The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-11-09
WEST VIRGINIA'S NEW COKE
REGION.
OVER A THOUSAND OVENS
FROM THE MONONGAHELA VALLEY
Recent Development Of the Territory
Near FairmOnt-The Works Now
In observation-disclosures Coke
W0rks-G0od Wages for
American WOrkingmen
Wheeling Register.

! more rapid STRIDES In the march o.
: progress within the last few months
than has West Virginia. New enter
, prise has come into her valleys; new
| life has been infused into her PEG
: Pile. The result has been a marvellous
development of natural wealth, bu
with her vast resources to draw
; upon West Virginia has just begun
her forward march. The future has
. far more in store for her than even
the present would promise under
any other conditions No industries
are capable of greater expansion in
the State than coal mining and coke
manufacture. A few mines on the
Kanawha and smaller number on
the Monongahela have, until a
recent period, represented the entire
development of our rich coal lands.
During the last two years there has
been marked change in both re-
gions, but more particularly in the
Monongahela Valley, and in the
immediate vicinity of Fairmont.
The establishment of one plant has
doubled the entire output of that
region, and new enterprises of gil
gantic extent have been recently
undertaken. When so much is being
written concerning West Virginia's
rapid growth in material wealth, a
short description Of the industries of
that remarkable coal territory
is not out of place. Through the
courtesy of the various owners a
representative of the Register has
had an opportunity to gather careful
and complete estimates of the work
they are now doing.
THE MONTANA COKE WORKS.
Seven miles below Fairmont on
the east bank of the Monongahela
river is situated the plant, which
has done more than all others com
bined to attract the attention ofcap-
ital to the marvellous richness of
West Virginia coal beds The Mon
tana Coal and Coke Company's works
have been frequently mentioned in
reference to West Virginia coke, but
it remains to give detailed descrip-
ton of the plant, and history of
the trade it has developed. The
men to whose foresight the establish
ment of the works is due, are Elk
Senator Camden, Judge A. B. Elem
ing, S. L. Watson, j. Ed. Watson
and c. B. Carney. They constitute
the Montana Coal and Coke Com
pany. In the winter of 1885 and 'S6
they purchased 1000 acre tract of
coal land lying on the east side of
the Monongahela and four miles
distant from Fairmont at it's nearest
point. The coal is what it is now
known as the Fairmont vein of the
Pittsburg beds. 1t was eight feet
thick under the purchase, and a
small quantity which had been tes-
ted showed that it was well adapted
for coking purposes. Work was be-
gun on number of ovens. They
were completed, and the first coke
was manufactured during the sum-
mer and fall of 1886. 1t commanded
ready sale at a good price, and the
manufacturers were encouraged to
enlarge their plant from time to time.
The result was the construction
of the present Montana works, and
the supply of an enormous amount
of West Virginia coke to the western
markets.
THE PRESENT PLANT.
The company has now 15S coke
ovens in continuous operation.
They ccasume 1000 tons of coal
week, and one hundred men are en-
ployed mining, while more than $50
are engaged in reducing the product
to coke after it reaches the surface.
A busy mining town has sprung up
from the earth, and dozens of neat
houses are mute witnesses of the
prosperity the works have brought
many a miners family. Fifty of
these houses belong to the company,
and are rented to the employees on
reasonable terms. Some of them are
two story structures. All are sub
stantially built. In addition to
these buildings the company has
erected large store house, where
supplies are furnished at the lowest
market rates. The store is not
pluck me- establishment, and no
man is compelled to take an order on
it, or purchase supplies from it.
The capacity of the mines as
operated at present is about 1000
tons day, but it is capable of great
increase. The coal slopes toward
the river, and the openings are there
fore self draining. About six feet
of the coal in the bed is mined,
leaving a roof of two feet of coal
slate, capped by massive sandstone.
PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE.
The processes to which the coal is
submitted in the manufacture of
coke are instructive, for they show
how thoroughly art has supplied the
defects of nature in the effort to
make strictly pure article of coke.
The coal passes three inch screen
at the mines mouth. All that goes
over the screen is caught by cars
and shipped in lump to the western
markets. About half, on an average,
passes through the screen. This is
caught and moved few feet into an
immense crusher, composed of rolls
revolving in chest. From the crush
er the crumbling material goes to
the revolving screen, which is one
inch in size. All that passes through
the screen goes into the plunger,
where it is churned and washed until
the faintest trace of sulphur is wash
edaway. The washed coal and the
coal that is caught by the revolving
screen are dumped together, and the
mass lifted by elevators to the top
of the ovens, where it is conveyed
by larries to the oven entrances and
fed to the fires below. Water for
the ovens is pumped from the river
into an immense natural reservoir a
few yards from the works, and
lake of nearly an acre of surface is
thus formed. A huge engine with
double boilers furnish the motive
power for the entire plant, drawing
the coal out Of the mines and mo-
1 wing the crusher, washer and eleya-