The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-08-04
AWAKENING OF WEST
vlRGlNIA'S POTENTlALITlES
lcontInued FROM rhIra PAGES.

1919 '"s a6tJ s
section 50 busy as this has been in
recent years, and where developments
change the aspect over night. How
ever, II is the estimate OF those who
have given the subject careful inves.
tigatton through a series Of years that
nnlly s50.000,000 viii have been in.
vested In the coal land of West, vir.
gInia, coaImine development, railroad
construction and timber and wood
working enterprises during 1905. Year
before last 1t was computed by these
zame authorities, as the result of a
methodical and exhaustive investiga-
ton. that %s3o.ooo,000 would represent
the Investments made in such o
ties and undertakings for the year
named, and In almost as careful an in.
ye~stigation last years Investments
we're estimated to be almost as much,
while the present year sees an activ.
'ity far surprising anything hereto
fore known. So here we have an es-
timated Investment OF outside capital
amounting to more than 100000 900
within three years, and that this is
only a beginning the most casual ex.
animation viii reveal.
There are IN West Virginia NOSE
than 1000 square miles of Goa fields
considered more than Pennsylvania
ever had, more than any other Amer.
lean State ever boasted, twice as
nruch as Alabama owns, constituting
~ per cent. OF the workable area of
The entire Appalachian fields, and
comprising onesthirteenth of all the
coal fields in the United States. With
1f.oo0,000 acres of coal lands, it is
the calculation that not more than
10000 acres have been worked out
In all the years since West Virginia
GOALS have been known, and this is
for a long time. as in 1912, 1853 years
ago, an early explorer named Salley
found in these mountains a great
plenty of GOALS and gave then to a
stream he crossed the name of Coal
river. by which It is known to-day.
AT frequent intervals since then 9TH
ers, among them Washington, who
owned many acres of West Virginia
lands. and various early biologists.
including Richard cowling Taylor, the
father Of British geology" have ties.
tiled to the abundance and excel
lenee OF the coal deposits of West
ezn Virginia. Taylor, who came to
America in 1s4s on a special tour of
Investigation into the Appalachian
coal fields. referring in his report to
ale untold millions of acres of coal
IN this territory" So the people
need no have persisted through ig.
%nnrance.r although, of course, a coal
mine without transportation is no
more of a diyidend-payer to-day than
It would have been In the time of
Nsasi- However, 1t does seem a trihe
strange that in the light of all that
had been printed about the value of
West Virginia coal fields, it could be
recorded that in Charleston to-day a
man still lives who within 20 years
congratulated himself CT, having sold
a tract Of 10000 acres of Pocahontas
coal lands for 40 cents an acre-a
profit to him OF only 10 cents an acre
ut that The tract is worth to-day all
OF $40 an acre. and will be worth
vastly more.
But ire distractions and destruction
Of the war and the lack of railroad
transportation and the great cost of
railroad construction kept back the
teye1npment of West virginia's coal
mines until recent years. Prophets
there were. to be sure, who steadfast-
iy proclaimed the gospel of West Vir-
ginia values throughout all the years;
but many an ardent promoter, starving |
while he waited, has gone to his per.
manent home before his dreams came
trrre Since 1880 there has been a
steady Increase in the coal production
OF the State, and when it is seer that
the output has grown from 1,4O0, 900
tons in 1880 TO about 80, 900 (short
tons) in 1904. it would seem that
great strides have been made. And
% they have. Twenty-Five hundred
per cent in % pears is a pretty good
increase In any time. But compare
this with what remains to be done.
The report of State Mine Inspector