The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-07-05

~-x,s~lsSSS ke.A., u Logan and Wayne,
- IN West Virginia.
fhcro are vast tracts Of coal land which aro
INST beginning TO show signs of industry, and
which hitherto never sent a ton TO market.
owing q, the fact that there was no railroad
through that district.
The Norfolk and Western railroad, which
los ust completed its extension through
CachNaley IN Ia1ewell county has nowneAr-
ly completed an extension from tnnen valley
+. lrolton. o., where 10 connects with the
S..a Valley division OF The Norfolk and
Western. which has rs terminus az Columbus.
d This new extension Viii gave the southern
p4tt of Virginia direct line with the West
\.to.k. with It's fine harbor Will have a
O sst line 10 Chicago and the lakes and the
r.sl fields of + ocaAontas VIII be opened both
90 the East and West
sOCrHwEsrERS VIRGINIA.
Toy the past ten wears the attention q CAPT.
e., SIS has been called % the southwestern
roron az the state of Virginia, AID towns
s.ch as Roanoke rave maQe great advances.
4 q westward tendency did not stop at Fix
iorn but having found vast resources there.
Ire railroad has followed the Pug Fork Of the
jig sandy Tor more than hundred miles,
then crosses over and goes down the Twelve
Pole Valley 10 keDOwYa. West Virginia.
town recently laid out The name OF the
town. 10 viii be observed, Is made Of the alb
hresjatons of the names of the three States
kon.-O.-W. Va Through the western part Of
West Virginia there is "a large portion of coun-
~ which is uneXCeIed in scenery and Wild
rcss. and which seems 10 retain that solitude
81 had before America was discovered 10
tle traveller this IS the most interesting pOr-
ton Of the State.
AMOUNTATNOUs COUNTRY.
The country through this region is omoun-
fN...r D.
mile in any direction The height 81 the hills
range from three 10 six hundred feet and
there is no level land except IN the marrow
Valleys The hills in Logan county are m9h,
Ilt present q harsh look, but the hIls I'D the
Iwelye-pole Valley are lower than those in
Logan and present q beautiful Wow, Tor they
are covered with grass, flowers and trees from
tom O. top. IN the more interior portion
of the the State deer, panthels ana Dear
abound and there are no horses except I'D the
valley. and natives there 1--we the lie Oh
pioneer
sees openings for coal in almost every mii
through the Twelye-Pole Valley. These coal
veins are usually from four 10 SIX feet tAlch
The conl in TINS portion of the country olns
northwest, and frequently dips at the rate DI
thirty feet to the mile There certainly rests
upon the South great demand for IaiIoa s.
one wear ago the mineral Of this portion oI
the State did not give emp Oyuent % Single
native except when coal was for any private
use. whereas now there is greater demand
for laborers than the country can supply.
over the mountains and lu tho hOAoWs every
native has his coal bank. which Is usually IN
d branch or under q large projecting sand
atone rock.
I'm one place found that a moro energetic
native he'd built his house at the foot oil q hill
aud constructed "a trough from the coal bank
on the hill TO the kitchen; thus the coal was
slid from the opening - the kitchen door
The nearer You approached the Ohio river
the smaller the hills and the less and poorer
thgcoM becomes. The geology of West Nlr-
GINA is one of it's most interesting features,
for all of the formations OF rock VIII be seem
ROCK AND WATER.
II is generally observed that where rock
runs horizontally the water Is not good and
IS near the surface aud where rock runs dag
onAly the water is GOOD and a we'll must bo
deep. Through West Virginia tie rock runs
horizontally. aud on the hill well fifteen
feet deep VIII never 20 dry. Ihswater how
ever, is not very good.
Through the western part Of the state there
OF. very fine specimens OF petritacton found
lyug on the surface of the ground. ! have
found on the roadside q petrlhed log two
feet long and one foot in diameter and tre-
olently have found limbs Of trees two inches
81 diameter, IN Win tho bark WAS preserved
pertectlv On one large boulder some twenty
feet long which was blasted from cut on
tie Norfolk and Western railroad. found
Nat one side was covered so thick with
wood impressions that the natural surface Of
ue rock could not be seen. one foreman
found a petufed snake IN rock cut, which
Is truly a wonderful thing.
ANATURAL CURIOSITY.
Among some of the curiosities in West Viz
GINA is % natural bridge which is in such
remote place that no public mention has ever
been made of 10. and traveller
gong over would never notice 1t.
The span is an arch Of gray sand
stone forty feet long. A large boulder IS
Lear the span and the county road passes over
both boulder and arch This bridge las no
taken away some of Is grandeur Again,
some fossils are found undert the arch, and the
w0uli-be abutments have rough holes and
ssul-shaped projections. all OF which show
past action Of water This bridge Is IN Wayne
county. very near the Twelve POle.rNer, on the
famous MID creek divide.
Among her resources West Nlrg MA 10 not
lacking in natural gas, for near Warileld there
sle Two natural gas wells, both OF when nave
been "a fire for long time.
NATURAL GAS AND OIL.
In the Tug river there is q certain place
where the gas comes out of the river and
hafgemen OF lumber Tatters take great pleas
ure ia showing some friend magic act by
sinking q match and lighting the gas. winch
buns for few minutes. one citizen wishing
G. add oil 10 the number of products had
several barrels of oil poured down well Just
te'ore the arr val OF some Northern capital
Isis The discovery OF OH was made known
and band became very valuable 1or awhile,
but The scheme did not last long.