West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-11-23
the Cumberland basin.
FORESTS OF OAK AND SPRUCE.

After leaving Piedmont the road
follows the sinuous upper Potomac
along the edge Of forests of spruce
and hemlock, amid which, in the
summer season, rhododendrons grow
in profusion and gorgeousness. In
Tygart's Valley, 70 miles from Pied
mont, towering oaks are reached.
All along the road are mills, the
buzz of whose saws reverberates
through the valleys and over the
mountain sides, and whose unremit-
tent toll is transferring the rough
logs into marketable lumber. But
the most valuable timber is the
white spruce, which grows in mex
haustible quantities on the mountain
sides. 1t is used in the manufact-
ure of pulp, from which the paper
on which the Sun is printed is
made. 1t finds ready market at
the paper mills along the Susque-
hanna and Delaware rivers, and
paper mill owners, realizing the ad-
vantage of being near the source OF
their supplies, are locating factories
in more accessible distance of these
West Virginia spruce forests. Will
mington capitalists several months
ago purchased the site Of the old
government armory at Harper's
Ferry, and are erecting a pulp mill
to have the capacity of grinding up
fifty cords of this spruce wood each
day. The foundation of their big
mill. near John Browns old fort, is
already laid, and their dam is half
way across the Potomac. These
capitalists wish to get even nearer
the forests, and only few days ago
ex-senator Davis sold them twenty
eight acres at Piedmont as a site
for a new mill. They have one now
at Harper's Ferry, which is each
day grinding up thirty cords OF
spruce. The poplar trees, which
also grow pentifully along the West
Virginia Central, also find market
at the paper mills, where they are
used in the manufacture of paper OF
fine grade. Cherry, birch, beech
and other hardwood trees, which
also abound, are sold to the furnit-
ure manufactures. Hemlock is furn-
ished to builders for framing pur-
poses. This exclusive white spruce
grows only among these West Vir-
ginia mountains and in Maine. In
the latter State it is being rapidly
exhausted, and it is only q question
of time the West Virginia forests
must supply the demand for pulp,
and this demand will increase in
proportion with the growth of news
papers. The bark Of the hemlock
is used in tanning, and finds mar
ket at Davis, where large tannery
is located.
IN TYGART's VALLEY.
During the last year the road has
been extended from Thomas to
Leadsvilie, a distance OF twenty
three miles, but tracks have only
been laid to Cheat river. just
above Thomas the road enters Ty-
CART Valley, which it found occupied
by 5000 people, and it will add sew
eral thousand to them. The valley
is fertile, and its farmers are thrifty
and industrious, and only too eager
to embrace the facilities offered by
the railroad to transport the pro-
duets of their soil and Of their
hands to profitable market. Cows
and sheep Craze upon the hillsides
covered with thenutritious bluegrass.
Cereals grow here, too, but they are
neglected for the more profitable In
dustry of stock-ralsing. Oak, wal
nut. spruce, hemlock and other va
rieties of trees flourish upon the hill
tops and along the banks of the
streams. They await the wood
mans axe which the railroad will
bring. Leadsville is the metropolis
of the valley. 1t is now an ordinary
West Virginia village, but it is
already beginning to respond to the
magic touch OF the railroad. 1t will
shortly drop its conventional name
of Leadsville, and assume that of
Elkins, for Hon. Stephen b. Elkins,
who, next to ex Senator Davis. is
the most largely interested in the
West Virginia Central.
COMING RAILROAD CENTER.
Elkins that is to be is destined to
become railroad center Of no little
importance. Besides being the
terminus OF the West Virginia Cen
tral, it will also be the meeting
place of railroad projected south
west to Charleston, w. Va, another
westward to Buchanan, where it will
meet an offshoot Of the B. and o.,
and still another through the north
west to Grafton, and thence to Pitts
burgh, Pa. Pittsburgh capitalists
are already discussing the proposed
new line, and the project will take
tangible shape in short time. All
these lines, like their predecessor,
the West Virginia Central, will
traverse an undeveloped country
rich in coal, iron, pIumbago and
other deposits, as we'll as trackless
forest of valuable timber.
Renews Her Youth.
Mrs. Phoebe Chesiey, Peterson,