The evening times., 1899-04-08
new COAL Fields
IN WEST VIRGINIA
Plans for Developing Preston
County's Rich Deposits.
Thousands Of Acres Of Fuel Lands
and Virgin Forest.
cor.u,w~ Ju.o.unr.fed In Ru.ld n
Company Incorporated to Build q
RailrOad I'm Connection With
the Project.

Cumberland, Nd, April S.-John Sliny,
of Cory, Pa, who has spent much Of five
years in work preliminary to the develop
ment of the lands of the Preston Coal and
Coke Company of West Virginia, soon to
begin, was in Cumberland Thursday en-
route to Rowlesburg, W. Va, the ceat of
present operations.
Mr.. Sliny talked freely in regard to the
intentions OF the company. year or two
ago he sunk wells in the vicinity OF New
burg. Preston county, W. Va. at great
cost. to find that no oil existed. He is con-
fident that there is no oil in Preston toun-
ty.
He said that preliminary TO the devel-
opment of the coal fields a railroad would
be built from Cecil. in Barbour county,
six and half miles up the river from
Grafton. through Taylor and Preston coun-
ties to Rowlesburg, on the Baltimore and
Ohio distance OF thirty-five miles. Two
corps of surveyors will be at work by the
middle of this month and the road would
be completed before the expiration of the
year. 1t will traverse the lands of the
Preston Coal and Coke Company. 1t Was
thought at first that feasible route could
not Re found. as an elevation Of one thou
sand feet would have to be overcome. The
first ten miles is on the water level. The
highest grade is less than seventy feet to
the mile. and the whole line will not aver
age thirty-five feet to the mile.
The coal lands purchased and under
lease aggregate $1,000 acres, $1,000 acres
of which is virgin forest. Wherever the
land was covered by fine timber, Mr..
he. hnn nttfri u
The tract contains five paying seams OF
coal in the mountain above water and two
below water The seams run from seven
TO thirteen feet in width. There is seam
of camel coal four feet wide and above
water. All this coal is accessible and To-
eco acres can be mined in the cheapest
manner known to the American miner
drifting. The miners can go right IN with
the drift which is a tremendous advantage
over the shaft. The lands of the company
cover almost the entire southwestern por-
tion of Preston county.
Mr. Sliny is particularly elated on ac-
count of the undoubted existence of can
mel coal in the land. This is one OF the
most valuable OF the different varieties of
high grade fuel. He said: las domestic
ccal its cheerful flame and easy combus-
ton render II particularly suitable for coy
libraries in the dwellings of those who can
afford to use it. 1t has long sold at a high
price owing to Its limited quantities in
the American coal fields, and is still
among the list of the valuable imported
luxuries which, if used, one must pay well
for the privilege. a four-foot seam of this
coal is found in the hills of the Preston
tract. everything almost all of the property
Its possibilities as an export and as a gas
enricher are difficult to estimate. Ii is
practically dustless, and its ashes almost
as white flour. are used for fertilizer
Much of this coal is imported from Eng
land and now at New Orleans il sells fos
$12 tom
Mr.. Sliny stated that the coal generally
in the tract was equal if not superior TO
the best of the Connellsville region of
Pennsylvania. 1t is comparatively free
from sulphur and tests show that il bears
up from 800 10 400 more pressure to the
square inch. The Jonas Wolf vein meas
ures eleven feet in thickness with nine and
a half feet of coal. undisturbed by taults.
slate partings. or any impurities. The av-
erage thickness of the Connellsville seam
is put at nine feet. The Jonas Wolf
vein was opened by farmer of that name
some forty or fifty years ago. Local resi-
dents came as far as twenty-five miles for
this coal for blacksmithing purposes. Wolf
developed it only in crude way. but he
made thousands OF dollars out of ii. The
best OF coke is made from the coal.
rough calculation of the coal secreted in
the hills of the Preston Coal and Coke
Company's tract alone would amount TO the
enormous total of 1250. 900 tons an amount
Of coal equal to the entire output of the
State of Pennsylvania. both anthracite and
bitumnous. during the past fifteen years.
The tract also contains four grades of
limestone rock
The Preston Coal and Coke Company is
incorporated under the laws of West Vir-
ginia, with s.. .000, 900 capital. II is stated
that not a cent of the stock is on the mar
ket, for the reason that ii is not for sale.
The directors are James NJ. Guffey, of
Pittsburg: Samuel B. Huey, of Philadel
phia; John Sliny, of Cory. and William ].
Nicolls, of Philadelphia. Mr.. Nicolls is
president, Mr.. Huey secretary and treas
urer and Mr.. Sliny general manager
Mr.. Nicolls, who is a geolOgist. advances
the theory that the Preston coal is a con-
tinuation of the Georgia vein. The Jonas
Wolf vein is a wonderful work of nature.
appearing as if "some volcanic eruption
had thrown it up. The Preston coal tract
is within fifteen miles of Garrett county,
Nd. The West Virginia Railroad Company
was recently chartered TO build the pro-
posed line through the field.