The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-08

Free navigation on the Monongahela
river was lnaugurated by the govern
ment yesterday and the Navigation Com
pany will no longer receive tolls, The
papers have all been "sgned, sealed and
delivered" and the great shipping inter-
ests from the head OF navigation down
have ceased to pay tribute for the priv
iIege OF reaching the market. This all
means a great deal for West Virginia.
and particularly for the upper Monnn-
gahela coal fields
In anticipation OF the free river cap
ltal had its attention attracted to the
rich opportunity up the river In West
Virginia, where lay bodies OF coal ter
ritory undevelaped. and which It would
not pay to develop until the great un-
dertaklng which was completed yester-
day could be contaminated Between
the Falrmont region and the Pittsburgh
district these lands have been taken up
by Pennsylvania capital, and now that
the river Is free the development will
shortly begin and new industrial re-
gion created,
Farther up in West Virginia. in the
Fairmont and Clarksburg regions, the
people are vitality concerned, for, with
the river improvements which will make
Falrmont soon, and Clarksburg later on
the head OF navigation. the splendid coal
fields will be placed within easy access
to the markets through cheap water
transportation. An idea may be gained
Of the magnitude OF the territory to be
developed as result OF free navigation
and the extension OF slack-watrr to
Fairmont from the following extract
from n Unlontown, Pa, dispatch;
Free navigation is also causing stir
in West Virginia. and coal lands are
becoming active there. Several years
ago a coal speculative fever struck
Jinlontown and many thousands OF
acres of coal lands In the Fairmont and
Clarksburg wv. Val fields were taken
by a score or more OF companies COM
posed chiefly OF people here with money
10 invest. They have fair prospects that
their investment will now show them
profit, their purchases being mostly
made with view to the rise in prices
free navigation would bring. II Is es-
timated that Uniontown's holdings In
West virginia coal lands will amount
TO 10000 acres bought at from $40 10
S35 an acre.
Others have been reaching out for
this cheap coal, among them some Pitts
burgh capitalists. James NJ. Guffcy and
others bought 5000 acres OF ll-fOot coal
In Garrett county, Maryland. and Pres
ton county, West Virginia, year or
more ago, and two weeks ago their
agent secured another block OF coal ad-
joining OF 1000 acres.
Chief Engineer j. j. Janeway, OF
Greensburg, is now In the field with a
force to begin the construction of a rail-
road from Point Marion on the Baltl-
more & Ohio, at the junction OF the
Cheat and the Monongahela rivers, 10
Guffey's coal field. distance of forty
i've miles up the Cheat river. Others
have options on considerable bodies of
coal which this proposed road viii reach,
and all Of the timber lands now being
cleared by Fayctto county lumber com
panies Is undcrlaid with l1-foot veins
Of coal, which this road Will bring into
rnarkf. Options have been taken on
10000 cares OF this coal lately
In addition to thsse details nnd prep
arstiens fer an Invasion of West vir-
ginla By capital as n direct result OF the
river improvements. which the West
Virginia and Western Pennsylvania con-
gresslonal delegations have so success
fully worked for, others of stu greater
magnitude are on foot and the develop
ment foreshadowed promises a great
and prosperous future for the region af-
fected. In the language OF Pittsburgh
contemporary, It looks as though the
Upper Monongahela valley will see
great awakening and an industrial prog
ress unparalleled In that vicinity.