West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-02-22
SETTLEMENT ON A BOOM.
"Col. Jim Stouebraker" Organizes n
Board OF rade--A Great Subterra-
mean Cave Discovered at Bear
WallOw-LeWls Whetselrs
Gun Found I'm the Gave.

Special Correspondence otThe Argus.
received message from Leader Shaw
TO go immejetly to the Whetsell Settlement
and organize a Board OF Trade. OF course
am always willin to do the biddin of my
old oomrade lie stated in his message that
old Ike Whetssll had been to see him and
told OF the different industries and enter
prises going on thar and IL was highly nee
cssary to organize Board OF Trade and
requested me to see TO il at once. as the
business interest of the community de
mandcd IT,
started out on my mission and landed at
Feel LETTERS for supper. I found Feel"
Out feeding his cattle After the usual
greeting. told him my mission aud kindly
advised with him my best mode OF proceed.
urc. Feel told me to come 10 and have
some supper aud he would give me some
tips. Alter partaking OF bountlful sup
per. Felix says he II have not been out
much this winter. bnt see and feel that
everything here is on the boom" What
is dong Il - says l--''the railroad or the
new tax laws p Well I think both have
something to do with IT," asked Feel
u he wouldn't go out to the metin' and
help to organize Board OF Trade But he
declined as he was not much tor going TO
metin', had previously called the metin
for the cross roads-not the Confederit
Cross Roads-but the cross roads which is
IN Whetsell Settlement
When got thar never seed such
crowd and so much capital represented in
my lie. | realized at once that Comrade
Shaw did not misinform me. !. o. Whet-
sell called the metin' to order and was APP
pinted Chairman. | appinted Hite Wilson
as my secretary made the audience a
short speech and told them that an organ.
lied Board OF Trade was the bulhouse and
mud-sill of the developin' OF our country
and that where see such an audience and
so much capital represented it meant bust.
ness and it would be my pleasure to hear
from them
John o. Whetsell was the first to take the
floor, and said him and Asa we're down on
the NJ. & X K. r. at Bear Wallow and he
discovered a cavern on the slope OF the
cut. He told Asa he believed it was the
entrance TO cave. SO he and Asa worked
away rock so they conld 60 in. John said
he noticed Il. W. cut on the rock. and
he did not just understand what IL meant.
Asa told his papa he had best not venter in
unless he understood them letters. But
John finally concluded IT meant "Longitude
West. So with torch in hand they started
out TO explore the cave. They travelled on
some three or four hours examining the
sights In the caye-stalactites and stalag.
mites galore, festooned with ferns and
mowers OF al! description. ante.rooms from
ooth sides decorated with petrifed animals
OF remote period After awhile Asa dis.
covered an aperture with little daylight.
They approached it and found cut stone
similar to the one they removed at the en-.
trance aud found Il w. cut on IT, When
they removed It, so they could get out to
see, they we're right opposite the town of
Rowlesburg. Johns nerves were some.
what unsirung from being under ground so
long, he sends Asa over 10 Shoch's store 10
get him some ierbacker and told him TO
Keep quiet and hurry back and tbey would
explore little as they went back Sull he
could not understand what l. w" was
Tor On nearing the entrabce at Bear Wal
low, John noticed piece OF iron near an
ante'room He picked it up and found it TO
be gun barrel-the breech was al: de.
cayed. but the fiutlock was intact lie
looked and found Il w" on H. Further
examination disclosed pair % old buck
skin moccasins. but they bad petu6ed
Also hunting shirt aud it bad also turned
TO store He found deer auiisfs sna the
remains OF a carcass iIe sappes,i R sas
an elk petrihed and turned to stone. He
said to Asa he had solved the myuefy-it
was Lewis WhetseIIs cave where be hid
from the Indians years ago. aud this is his
old hunting gun. The quo is bent little,
but John supposed he done that on purpose
so he could shoot around the hills and kill
Indians as he was a cute old fox.
called him TO order and asked him what
that had TO do with the organizing Of a
| Board Of Trade
He SAID he was coming to that pint
| right now. That cave was about twelve
feet in width, beautifully decorated. and he
had discovered water power at Bear
4 Wallow in Cheat river that would run a
dynamo large enough to light up Kingwood.
| Terra Alta. function. Rowlesburg and
| Whetsell Settlement all 10 onct. aud also
furnish electricity to run trolley line
through this cavern TO Rowlesburg. which
would be great thing for tourists to see.
and bring barrels Of money into Whetsell
Settlement and there would be no trouble
TO get capital to invest 10 an enterprise like
that Furthermore. city would spring up
| AZ Bear Waliow and the idea would be to
| al -
tom land az the mouth OF TO- and he would
sec Uncle Tom Davis and get a charter for
b. So ] sppinted John o. a committee on
charters water works and drainage. John
! said be wanted the city called Whetseli.
Tor he was satisfied 10 was Lewis Whetselrs
cave. By this time Ike arose and said
Mr. Presi5ent-THEN, THOUGH YOU Know
] am interested in good many enterprises
that is going on here. am manager Tor
some firms and am attorney Tor some ]
have tn, boy Ern reading 90 me every night
| from the H7gerstown Almsusck and an old
| Jim Crow song book and Sinbad the
Sailor Erny g a good reader and smart
boy and through bis rcadiu these period.
Gals have become posted on general bust.
/ ness principles and there is no question
but there will be "a city al Bear Wsliow.
and we must have q county road there and
tHiuk beksse Colonel you are the promo.
ter Of this Board Of Trade che cty should
boz called after you and there was a dis.
plte ass regarded the name between Ike
/ and John ike arose again. with tears .n
l hs eyes, and esjs we viii out r to a
vote As am President Of . Htue Nation