Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-06-27
Letter From West Virginia.

IhlnNng that a letter with brief de-
scription of the south, or at least this
/ section of it, would be appreciated by
yourself and possibly your readers
will try. to sketch for you, in a general
way, the characteristics, industries and
advantages of this, one of the finest
timbered states in the sunny south.
To one who has seen the immense
forests of the north melt away before
the axe of the pioneer and woodsman,
and manufactured lumber floated in
countless thousands to the south and
has followed the tide of northern capi-
| tai now flowing in this country, it is
I interesting to see the same men who
have made fortunes in the numbering
bushes in the north now increasing
those same fortunes by making lumber
to ship back
This is a natural grazing country and
to the great majority of the farmers of
this section was a nuisance. As the
timber was removed blue grass follow
ed naturally without cultivation and
many a splendid tract of pine and
spruce has been cut or girdled to make
additional grazing grounds. Capital
lists of far seeing judgment have taken
advantage of this fact and have bought
small bodies of timber and combined
them into larger tracks to induce men
with money to build mills and railroads
and rid the country of this encum-
brance of useless timber, and incident
ally reaping rich rewards in commits
sions.
The writer knows of one body of
timber that has been bought and sold
several times by spectators, the first
cost of which five years ago was one
dollar an acre and farmers glad to get
chat much, and the last sale to the COM
pany now operating it was in the
neighborhood of one hundred dollars
per acre
The timber consists mostly, of
spruce, hemlock and pine but there are
large tracks of poplar, Eastwood and
hickory.
Spruce and hemlock will cut from
fifty to one hundred thousand to the
acre, and hardwood from twelve to
twenty-five thousand per acre.
In travelling from Ronceverte, w.
Va, to the head waters of the Green
brie river, distance of one hundred
miles, the traveller may count some
where about twenty-five mills, the
largest of which is the property of the
West Virginia Spruce Lumber Co., To-
Gated at Cass, in Pocahontas County.
Their timber lays on Cheat Mountain
and will keep them busy the next
twenty-five years with mill of two
hundred and fifty thousand capacity in
twenty-four hours.
Myself and son-in-aw, Mr.. Brink,
have been operating mill successful
ly for little more than a year. We are
| now located twelve miles north of
Ranceverte, on the Greenbrier division
of the G. & o. r. R, in Greenbrier
County, w. Va. Our timber being
nearly all hardwood.
We expect and hope that one of US
will be caller at your office some time
in the near future.
We have among our employees sew
eral men we'll known in Cameron
county. Mr.. j. O. Skillman, is our
woods superintendent, and H. E.
Geswender our scaler. Also many
others from that vicinity are working
in various capacities in this locality.
And in what ever direction one may
travel it is the samoa mill at every
stop and stations from three to five
miles apart.
The writer of course only speaks of
the section where he has lived for two
years, comprising Pocahontas, Green
brier and Randolph counties, but it is
safe to presume that the same condi-
tions exist throughout the state.
Any sketch of this kind would be in
complete without some reference to the
people and surroundings. They are
general, more inclined to be indolent
than their northern brother, and per-
haps pay more attention to the Bible
Injunction to take no thought for the
morrow" Southern hospitality has
been the theme of song and story, and
to my knowledge has never been exag-
gerated. They expect, as matter of
course, that the chance passer by will
join them if it be any where near meal
time and even in backwoods homes
there would be no difficulty in satisfy
ing the wants of an epicure. Payment
for chance meal isnot expected and
and offer to pay would be an affront to
any southern gentleman.
Their great lack is schools and bright