The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-08-03
FIFTY YEARS I'm THE
FAIRM0NT COAL fields

The West virginian Yesterday pub;
lished a part Of Hon. George Byrne's
article on the F'airmont coal field
which appeared in the Manufacturers.
Record. The remainder Of the article
Is as foliows:
The progress made BY Mr.. Watson
was for a good many years very slow,
| but by keeping everlastipgly at It he
made advancement year by year. In
lisa he organized a stock company
OF which he was the principal owner
and the manager; and opened up the
Castor mines. In 1885 the Montana
Coal and Coke Co. was formed and
the large plant was established on the
Fairmont and Morgantown branch Of
the Baltimore and Ohio road. This
was the starting.point Of really mod.
ern methods Of mining in this field, for
there were installed all the latest i'm.
provements in mining machinery and
equipment. This was followed by the
requirement of new properties and the
opening Of new mines from time to
time, as widening markets demanded
and increased financial ability permit,
ted, until scores Of mines and many
thousands of acres of coal.bearing
lands had been brought under one con.
troll.
James Otis Watson was the father
of three stalwart sons, s. L., j. E.
and @. W. Watson, and these, as they
grew to manhood, became associated
with him in his business. They prov
ed towers of strength to the father
when age began to sap the strength
Of the body, the ardor of whose spirit
it could not cool. Learning the bust
ness from the ground up, they early
began to realize the economy in pro
duction to be secured by combina
ton of many operations and It wa.
chiefly through their efforts that tbs
great aggregation of mines now run
ming under one directing head was at
fected.
Meantime other men had come Into
this field and begun the operation o.
mines, helping to extend the fame Of
the product and broaden its market
and the great value of the coal,bearine
lands was thoroughly demonstrated
When Hon. A. B. Fleming, connected
with the Watsons by marriage ties and
business relations, quit the Office Of
Governor in 1898 he began to take ar
active interest in the development o.
the coal industry, and soon made his
influence largely felt. He secured op
lions upon large body Of coal lying
on the west fork of the Monongahelc
river between Falrmont and Clarks
burg, and sought to use them as an in
centive to somebody with money e
build railroad between the two cit
les. He finally interested Senator ]
N. Camden, of Parkersburg, who tool
over the coal optioned and built the
road, now known as the Monongaheia
river division of the Baltimore and
Ohio. Senator Camden at once be
gan to develop his holdings, and a'
Monongah, on the new road, halfway
between Fairmont and Clarksburg, es
tablished number Of operations 81
thoroughly modern equipment ant
large productive capacity. Here was
built a town of considerable size and
importance, with business blocks
churches, public buildings, water
works and elctric.light plants and
most of the other conveniences of mod
ern city life. Other interests estab
Hshed other plants, and by the time
the present century mad dawned the
Fairmont coal field was represented
in the world of production by some
thing like so mines, less than half Of
which belonged to the Watson inter
ests.
Then 1t was that the genius Of the
younger Watsons began to make itsell
felt in the organization. Having dem
onstrated the fact that there was
economy in combination for the pro
duction Of coal. they now determined
to show that there was still greater
economy to be brought about by com
blnation in the selling of coal. They
therefore in 1900 organized the Fair
mont Coal Mining Co. whose object It
was to act as selling agency for the
entire product of the Fairmont field
the procuring of better transportation
facilities, better means of handling
and distributing coal at tidewater on
the lakes and in the various cities Of
the country, and increasing the profits
of the business by a general system,
atizing Of methods. Thus the selling
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