The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-05
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
REPORTS TO THE MANuFAcTuR
 ERy RECORD.
Extension of Railroads in West Vir- ginia Have Opened New Hives of Industry-The Embryo
 Town of Durbin.

Baltimore, Dec 4.-{Specfal)-The Man. ufacturers' Record Is informed by fuel company of Huntington, W. Va. that 1t has just concluded arrangements with the Chesapsake and Ohio Railway for transportation of coal from it's mines on the Guyandotte Valley Railroad to Huntington, where the fuel company has purchased ground and purposes to erect a large steel coal tipple capable of handling from 5000 to 4,000 tons of coal per day. The company plans to pur- chase steamers and barges of such character as will insure the transporta- ton of coal at any stags of water in the Ohio river. carrying fuel as far South as New Orleans. It will also have its own cars for conveying the coal from the mines to the river and will handle practically all the coal to be transported over the Guyandotte Valley Railroad and also considerable from the Kentucky branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio. The Guyandotte Valley Railroad now in course of construction will, when com pleted, extend from the mouth of Piney Creek in Raleigh county to Huntington. and is expected to be followed by an ex- tensive coal development.
 Tnis enterprise Is but one of the many resulting from. the extension of existing lines of railway and the construction of new lines in West Virginia. For exam pie, Durbin, an embryo town, the cen- ter of building activity of three rail- roads, has already become a point of shipment for sheep and cattle from a large territory extending into Highland County, Virginia, and of lumber from the immediate neighborhood. From Dur bin to EIkins recently completed line, traverses a great timber area vast tracts of which are as yet untouched by the axe. But, though the road has been opened for traffic. but four months, great clearings have been hacked out of the forest at frequent intervals, where have been erected rude rows of cabins and mess houses for lumber camps.
 In spite of the near approach of winter gangs are working with might and main to insure as complete a foundation as possible for spring work, With such haste have the developers entered this field that the railway company has not had time to build its depots. or, in fact, to determine their location or the proper stopping places except at the points where the woodmen have begun their chop ping.
 At one point few miles west of Dur bin Is strong company with capital sufficient to build a branch railroad into the heart of fine hemlock district and to keep running band saw mill of thor oughly modern equipment, now occupied in getting out material to build a town there. Three large forces of men are employed there, the railroad gang, the mill operatives and the carpenter force, all of which are being increased in num- bers as rapidly as men may be secured. Farther on is another center to which are tributary extensive tracts of hem- lock and spruce, with liberal admixture of cherry. ash, birch. beech and maple.
 A wealthy leather company has secur- ed options on good lot of bark in that neighborhood and proposes to erect an extensive tannery. Numerous options have also been secured by other parties in the territory north of Fishing Hawk in the belts of poplar and red and white oak. Faulkner, in this region, is an &C., tive town Near it Is being gotten out a quantity of crushed ballast, but this rock being an especially fine lime, is expected to be available and in demand for furnaces, even in localities remote from the field. The strata of this lime extends along the river, paraIlelinR inc railroad for many miles, and is practical- ly tnexhaustible.
 good steaming and cooking coal of the New River series has also been found in working seams near this point. These are but instances of the vast possibili- ties and resources of the State, and all signs point to a speedy settlement of these hitherto untouched fields.