Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-12-13
Speeial telegram to ne Reasfer.

coal = lucut> lulCh. dhoVuSi mas ~
inches Of pure camel coal, Oyerlaid with
Splint coal: one vein is % feet
thick, with feet of parting
Z feet from the floor; one
vein four feet thick is supposed to be
the Eagle" vein from which coke Is
made at Eagle, in the Kanawha valley.
A corps Of geologiStS were here for six
or eight weeks opening up these veins,
and when they had completed. the chieI
of them said: 1T seems rs if the Lord,
when'sprinkling minerals through West
Virginia. had set His basket down in
Boone county," Another said in his re-
port that the coal in this field was so
th.-;. that :. actually seemed to bulge
out" y
sThere is one thing about the Poca-
hontas coking coal fields said our in
lormal.. ~ hish until recently seems
TO have been generally overlooked, but
which gives it incalculable yalUe-itS
proximity To the ore fields OF Virginia.
From the Potomac river 10 below Bir-
mingham, Ala, the Blue Ridge and the
AlleghenieS are full OF iron ore. The
PocahontaS coal field, extending from
Webster and Nicholas counties, West
Virginia. to Tazewell and Russell coun-
ties. Virginia, is the only field Of cokinS
coal. OF any size, in the United States,
south of C6nnellSville, Pa. On this field
not only does the South draw, but the
West and Southwest Already the
Norfolk and Western Railroad Company
/ is shipping coke from the ElkhOrn val
/ ley TO Chicago, Cincinnati and ST. Louis
/ by way OF New river, Bristol, Knoxville
/ and Chattanooga. When the Ohio eX-
tension of the Norfolk and Western Is
completed from Elkhorn to lronton, o.,
! il will save over 500 miles ia the dis
tance TO Chicago and the Northwest.
What about the timber in this coun-
try?" he was asked, and he replied that
the entire territory was covered with
the finest forest growth.
/ Speaking Of the extension Of the Nor
/ folk and Western railroad, my inform
lant said that he had been told by the
ceief engineer of the road that he ex-
pected TO have tracks laid TO the mouth
of Beech, in Logan county, by the first
OF next June. BY the first OF July the
track will be laid from Ironton, at the
other end, 10 the head of Twelve Pole,
where will be the Twelve Pole and Lau-
rel tunnel, and from Elkhorn TO the
other end of the tunnel. IL will be per
haps twelve months from the present
time till the tunnel is completed,
though the work is being pushed with
all possible speed. The tunnel will be
:. 500 feet long. Men are now working
at both ends of il and in the middle, but
il will take a good while yet to COM
plete il.
As soon as the line is completed to
the Ohio river, the company will begin
at once the construction Of parallel
line, beginning at the head of Twelve
Pole, thence TO Logan c. H., up the
Guyan river TO the head of Pinnacle
fork. across the Flat Top mountains al
Peters gap, down Cranes creek to con
meet with the main line at or near Bram-
well. i'm Mercer county. In the course
of time branch roads will be built up all
the creeks emptying into the main
streams Of Tug and GuyandOtte rivers.
These two lines of the Norfolk and
Western will open the richest coal and
timber fields in America, and Will give
the Norfolk and Western over 1000
miles Of railroad. Beyond Ironton they
have purchased the Miami Valley road,
and il is understood they have completed
traffic arrangements with other roads
To Chicago. making another great
through line from Chicago to the sea-
board.
The Baltimore and Ohio people are
also endeavoring TO get down into this
rich section. 1t is reported in the last
few days that johnson \. Camden is ne
gotiating for the purchase of about 80.
600 acres of iron ore lands on Potts
creek, Allegheny county, in which Il
number of Charleston men are interest
ed. The Potts creek region is said to
be the richest in iron OF any region in
America.
1T is fact that few months ago
the Baltimore " Ohio people obtained
from Mr. Camden $1,000 acres survey
laying principally in Nicholas and Web
Ster counties and are now extending
two lines of roads, one from Buckhan-
non up the BuckhannOn river TO the
head of Williams river into these lands,
and another from Weston TO Braxton
Court House If ii be true that they
have closed their purchase in Allegheny
County, Va, it shows cOncluSively that
they are reaching far out into the ter
ritOry not only OF the Chesapeake n
Ohio, but of the Norfolk X Western as
well.
1T seems strange to me that Mr.. In
gals has not secured this rich iron field,
I f,f1 In
chase of cOking coal lands, as both are
perhaps within 90 miles of each other
as close as in any other section of this
country, except, perhaps, in Alabama.
Ii looks very much as if the President
of the c. Il o. had been caught mapping.
It is a wel-known fact that Henry Il.
Davis is also extending the West Vir-
ginia Central as rapidly as possible into
the iron fields in the neighbor-
hood of Goshen and Clifton Forge,
Virginia. They have had engineers
at work all summer and fall,
looking out the most practical route
from the head of the Cheat and Valley
rivers to the head of Jackson and Cow
pasture. They having abundance of
coke all along the line on the Black
water. near Davis. Tucker county, are
reaching out for the iron fields of Vir
ginia. They are also extending their
line from ElkinS, Randolph county. to
Fairmont and down the Monongahela to
connect with the Pennsylvania system,
with which it is believed they have
made traffic arrangements.