Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-08-05

Bids Fair to Lead All Her Sister States
In the Production of Black Diamonds.
No Other State Has shown Such

| Bids Fair to Lead All Her Sister MATES
In the Production of Black Diamonds.
No other State Has shown Such
Phenomenal Increase in Business.
The record of West Virginia as a
coal producing State is one without
parallel in the history of our develops
ment, says the Geological Survey in
detailed report of the coal produce
tion for 1901. In addition to facts
concerning West Virginla's product
for last year, heretofore published,
the report adds: "During the last
twenty-one years there has been only
one instance in which the production
OF West Virginia was less than that
of the preceding year. This was in
1895, and was due to two causes: the
general strike which prevailed in the
Pocahontas region, and which result.
ed in decrease of /, 100, 600 tons ia
Nc Dowell and Mercer counties, and
the general business depression which
affected the coal mining industry and
all industries In every State during
the year.
Notwithstanding the loss of L.
100, 900 tons in Mcdowell and Mercer
counties, and the general depression,
the total production OF the State de-
creased In that year only 240, 600
thousand tons. During the twenty
one years that the history of coal pro-
duction has been recorded by the ge-
illogical survey the coal production Of
West Virginia has increased an av-
erage of over /, 900, 900 tons each year.
Notwithstanding its decreased
production in 1895, West Virginia
in that year exceeded the output OF
Ohio which up to that time held
third place as coal producer.
''Since then West Virginia has
been gradually approaching Illinois,
which ranks second to Pennsylvania,
but has not fulfilled prediction
made some years ago that by the be-
ginning of the present century West
Virginia would rank next TO Pennsyl-
vania as coal producing State.
"There is another respect IN
which the coal mining industry of
West Virginia stands distinctly alone.
This is the fact that although its
production now approaches $4,000,
900 tens per year, the amount of this
fuel consumed within the State is al
most insignificant, if the amount
consumed by the transportation COM
panies is excluded.
'aThere are some iron and steel
manufacturing industries in Wheeling
and vicinity which utilize West Vir-
ginia coal, but except for these the
manufacturing industries In the
State are almost entirely undeveloped
and by far the greater proportion Of
the fuel taken from West Virginia
mines go to feed aud support manu-
featuring enterprises OF neighboring
States. This has probably been the
result OF the fact that the railroad
companies penetrating the coal fields
have been identified with the coal
mining interests and have been glad
to get the advantage Of long hauls in
the way of transportation.
"Some of the West Virginia Goals
are highly priced, both for steam rails
ing and for coke making. They are
used to large extent by the United
States government for naval vessels,
and are shipped rather in the form of
coal or coke to blast furnaces as far
from the coal regions as Chicago and
Milwaukee in competition with fuels
mined almost in the immediate yicin-
ity of these cities"