The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-11-27
Editorial Correspondence
A DEER HUNT IN WEST
VIRGINIA.
NCOnClntlcdA

(Concudcd)
The average Virginian is an easy
going, shiftless individual, extreme.
ly polite, and is entirely devoid of
that essential element vulgarly call
ed snap" Notwithstanding, this
country is bound to boom, and its
development is only question of
time. Elkins, the present southern
terminus of the West Virginia Con
trail Railroad, is situate 113 miles
from Cumberland, Maryland, on the
Phillip Pike, near tho round barn
known to many of our soldiers. 1t
was opened to this point only last
summer. Heretofore this district
was considered impenetrablc, but
money and muscle work wonders.
The town has 800 inhabitants, and
the sound of the carpenters hammer
and saw is heard in all directions.
The first new building was put up
last March year. A new hotel is
now IN course of erection, which will
accommodate several hundred guests
and n magnificent cut-stonc bank
building is showing It's massive walls
above the ground. The "city limits"
extend over II tract of ground several
miles in area, and considerable
portion IL reserved for manufactur-
ing sights which find much cncom-
agement here. Corner lots sell at
$1,000 each. An electric light plant
will be started in few weeks and
then the little beehive of industry
will assume metropolitan ails. Close
to the town, and on an ominence
within the city limits, stands the
magnificent mansion of Steven b.
ElkirS (which resembles noble
mans castle. 1t was built ut an
enormous expense. We are told
that the architect who built it, trav-
eled one year in Europe at Mr.. FL
kins' expense in search Of u design,
and was then given permission to
build IT regardless of cost. 1t is the
most magnificent structure of the
| kind We have ever seen and is said
to have cost Sl5O,0OO. Mr.. Elkins is
prominent in the councils of the Re
publican party and is immensely
wealthy, Immediately to the right
of Mr.. Elkins' mansion the men are
Mt work preparing the ground for
the erection of another new house
by Senator Davis, which is to even
excel in grandeur and magniiicence
the home of Mr. Elkins, and still
further to the right on another emf
nence is the ground purchased by
Mr.. Kearns, of Missouri, another
immensely wealthy gentleman, who
purposes erecting an expensive
dwelling this summer Among the
other prominent gentlemen who ex-
pcct to locate in this town is Gov
ernor Campbell, of Ohio, who has
purchased II site for dwelling.
Carneagie, the great Pittsburg cap
italist, visited the town II short time
ago and selected location for nm
extensive tin factory, but | am afraid
the Republican reyerses aud kick
the Mckinley bill got at the late cleo
ton have knocked the bottom out of
his plans, He expects to employ
over three hundred hands in the
factory. The Tygart Valley River
runs through the corporation and
furnishes excellent water power, and
the railroad, when completed, will
furnish the shortest route between
Pittsburg and Washington by 1T
miles.
The timber in this region seems
simply imexhaustable. 1t consists
of spruce, hemlock, oak, birch,
beech, cherry and walnut. The
"Canain basin" track said to be
forty by ONE hundred miles in ex-
tent, is In its virgin in state. | am
informed that there are black curled
walnut trees III this track which if
delivered on board ears would be
worth one thousand dollars each. II
do not know what is asked per acre
for this tract of land, but the tract
of Is, 900 acres upon which we hunt.
cd, and which is equally we'll tim
bered is offered at $500 per acre.
The mountains are not in ranges
like ours but are a succession of
cones averaging about two cones
the mile, 1t is estimated that West |
VirginiS has 100000 acres of un-
developed land-a great portion OF