The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-03-01
THE COAL FIELDS
OF THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
An IaisliiEsat DtSsriP,iss ssa osoloEisai
Dissertation on the Area aud Character
of On. Wealth IN This Particular.
some Remarkable facts.

Erlnra D. Prof l. @ FhRS. Of hk Wat PirgiIsb
JH.pcTFiy, gOf nc iAitllt0a'op.
That honesty Is the best policy" hG
been known to the race for very loul
time. Yet strange Is 1t may seem, Their
are evidently many people still living II
the world who believe that the aphorisu
Ia question applies TO individuals only
and that communities, Municipalities
States and nations may violate it with i'm
punity. No greater mlStAke can be made
Not more surely will the individual who
mlsrepressnts and ovsr-ItGles his hnan'
cIAl resources in order 10 obtain q tenn
purary and fictitious credit, finally come
70 RFlef, and never recover the confidence
OF tnoEs whom he has betrayed, than will
the community or State which permits its
natural wealth to be- misrepr6sented and
exaggerated, sultT ever alter from the evil
reports Of those who have been mlsled.
One great reKsCn for tho slow develop.
ment OF our State lie 10 BIS found In this
tendeDcy Of some Of our people 10 over
rate the mineral wealth Of the State. The
natural result being that all the slate-
ments srs discrediLed. A few RlisLsniDg
scales OF mica Ito bs found in every sAud'
slonp) are heTAlded forth to the country
Is the ou.croppings Of tin, OF oliver lode
Of fabulous value, while lead, gold and
copper "Ruds' in large quantity, are re-
ported 80 frequently that we cannot blame
the general public for being inereduIons
~ to the actual value oil cur resources. IL
Is tIus that much Of this misrepresentA.
ton ID not intended 10 deceive people, iof
the vast mBjoTity who scatter these re-
ports know nothing Of tho mode OF occur.
renee OF the minerals in question, and
hence they can perceive no lmpro6Ebility
In any statements that may be made With
reference to the discovery Of them. This
fact, however, does not lessen the evil
done. In this age Of specialization, no
ous is entitled 10 hold and propagate
opinions on any subject, urleCa he 10
thoroughly familiar with II from long and
close study; but the people who send
abroad these exaggerated reports con-
corning the richness Of certain localities
IN West Virginia In nearly every form o!
mineral wealth, seem 10 be entirely un'
conscious Of the above tTuism.
In view Of these [acts, 1t 10 necessary Tor
the benefit Of our own people as well R9
for the information Of otherg, that list Of
things We do not hare should DO given.
Those who would seek gold, silver, cop
pSr, tin, zinc, lead, or any other Of the
rare or precisHs metals Ehould give Wet
Virgins wide berth. She hiss none oil
these. Traces lhs'e may be Of all, but no!
In quantity sufficient TO render mining
profitable, and hence II can be truthiully
sAid, these thingH are not among cur pos.
sessions. We have 90 much Of natural
wealth in other things, that We can afford
to be perfectly frank about all those mat
tsrs 10 which we eau make no honest pre-.
tenSions. Bountiiul nature has given to
West Virginia neither precious minerals
nor precious stones, but che has lAyished
upou us such an infinite wealth oil con-.
mon minerals, and common stones, and
other common things, that our heritage Is
vastly richer than that Of the people who
can number the precious metals among
their inleFitAucaa.