The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-08-24
NUMBER 10.
WEST vIRGINIA'S BOOM.
Capital Coming Into the State and
Finding Ready Inyestments-The
Oil and Coal Developments ON
the Monongahela and
Elsewhere.

Following the lead of Messrs.
Blaine, Cameron, Dorsey and other
far-sighted capitalists, says the
Pittsburg Chronicle Telegraph OF
late date, men with money,
are now pouring into onr neigh
Dor, West Virginia.
The result is that the little State
has quite a big boom, and the activ-
ity promises to be lasting Mr.. w.
B. Chaffee said this morning;
Those who have not given the
matter especial study and personal
investigation can have none but the
most intangible and erroneous ideas
concerning the great strides West
Virginia has been making in the last
two or three years, but especially
within the last twelve months in the
way of developing her resources, adj
ding to her railroad mileage, inereas
ing her population through induce
ments held out to the best class Of
immigrants, and inaugurating new
manufacturing enterprises.
THE NEW ROAD.
From Fairmont running north
along the valley of the West Fork of
the Monongahela river, 1000 men
are working at the construction of
the Fairmont d Clarksburg Rail
road, and the preliminary operations
looking to the construction Of the
West Virginia h Pennsylvania road,
running from Rowlesburg to Fair
chance, Pa, are well under way.
Along both of these routes coke
ovens are going up by hundreds,
mines are being opened in almost ev-
cry valley, where the outcrop of coal,
both camel and bituminous, in great
veins, running to as much as Ia feet
of solid coal, affords an assurance Of
wealth to the owners which the fair
est diamond mine could not surpass.
"Only few miles away is the oil
field of Monongalia county, which
stretches from the Pennsylvania line
south through the counties of Mo
nongalia and Marion to the interior
of the State. Already nearly fifty
wells have been put down, pipe lines
are in course of construction, and not
less than 100000 have been ex-
pended up to this time in developing
the territory.
IN OTHER DIRECTIONS.
"In the wilderness counties of
Tucker and Randolph the extension
of the West Virginia Central line
toward the headwatcrs of the Kama
wha and Elk has been carried for
ward almost hundred miles during
the year, and the first passenger
train will run over the road to-day,
carrying the mails through coun-
try covered with an almost unbroken
forest Of hard woods. A thousand
million feet Of cherry, walnut and
other valuable timber is standing
along the road.
"In Nicholas and Clay counties
Don Cameron d Co. have acquired
10000 acres of land, fronting for 27
miles on the east side of the Elk
river The land is underlaid with
rich bituniinous coal veins, already
opened, running from four to thirteen
feet in thickness, and is covered by
a magnificent growth of marketable
timber. The West Virginia Central
Railroad is heading in this direction.
Wayne, Logan, Mcdowell and
Wyoming counties, in the southwest
part of the State, are covered with
fine timber and underlaid with BIZ
luminous coal, one vein being IA #.
thick. The Norfolk d Western Rail
road is moving for an extension
through this country.
"In the Panhandle counties the
rich oil fields of Pennsylvania have
been traced across the line, and al
ready, in Hancock county, 100 wells
have been sunk and more than ST.
900. 900 expended.
"In Mercer and adjoining coun-
ties in the extreme southern portion
of the State the development of the
coal deposits is being carried on
with energy, and the population and
visible wealth have increased four
fold in the last year. In other parts
of the State the business of lumber
has advanced with giant strides dur
ing the past year. Other industries
are upon corresponding scale of
and the prosperity of
the State was never SO great or its
future SO promising as now. The
changes of the past two years have
been great, but those of the next few
years will be greater still, and it will
be but short time until the influx
of capital and population will make
the State one of the most prosperous
in the Union"