The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-06-04

ural route, arrangements having been
completed with the Baltimore & Ohio,
by which the Grafton & Greenbrier will
be made "a standard gauge. The West
Virginia Central will use the Baltimore
& Ohio tracks from Grafton to Morgan
town, and from the latter point'a road
will be built TO connect with the Balti-
more & Ohio system at UniontoWn, Pa,
thus giving a through line to Pitts
burgh.
For twenty.six miles up the beautiful
Tygart's Valley river the Grafton &
Greenbrier, an important tributary to
the Baltimore &9hio, runs to Philippi,
Barbour county, the scene OF the first
battle of the war Of the Rebellion, but
no longer place Of mere historic inter
est. Being the centre OF vast region
OF great possibilities, surrounded by
magnificent mineral lands yet undevel-
oped, it has bright future before it us
an industrial city. From there the road
runs to Belington, to which point the
West Virginia Central is being extended
from Efdns. It is over the Grafton &
Greenbrier road that the West Virginia
central will reach the Monongahela
river and secure a route to Pittsburgh.
To return to Gratton-that city is al
ready the scene Of active operations in
the line Of development. Among the
industries already established in this
bustling town are the famous Blatchley
wooden pump factory, an immense
plant, an ice factory, two or three large
planning mills, the product Of one Of
which is for the foreign market; cigar
box factory, the product Of which goes
to Europe. There are q number OF
minor enterprises here, and room for
many more. Owing to the fact that tho
surrounding country is SO rich in the
raw material, Grafton is destined to
become an important manufacturing
point.
NEwBuRa AND VICINITY.
Newburg, in Preston county, is tho
next important point on the road. 1t
Is mining town and extensive works
are located there, giving employment to
many people. One OF the richest veins
OF coal In the State is worked. North Of
Newburg is the Irondale furnace, where
Ol6 VI IA0 4AGlGab AAOA bGAAAlpLlGb III
West Virginia is being developed, a
short branch road the Iron Valley)
reaches these works from the main line.
Eastward from Newburg the railroad
ascends Cheat mountain, on the side Of
which the coke industry has been con-
siderably developed at Austen. The
Austen Coal and Coke Company run
full capacity all the time, working the
Upper Freeport vein Of coal.
KINewooD AND VICINITY.
On the summit of the mountain is
Tunnelton, lumber shipping point for
the thousands of acres in the magnifi-
cent timber region surrounding. From
here narrow guage road winds its WY
for eleven miles down to Kingwood, the
county seat Of Preston county, one Of
the richest counties in resources in
West Virginia. Coal, for steam, gas
and coke; iron ore, potters clay, fire
clay, glass sand, limestone, are under
every acre and immense quantities Of
fine timber cover the mountains. Iron
orc is found in greater abundance in
Preston than in any Of the surrounding
counties, and has been mined since
1880, before the coming Of the railroad,
but now the region seems to be on the
eve Of a rapid development which will
mako 1t one OF the most important iron
sections in the country.
AT the foot Of the mountain, at Rowles-