The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-09

Charleston, W, Va, Correspondence or
"W b. sim st, Louis Globe-pemoerat'
III the strike was over" said Cover
mar Atkinson, sitting in his office at the
capitol and letting his vision roam over
thebeautiful Kanawha hills, wed have
srcb a boom in the coal industry OF
West Virginia as would amaze Tue peo-
pie Of the country ,s,.,
',.This strike" the governor explained
nis n fight for markets, We have the
better coal. and we can mine II cheaper
man the operators in ohio and Penn
sylyania. They can't mine ana sen IN
the markets that we can. They nave TO
keen putting down prices ana lowering
wages until they reach the point where
tho miners strike. That Is the secret OF
the present trouble. 1t is another case
Of the survival OF the flttest, our peo-
nile get better wages and mine easier.
some OF them claim thar they are not
setting what they ought, but my I'M
Outstanding Is, the strike, as far MS 1t
has extended In West Virginia, is all on
account Of sympathy with the miners
in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Our miners
who have stopped work have done II IN
response to-appeals from the agltators
that 1t is necessary to help the miners
OF other states where the conditions are
not so favorable as they are here. The
fact is the operators elsewhere are en-
gagged in Il death struggle to hold their
markets"
The governor did not say so, but 1t
is common talk through the coal re-
glons OF West Virginia that the opera
tors, not the unions OF Pennsylvania
and Ohio, are most active in sending
Maid agitators to this state to induce
the miners to strike. They are moved
10 such methods by fear of losing theic
markets while their own mines are
shut down. Outside operators are more
Interested than outside miners in Shut
ting down West Virginia mines. one
does not have to travel far In the coal
regions OF this state 10 discover that
there is none OF the usual aggressive
spirit In the West Virginia strike and
that those miners who are out have
stopped work under protest.
I'VE have had no violence" said the
governor, land no Indications of such q
spirit"
The cheapness Of coal production In
West Virginia Is almost Incredible.
common sight in Charleston Is to see
negroes, who own horses and wagons,
peddling coal In the streets at from nifty
TO sixty cents for all they have in the
load. These retailers go outside OF the
city limits few miles, dig hole in the
side of hill, shovel the coal into the
wagon and haul II into the city with
out saying "by your leave" to anybody,
Ex-Governor MacCOrkle startled n
committee Of Congress few months ago
by telling them that West Virginia
coal was being mined and put on the
cars for from sixty to eighty-fve cents
q ton, and delivered on board ship at
the Atlantic coast for $l.S0 ton, or at
the mouth Of the Mississippi for Sl.55
per ton, with profit on mining and
transportation. He showed that this
was the cheapest coal production in the
world.
"The average price per ton at the
mines Of West Virginia" said eX-Gov-
ernor MacCorhle, us seventy-five cents,
the cheapest in the world This is as
against Sl.2i in Colorado. 1913 in Wash.
ington, ninety-three cents In Alabama,
Sl.S in Belgium, $2.25 in Japan, from
Sl.75 to S2.25 in New South Wales, and
from $i,65 to s2.25 In Great Britain. The
cost OF transportation to the mouth Of
the Mississippi is eighty cents ton, the
cheapest inland transportation In the
world"
And then the governor demonstrated
that with the Ncarauguan canal com.
pleted, the Appalachian coal field would
control the coal consumption of the
whole Pacific coast His presentation
was n great revelation Of the POSSIBLE.
i.Ies Of West Virginia development. It
becomes even more impressive after
IaV and a Ytfrbt In TthuvIaHtav
the Knnuwha. By the expenditure OF
about 100000 on eleven dams and locki
the government has made nearly ninety
miles OF slackwater navigation on this
river penetrating n great coal region.
The Chesapeake G. Ohio parallels the
water route. Trains and boats come
and go In quick succession throughout
the entire twenty-four hours The
scream OF the engine is still cchoing
from hill TO hill when the hOarse toot Of
the stern wheeler fills the afr. The traf-
ilc II enormous. More than century
as" George Washington had plan f0r
canal from tidcwater to the Ohio. He
proposed to dam the st. James to itt
headwnters, cross the plateau OF the Al.
leEhenics and come down the Green,
bricr the New and the Knuuwha, 10
was mighty prospect and stamped the
Father ot his Country az first I'm on.
terprisc as well as several other things,
IN after years Virginia damned the
James, huilt the canal 10 tho hcadwn
tcra and Incurred debt which has not
yet been paid. The canal fs only A
memory II was abandoned long ago
George Washington forosaw nothing
ABOUT coal or the locomotive. He was
surveyor and knew natural route
whrn he saw n. To-day the govern.
m'nl 10 bringing to completion this cni
VI hlE waterway ana making II possible
!" k't out TO the world the wealth Of Thu
mountains The speculative market re-.
ouuiy noted sharp advance In ChcGn.
l'"Eo u ohio stock. There ~ enough 10
a, iof both rail and waterway. The
iaglt'r ends at the head Of navigation.
ihr railroad must do the rest There
are great possibilities " traffic IN tho
n,ut luluto The k0nnwhl " only ono
81 N'5l VlIElnia'n conl valleys. II ia
more notable boCnurr llB development
haH hnd an c1rllct start,
"1ho roHt Of the country" said Gov.
ofnor AtIdngDn 'lH lui finding ont
whnt Kind VI Il state Wont VrpInle Id
In a certain fnnru this ~ nm ola riniG.
but HrDglrl7 the ltr1wirGgr OF lta maj.
urnl roanllroHH and their doYpInumrnt IA
80 now territory We are now The third
rtmn M tin tniOn IN tho production NJ
cpnl aud the second in production wi
coke Tho new tnrln ~ very nilarne
tory 10 w. Better times hnvu already
cont" ~ The present intu OF drvriop
mont west VlrFnIn IN i've years win
VI" producing moro ruol and colo than
any other state IN trH Union. We
haven't known until lut0ly whll wu hul.
We were claiming 10000 HlUnrH mllnl Of
tNfl % ihNn llIUr nrn. Stow we hHvr
NIN#H.rlt1 tN0I tL4 t#4t UU.u uF NgY.t