The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-08-06
.V0uDDRpUL CHANGg.
What ' a Railroad Has Done for
VA One Little Section,
THE WEST VIRGINIA CENTRAL
How 1t lins Transformed n Wild Rc4
ai0n OF tho State into a Great In.
dustrial Scction...Intcrcs,ing
ttilpr Letter from ftu. Maxwell.

y ~ Letter from ftu. Maxwell.
Special Correspondence Of he In,ei1gaer, !.
u DAVIS, W. Va, August 4.-Jhere a,
! few places in West virpinia. that ca
T. show anch growth pnL prosperity in S
c short atimc, aa n,ay be seen by one wi
k will visit the towns OF Thomas md De
0 Wis. ia Tucker county, on tho West Vii
piuia Central railroad. Tho district O
D Fairfax, which includes the towns o
Thomas and Davis, now has ropula
ton OF over two thousand, A shot
time ago there was not u single perso,
lived in all that region. This is III,
upper waters oi the Black Fork, OF Chea
River: Ever since the settlement o.
the adjacent country, that Is, for n hun.
drcd years or more, that region has
until recently, been regarded uninhah
table. AT any rate, no settlements were
made there.
The district comprises fifty or more
square miles, md lies in high basin,
enclosed Oh tho one side by the BACK.
bone mountain, and on tho other by tho
Allegheny. The mean elevation is about
three thousand feet.
! Originally, the country was wild. rug.
ged and uninv!ting. Covered as II WIS
BY dense masses OF laurel, and shaded by
thick forests OF evergreen, the ground
was always cold and damp. The soil in
most places was not good, and there
was nothing to invite settlers to clear
away the forest. 1t was not believed
that grains would grow.
A PE1MEvAL FOREST.
Thus years and generations passed
away, and the whole region was left in
it's primeval wildness. Sportsmen from
the outside world sometimes went thers
to Kill deer, bear and gamc OF various
kinds; and TO take the trout with which
the many streams OF water abounded.
Ola hunters had regular huntinggrounds
here ard there about over the vast
domain, and at certain Seasons OF tho
year, particularly in the fail, they would
20 there and remain in camp for days.
and then return to the settlements loud.
Sd "Hsd tbS ofttt6 VI ti}t tHuSS,
But there was not in NIL the region n
single person who made bis hume there.
A lew hardy hunters or sporsmen came
and went, but no one claimed his home
in this wild, where the dense ana
tangled branches OF pines and hemlocks
and the thick growth OF laurel shut out
the sunshine from the eground the whole
year. In the deepest thickets some.
times masses of ice and frozen snow
could be found many weeks after sum
mer had come on all the SURROUNDING
country.
Thus the region once was, but it is not
now whnt it WAS then. That which for
so many years was considered valueless
because the soil was cold and thin, and
the timber absolutely beyond all mar
ket, mas now put on u new appearance.
A GREAT CHANGE.
A few days ago the writer visited the
country and saw the town, which now
takes the eplace of'thc laurel brakes Of for-
mer times: The railroad now passes
through the region, opening IN what
ever is there, to market The timber
itself is source of vast wealth. nnd
many years must come before the mills
eau cut up the great supply. Tho
amount Of cherry timber is great. and
the quality excellent. Millions on mil
lions Of feet have already been cut and
sent to market, and the supply seems
about the same as at first,
The cherry timber which 40 for hos
been reached has been brought princi-
pally from the region south Of Davis on
the Black Fork. 1t is hoated down that
stream, and is arrested at Davis by n
boom thrown across the river, and in
theEe sawed into lumberand shipped by
rail by any part OF the world where Il is
needed. ~ nl.
This industry is OF great value. The
company which handles tho greater mart
OF the cherry has one OF the finest mills
in the State. When the SIMPLY grow
ing Immediately along the river Is ex-
hausted, it will only be necessary to
penetrate further from tho buuka tn
open up new fields. Nor is cherry thn
only hard wood that is OF value. The
ash is found in large quantities, and OF Il
quality not surpassed.
vi the softer grades Of lumber, hem
lock and spruce, principally, tho Guanti.
ty is TO great that no one has as vet ever
made careful estimate OF what it viii
amount to-. This wood is not of the
highest market value, but there Ia ~
much Of it, and so convenient 10 be had
that a large revenue is in it Tor the Inn, :,
bermen. The lumber Is coarse-prained
and is not used when finer qualities ns
wood are wanted; but for rough IRAN.
Ing for buildings, and for heavy bridges
and trestllns, it is as good as the higher
| eU. GREAT ENTERPRISE,
A great enterprise for the present. bnt
one that will not last forever, ia lin Inn
barY industry. The largest tannerv j.,
the State is at Davis, and this cons;n 40
vast amounts Of bark. The bark necls
from the trees only for few weeks in
the year, and the supply for tho wholo
year must be laid in while it will Neal
AS the season advances, the bark hs.
comes tight 10 the tree and will not co,no nv
on. Consequently, when the time comoo
for peeiinh bark, the whole avaiiabl'
force OF men is put to that work anI "pao ~
woods are filled with tho aopnJirn '1s9 a;
axes, the falling OF trees, and the nois,. ~.
Of men and teams. The work dooa a',ae na.
last long, and every body makes Ihe ~, ,nnvt not
OF it while it does last. 'A' 'nost
After the burk is peeled, there Ia yat
work Tor men and tean for a lonp = limo = w
hauling it to the railroad or tanvard' '
The Davis tannery has inauy larce yirts H.u'
Of bark stored away; 30 much Nat ,atN1 +
looks to one not posted in The busin 'V ess 40
tbnt score OF yca,s cannot use u''l''' il mn
When the bark pecle,s have done tps;r
work, the woods look white with the tia
peeled trunks Of tho trees. These prs m
not left to waste. Next coma | the Ion' mo-
cutters, and the heavy teams, saw.
Ing into lensthe .ilps fallen trees, an and
hauling tho logs to the mills 10 !, n,t M
into lumber. ~ Is ea' ~
WOOD For PAPER,
| Bntby no means lhegrea.ess portion ia
cut into lumber. There ia still annthar 10 :
use to which small logs as we'll 'es M ,hs
larger are put. They arc rawa'l
into pieces about four fee. lon.
This is called "pulp.wood." tia snl,,
at good price 10 eastern paper miiia lila
! -k.<~