The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-02-13
RAL noAps ANp eoAL EIELps.

The rabbit hunters q eygst Viz
tihia who ram over our Woo
Ia hTlls mot realize the wealth 81
Vie timber through which they pass
nor the untold millions Of money in N
coal ard soIlislored mp In the earth be.
meath their feet But these men %
the forest are not the only people who
underestimate tie States unlimited
resources nearly ali have TO
plead gaiitysto the charge An3egticle
In TIE current number ot tie Review
o. Reviews lbs some alorg
this3llnei emilsntly wortt whilei which
Ne reproduce Sas follows.s
aWhat tie future holds for thc5
South in coal and iron DEVELOPMENT
the mind otsnaa has never and can
never fully grasp. Great Britaia has.
Or had before II commenced It's vast
mining operations, about 1890
square miles Of coal area. much Of II.
having thin seams; Alabama has s.
500 square miles Of coal area, or near.
liz as much as Great Britain ever hac,
ami of thicker seams. Great Britain
is mining nearly 2so.0Oo,ooo tons a
year; Alabama, 100000 tons. Penn,
syiyauia has $4,000 square miles Of
bituminous coal land. worth anywhere
from 500 to; 500 or more an acre,
West Virginia has 1890 square miles.
or over 100000 acres, selling at
from s25 andsS0 to s75 and $3.50 az
acre, but intrlnsically worth just us
much per acre as Pennsylvania, AMI
certain in the near future to stand on
a parity in selling price. Kentucky
has 1900 square miles. and Tennes-
see 4,4OO square miles, and in Tie
entire South We have a total Of 62,957
square miles Of rich coal lands,
against combined total for Great
Britain and Germany of 1900 square
miles.
"The Importance of coal properties
to railroad interests is appreciated
by railroad people much more than
by the public. Their realization of
what coal means as a freight-creator
is shown by the Titanic struggle Of
the railroad and financial magnates
Of the country to get a firm footho'd
in the coal-Held which stretches from
West Virginia to northern Alabama.
In that vast territory, which might APP
proprlately DO called the heart Of
the worlds coal region, the railroad
giants Of the country are struggling
for mastery. According to the width
and number Of veins, an acre Of coal
land will yield anywhere from 5000
to- $4,000 tons OF freight. Compare
the minimum Of 5000 tons in contrast
4 .
with the freight created on agricpl.
tural land, where the average would
be less than one.half ton per acre,
and IT will be seen that an acre in cot
ton, corn, or wheat will need 10000
years to produce the same amount OF
freight produced by one acre of coal.
In this fact Is found the potent rea,
son for the struggle Of the giants Of
industry and finance TO become own.
ers Of vast tructs OF coal lands as In.
vestments, as well as to secure dom
mating position in every coal region
for the traffic 10 be created. In West
Virginia the contest reminds one o.
( the struggle Of great armies for stra.
|tegic positions Every move is watch.
ca with jealous eye, ard every avail
able railroad route that has not been
preempted Is being taken up. The
struggle III West Virginia involves the
Pennsylvania the Goulds, the Van,
derbilt interests. the Chesapeake and
Ohio, the Norfolk and Western, the
Baltimore md Ohio, and many 9th
efs, while the most sensational move
of all is the building Of new line,
now under construction from the lakes
Ito Norfolk, at cost Of about $5OOOO,.
900, designed purely as a frelghtcar'
rter, and which is being built without
regard to reaching any particular
towns or communities between IT,.
termIni. No such railroad scheme has
ever been undertaken before in this
country. Tho contractors know that
the bills are being paid, but the pub
lie is not permitted to know where
the money comes from nor who is 4,
nanclng this vast undertaking, though
lit is generally understood that Mr.. H..
H. Rogers and his Standard OIL asso'
ctates are the owners"
n,nAt,-. LiA(IE A OIIonIIM