Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-03-27

Ing State school taxes, aBeieAalo %
cents on the 500 valuation. The State
is out OF debt, aud, in fact, cannot Gre
ate a debt under her constitution, ex-
cen, 20 meet a casual or temporary de-
fciepcy ia the revenues, and such debt
must be provided for by the Legislature
next after its creation. The financial
depreSsion of last year was scarcely no
ticeable I'm West Virginia. Only two
concerns of commercial Importance
failed: but one bank was compelled 10
close its doors, and that only for a few
weeks The last report Of the State
Bank Examiner shows al our banks 10
be In good condition. We had invested
ip State and national banks In 1892
S5,OI7, 4SG capital, while the aggregate
deposits therein amounted 70 Sl5,l6l,-
Sal, showing an increase Of Sl,563, $50
over the deposits of the previous year.
As vet we have no report for the year
1898. am aware that these figures
must seem small 10 Pittsburg capital
lists, but I give them TO show
THE FINANCIAL CONDITION
OF our people, with the comment that
our wealth, in the form OF currency, Is
vastly disprODortionate in amount 10
that exhibited in property form.
West Virginia is verita0le store
house OF mineral aAd natural wealth.
10 is said, and upon authority so an
cient as 20 be worthy OF all acceptatalon
/ am sure, that after the Maker OF the
Universe had separated the land from
the water be set about planting the
substance which would produce the
various kinds OF minerals. 10 one sec
ton be distributed one or more KINDS,
but when be came to West Virginia ne
upset the basket and spilled the wnole
on her territory. In any event the TACT
remains, that within her boundaries Is
found nearly every valuable mineral ue-
posit OF every country, except the precl-
Gus metals, gold and silver.
But her mineral wealth IS not the
only element upon which her people
may rely 20 lay the foundation Tor
future wealth and prosperity. Except
in the mountain ranges, her soil Is main
~ rich and generous In the yield OF
farm products. Its adaptability TO
grazing is scarcely eXcelledd, save in
small section OF Kentucky, known as
the blue grass region, and l have H.
from what 4 regard as good authority
that the number OF acres in West Nlr-
GINA indigenous TO blue grass, exceeds
that which mas given Kentucky the rep
uatiOn Of being the best grazing state
To the Union.
But perhaps the sGbiect which inter-
ests you, as representatives OF large
manufacturing interests, Is the plentl-
tude of fundamental materials wnlch
enter into the manufactures for which
your city has established great repu-
tatiOn. There are more than EOOO,OOO
acres Of forest lands 10 West virginia;
10000 square miles Of coal, vast quantl-
ties OF iron, pools Of petroleum, and nat
urai gas apparently unlimited, & ass
sands, limestone, pOtters' and hre clay
Possibly, in view OF the close rela-
tions about TO be established, more spe-
ciic information on this subject VIII
not be without interest
OUR FORESTS COVER
nearly one-bali Of the surface Of the
State, and embrace great variety OF
both hard and soft woods. The leading
varl,t as are oak, poplar, pine, spruce
and uem.Ock, though much walnut,
cherry and ASH can still be found In the
interior counties. More than one-thtrd
of all the poplar in the United States IS
fOuUd in our state. The less valuable
hard woods, beech, hickory, maple AMI
birch. are generally distributed through
ont the State. The Alexander Lumber
Co. has, within a few months past, sold
for use in Pittsburg and vicinity,
900 600 feet OF maple flooring TO be
sawed from our forests. One-third or
our poplar and hard woods, and practl-
cally all of our spruce and paper stock
can be- brought on a descending grade
10 Pittsburg. The activity displayed In
opening up and developing our timber
regions can scarcely be understood by
those familiar with the old time, prlml-
tive numbering methods ia vogue in the
earlier days Of the State. Huge saw
mills, with all the modern appliances
FOR cutting aud handling lumber, are
located I'M nearly all available sections
OF the country. One at Camden-on-
Gauley, q station on the Camden system
OF railroads, only established TWO years
ago. cost over S1OO 600, and has CaDa-
city for cutting over 30000,O0O feet OF
lumber year. To give SOm5 idea Of
the magnitude Of the lumber wealth OF
the State, I may add that, nOtwith-
standing this immense capacity, this
particular mill has timber sufficient,
easily accessible TO it, 70 supply IL FOR
thirty years. Other extensive mills, one
even larger, and others almost as large,
are located st Sutton, Alexander and
Pickens. on the West Virginia and
Pittsburg Railroad; at Davis DCbbin,
Rulings, Parsons and other points on
the West Virginia Central and Pitts
burgh Railroad, aud az points on the
Norfolk and Western and Chesapeake
and Onto Railroads aud their branches
in the southern portion Of the State,
nearly all of which have been recently
constructed. The total output OF
WEST VIRGINIA LUMB.R
runs into hundreds OF millions of feet
annually, of which over 125, 0O0 600 feet
is uoDlar, $4,000, 600 feet hard wood,
and $4,000, 900 spruce, and our forests
annually furnish 5O,OOO,O 600 feet OF lum-
Der i'm logs 10 the Ohio river mills, in
the States of Ohio and Kentucky.
Spruce timber which makes quite a
valuable lumber, covers an area eSti-
mated 10 be over 100000 'es In ex-
tent. and is so dense in many sections
that it rs considered by some experts
/ that 10 will average nearly 10000 feet OF
/ merchantable lumber to the acre, be-
Q sides an immense quantity not large
enough 90 cut, which is easily convert
: ed into wood pulp, and will supply many
I .r,-t. ,f tbfc DroEra HE Industry Ra-
sides the larger mills on our railroads
there are many localities where the
primitive methods Of numbering are not