The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1895-07-20

Words and Figures bv Ex-Governor A.
b, Fleming.

Words and Figures bv Ex-6OFerE0r A
b. Fleming.
The wealth that lays hidden il
the mines of the State seems almos
too fabulous to be entitled to ere
dence. A celebrated geologist one
said. "The nations that rule th
earth are those that have iron an,
coal, they are the worlds kings.
Judged by this standard, West Viz
GINA hasSa of the king making
substance TO dominate and contro
many nations. In coal alone we hav
more actual work acreage than Penn
sylvania or Great Britain. 1t is
homely and quaint saying that 9Th,
proof of the pudding is the chewing
of the string" and the same rule o
proof is establishing the value o
these vast coal beds in popular ia
vor. Our coal and coke producti
have passed the experimental test
and the increasing regard in which
they are being received may be de
termined from the rapidity Will
which our coal fields are being pur
chased and developed.
COAL PRODUCTION.
The coal production has increased
from 100000 long tons, in round
numbers, in 1880 to 100000 in
1890, but more rapid development
has been made since that time. a.
the total output of last year approx
mated 100000 tons, almost doub-
ling the production of 1890 in three
years. The coke production has beer
proportIonately increased. In 1886
there were 12l, 715 tons manufact
ured in West Virginiaj in 1892 there
were 1913, 449 tons. Notwithstand
ing the mining of coal and the man
ufacturing of coke are industries Of
such recent development, our State
now ranks fourth in the production
of coal and second in the production
of coke, being next to your State in
coke manufacture, and only led by
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois in
the mining of coal With the open
ing of new lines and the extension
of present railraod facilities, these
figures of production will be largely
increased within the next decade, as
the present development merely
skirts the vast area of workable Goa
that will soon be accessible for cheap
and easy operation. The New Riv-
er and Pocahontas vein, which is ex
ceedingly fine coking coal, extends
from the Southern terminal of the
West Virginia d Pittsburg Railroad
on through the counties of Nicholas,
Fayette, Raleigh, Wyoming, Mercer
and Mcdowell, in three of which
counties it is now being extensively
worked, and finds transportation to
ready markets over the lines of the
Chesapeake d Ohio and Norfolk d
Western Railroads, East and West
The coal region penetrated by the
Norfolk d. Western was few years
ago the widest and most thinly set
tied, and undesirable portion of the
State. 1t was country where only
the daring hunter would choose to
camp. Rough, PERCEPTIONS mountains
and scraggy timber marked wild
erness where wild animals were Sc
cure in their hidden retreats, land
the stag in his freedom bounded het-
rily there" Land now yielding $500
per acre, could have been had for
the nominal taxes charged against
them. The Norfolk & Western Rail.
road was built along its ravines, and
the busy hum of industry is now
heard in every valley. Galleries are
in operation in almost every direc-
ton, and at night the heavens are
ablaze with the fires of coke ovens.
A thousand cars come and go daily,
bearing to distant markets the pro
ducts of the mines of this wonderful
region, and a population of thous-
ands of working people have homes
nestled among the hills and valleys
of this once neglected section.
With the coal deposits of the Up.
per Monongahela you are more IA
miliar. From Pittsburg to Weston,
a distance of nearly two hundred
miles, there is an unbroken vein of
the best bituminous Goals in the
world. 1t extends still further south
west through the State, but perhaps
its more valuable qualities are
reached in their perfection within
this area. Some of you, perhaps all
of you, know how high your Pitts
burg coal ranks in the markets OF
the country. The same excellent
qualities attend it in the counties OF
Monongalia, Marion, Harrison and
Taylor, through which the Balti-
more d Ohio railroad runs. Its COX
ing qualities in this section have
been thoroughly demonstrated by
practical experiments, and in the
Fairmont region nearly a million
tons of coal are mined and shipped,
and several hundred thousand tons
of coke are manufactured and sold
But all these details are
somewhat superfuous, as your peo-
Pile are generally acquainted with
the fact that West Virginia is only,
after all, an extension in Souther-
ly direction of the mineral deposits
that have done so much to build up
the great State of Pennsylvania, and
l will leave this subject with a QUO
tation from the highest authority.
The official report of the census when
will contain the following
reference to the mineral deposits OF
West Virginia and it's prospective
growth and importance: mo State
in the Union is more favored in the
extent and diversity of its mineral
products than West Virginia. Her
coal embraces all grades of bitumi-
nous, gas, steam, coking and gas
Goals of the highest qualities. The
natural waterways, improved slack
water navigation, and increasing
railroad facilities are important fac
tors in the development of the re
sources of the State that must soon
be accorded leading position in
wealth and industrial prosperity"
Let Us Have Peace.
New York Herald Ind.
When the new tariff took effect
last August the business depression
was universal, our foreign commerce