Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-05-12
TWO CENTS
AN EVEN BREAK.
Gould and Cassatt Scrap Over
Big Coal Fields.

honors so far are Equally Divided
Thousands of Acres of Coal Bought
by Opposing interests Pooling of
interests is Expected by Some as
Result of Rivalry.
Control of practically all of the
best coal in the Fairmont district is
now held between the Wabash and
Baltimore d Ohio railroads and one
OF the liveliest and most interesting
periods of rivalry between the two
great systems is expected to result
soon. 1t has now developed that
Colonel James III. Guffey sold his
great tract of $1,000 acres OF Fair
mont coal for about $6,000,000 to
the Wabash syndicate and that the
Baltimore d Ohio only gained con-
troll of the big Fairmont coal COM
bine in time to prevent Its purchase
by the Goulds. Both systems are
still maneuvering for coal of minor
quality further to the south.
The struggle of each Of the roads
was to snap up complete control of
the best tracts to prevent the inva.
sion and development of the other.
The Goulds first reached after the
Fairmont Coal Company, but the
officials of the Baltimore q Ohio
had been suspicious of the aggres-
siye work of the West Virginia
Central syndicate in that section and
gobbled the control and practically
merged it with their Consolidation
Coal Company fields in the Cumber-
land district.
This gives the Baltimore Il Ohio
10000 acres and the Wabash nearly
10000 acres in rich coal fields reach
ed by each. The bold scheme OF
the Goulds to secure possession of
the field was frustrated in part and
the equally daring game of the Cas-
satt combination to completely shut
the Goulds out of the coal tonnage
of that section was prevented by
the speedy purchase of the Guffey
tract
The Guffey tract was one of the
largest and finest virgin fields of
coal in West Virginia. It lies about
five or ten miles west OF Fairmont
on the Baltimore d Ohio railroad
and was logically the proper prey of
Loree system. IL has vein eight
feet in depth and must be SLATED
from 200 to 500 feet below the sur
face. 1t is Of the Pittsburg quality
and is the last tract of much size
left in that region. 1t is the inten-
tien of the Goulds TO develop the
Guffey tract within the present year.
so that it will be tonnage producer
by the time the Greene County and
Buchanan q Northern railroads
are finished and in operation.
The orders of Cassatt are tor the
Baltimore d Ohio to pick up prac-
tically all of the remaining coal
tracts of Importance in the portions
OF West Virginia reached by the
system of it's logical extensions.
The idea of Cassatt is to tie up tho
tonnage producing centers and hold
up the Goulds, whose ambitions
seem to be without limit, within
proper bounds.
Coal operators have been watching
with keen interest the work of the
two big syndicates and they say
that if the manenyering and rivalry
goes on much longer overtures of
peace and community of interest
will surely be made. Representa-
tives Of each side are striving to
make it appear that neither has
tried to gobble the coveted tracts of
the other and that all is serene be-
tween the rival systems The situa.
ton in West Virginia, however, is
regarded by those who know as one
of the most interesting In the daring
plan of the Goulds to invade terri
tory for years regarded as the sacred
domain of the Cassatt, Morgan snd
Vanderbilt roads.