIOa.
From the Editor Of the IatcllIgerccr.

railroad OF vast and increasing coal traffic
here you would have some idea OF the
Kanawha valleys wondrous life. What
It's future is to be- who can foretell! The
stride from the recent past to the present
is like dre4m-as though the hillsides
had bust open in a might and ten thousand
people had come between sunset and sun
rise to dig and send to market the black
diamonds OF kanawha. A well informed
gentleman who has grown up with and
been part OF the development OF this
valley made an estimate, at my request, OF
the number OF persons emp mployed in mining
and m1ketiug coal in this valley, and the
figures footed up ten thousand. This esti-
mate / have submitted 10 Others, and no
one has thought 1t excessive. OF course I
have not taken the census, and give the
estimate for what It may be worth, but
Judging from which have seen and heard
I think the number Is not inflated.
And the work Of development goes on.
Prospectors are numerous, lands rich in
coal and as yet untouched are coming into
market and changing hands or being
leased to work. Priees-vary according to
location, thickness OF seams and quality Of
coal, ranging from $40 to S50au acre with.
in comparatively easy reach OF navigation
and the ChesapeakeandO Ohio railroad. More
remote tracts may be had from g so up.
The best coal property may be leased at
half centa bushel royalty, at which
rate good property will yield the lessor
about $500 an acre. Some OF these lands
are not for sale, and must be leased or not
worked at all; and many operators
would rather lease than buy. The timber
privilege goes with the lease, and this is q
considerable item, seeing that great guam
titles OF timber are required in coal mining.
It Is claimed for this region that coal is no.
where mined to better advantage. And
this may well be so.
TIE RICHEST OF ALL COAL FIELDS.
Oithegreat Appalachian coal field, reach.
ing from Northern Pennsylvania to middle
Alabama, embracing an area OF nearly
$1,000 square miles, the finest in the world,
West Virginia possesses greater share
than any other state; and, so far as devel.
opment has gone aud indications show,
this is the heart Of the coal field of West
Virginia. Anthracite alone excepted, Goals
oi all varieties are found htre-cannel,
splint, bituminous OF every kind, in seams
OF uneQualled thickness and extent. Some
ot these hills contain an aggregate Of from
10 to so feet OF coal in seams, IRON 9 to II
feet in thickness, all above the water level;
and in the back hills are seams OF greater
thickness. After nature had set down this
great basin OF coal she did another highly
meritorious thing-turned loose countless
swift.running streams to cut the hills
apart, that the precious deposit might peep
out and reveal its presence to the enter.
prising prospector who came after the
earlier waytariug man who saw in coal only
black stone without value. These riffs
through the mountains are the natural
shafts. The miner needs no other They
place him face TO face with his work. He
makes his opening in the face OF the noun.
tain, drives his entry and begins to bring
out bis booty.
There is little "dead mining" There is
very little machinery, and that Of the
simplest kind. At some mines steam is
used 10 draw the coal out, at more horses
and mules. Itthe opening be above the
level there is an incline" and the loaded
car. descending by gravity, pulls up the
empty one. At the river the coal is run
into Chesapeake and Ohio cars or dumped
into barges, 10 almost every case from the
car which the miner has loaded in his
room. Handling is reduced to mini.
mum.
A MARVELLOUS CHANGE.
What change has come over the valley
since the war! The Kanawha coal trade
may be said to have been born, for previous
to that time it was but an experiment on
small scale. The railroad came, and new
life came with it. The Government Of the
United States stepped in by Invitation, and
no one who looks on this maies.
tic stream running broad and
deep to the Ohio will regret
that "paternal government" has cleared
the track and opened an easy and cheap
highway 10 the West and South. Naviga.
ton from here to the Gulf OF Mexico may
pc said to be always open, the contrary be-
ing OF so rare occurrence Follow the Ia.
nawha to the Ohio, the Ohio to the Missis.
sippi, thence 10 the guif-see how vast and
populous territory is opened 10 the Goals
OF Kanawha, without breaking bulk or
taking TO the railroad. Unimproved the Ka.
nayha was merely a beautiful river,
tumbling over rocks and shoals. Money
and skill have given 1t trunk line i'm.
portaMce, and there are no toll takers To-
vex the growing commerce. Eighteen
wears ago two towboats sufficed for all the
business, and these were used mainly for
towing back "empties," the barges in that
day being run by hand TO Point
Pleasant and often through to Cincinnati.
Coalburg was shipping its spltnt, Paint
Creek sent down its camel coal and crude
camel oil TO MaysvilIe. There was can:
uel coal operation thirty miles up Coal
River, but do not learn that It made q
marked impression on the river trade.
Eight furnaces made 1900 barrels oil salt
daily. There were four packets, two run.
ming 10 Cincinnati and two TO Gallipolis.
The salt business, II not dead, Is in state
OF suspended aniHation. To-day but one
furnace isin operation, so that nearly the
whole OF that considerable shipping trade
is gone.
GROWING TRAFTIc.
But now fifteen tow boats find employ
ment on the Kanawha, besides several
whose business comes out Of the Kauawha
but begins on the Ohio at Point Pleasant.
The Gallipolis packets remain; there Is
one less to Cincinnati, but four steam
ers find good business between Charleston
and the Upper Kanawha where formerly
there was no business to be done. By
water alone Eve thousand tons Of Kanawha
coal 90 TO market daily when al the river
mines are in operation. / can not tell you
how much coal is shipped by rail that in.
formation can be had, Of course,
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