The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-13
STEPHEN r. ELKINs.

cipality in ITSELF They have in that state
hundreds of thousands of acres of fine tim
Der land, thousands upon thousands of
acres of great beds of coal, and they build
their own railroads and ship their coal
and coke over these by the hundreds of
thousands of tons every year to the mark
cts of the world. They have in constant
employ on their West Virginia property
nearly 5000 men, and the number of their
employees is increasing every year. They
are adding to their estate here right along
by the purchase of new land, and within
the past few weeks they have bought more
than 1900 acres. 1t is almost impossible
to calculate the value of these lands.
The fifty miles of coal land along
their railroad, which they own,
is fortune in itself, and parts
of these coal beds are fourteen feet deep.
1t is estimated that one foot of coal will
produce 900 tons to the acre and a four
teen-foot vein will produce 1900 tons to
every acre. Only one of the West Vir-
ginia veins measure as much as fourteen
feet, but the fifty miles of coal lands
which Secretary Elkins and Senator Davis
own, contain many millions of tons and
they have it so located that 1t can be made
easily available by their railroads. This
coal is noted for its fine coking qualities
and they now have many hundreds of
great ovens for the making of coke
along the line of their railroads.
Secretary Elkins tell me that at
no distant day they expect TO have
thousands of these coking ovens
in operation, and he is enthusiastic as to
the possibilities and the prospects of
West Virginia. He has such faith in it
that he is gradually Withdrawing his
money from his Western investments and
is planting it in West Virginia, and he
says that the state has the best location
and the finest natural resources of any of
the undeveloped states. Secretary Elkins'
home in West Virginia is one of the finest
in the United States. 1t contains over
ninety rooms, and is one of the wonders of
modern architecture. He has also a house
in New York, and he lives here
at Washington City in Senator Palmer's
big brown stone mansion within a
stones throw of the White House and not
far from Secretary Blaine. Mr.. Elkins
has been so closely associated with Blaine
that he has gotten to be known more as
Blaine's friend than Stephen b. Elkins.
He is great personality in himself, how
ever, apart from Blaine, and during sew
eral long chats which have recently had
with him 1 have been surprised at his
breadth of thought and originality of idea
and expression.
Let me tell you how he looks. He is
one of the biggest men l have ever known.
Standing over six feet in his stockings,
his bread shoulders are well padded with
muscular flesh and his big arms make you
think of those of Sampson and his legs
are firm and strong. He is not fat. but
his massive frame mas no angles, and he is
the personihcation Of energetic health.
He has great, big, round head which is
fastened to his stout shoulders by a strong
well-made neck, and his face shines with
the rosy iron of pure blood and his clear
blue eyes look out from under broad, open
brOws- He has strong jaw but there are
pleasant lines about his mouth and his
short, strong, white teeth are often shown
in way Of laugh. His hair is now white.
II is cut short and you can see the rosy
scalp showing through its frosted silver
strands. Secretary Elkins' face is smooth
shaver ana its mobility is shown in the
changes Of expression which pass over it
as his thought turns from grave to gay as
he talks. His face impresses you with its
cleanliness and his words are as clean as
his skin. He never uses slang or profanity
and he once told me that be had never in
all his life uttered 4 word which he would
be ashamed to repeat in the presence Of
the purest woman he knew. There is
nothing snobbsh or sanctimonious, how
ever, in his talk. he is perfectly frank
and open. He is as outspoken
as boy and he makes me think
more than anything else OF a good boy
grown up. He is a man of wide reading
and classical training. He had entered
| the University of Missouri at II and grad
uated al Is, and he has been student all
| his life. He had FOR a time the college
| boys idea Of mans mission In the world,
and thought that study and reading was
| the chief end OF man. He got over this,
| however. when he jumped into active life
| in his law practice in New Mexico, and
| found that brains and force were eXerted
with great effect without the aid of Greek
| or Latin, and where he supplemented his
| education by fighting legal and business
| battles in the most stirring parts of the
! West.
Secretary Elkins was born in Ohio. His
| ancestors were Eirginians, and his grand
| father was a nah of considerable wealth
| and a STAKEHOLDER. He svmpathized, how
| ever, with President Jefferson's enancipa-
| ton scheme. and he moved 10 Ohio and
| bought a great lot of land in the southern
part OF the state. Among other property,
| he owned about :, 90 acres in the Hooking
| valley. and this land Is now worth at least
| 81. 10000. Ii IS in the best OF the coal
| heds. and it was sold by Mr. Elkins'
| father for little or nothing Secretary
Elkins' grandfather settled IN Perry