The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-04-26

4 MILLION ACRES OF COAL.


Within the past two or three years
years much has been said concerning
the building of the Virginian railroad
into the vast coal fields in southern
West Virginia. A man wao is famll.
lar with the region thus sums up +a'
result of his observation along this
line:
When two ribbons of blue steel ira
verse the blazed trail Of the sur.
veyors and engineers the Vtrgini&n
coalfeld will make the Norfolk ard
Western and the Chesapeake and
8 Ohio outfits look like infant indus
tries struggling for an existence. The
enterprise is as yet in its swaddliue
attire and ere 1t reaches the dress
suit stage of its career 1t will pre-
sent a front that will startle tle in
dustria world. The magnitude of
the possibilities that present them.
selves for absorption by the Virgln
ion strains the intellect and guil1s
4 the Imagination into bewilder!ng
channels and when the things iii
7 sight are accomplished this sect III
Will enjoy an era of prosperity Ger.
tainly unequalled in the annals Of
West Virginia industry. AS has
been told over and over again. tue
territory on which H. H; Rogers ard
bis associates nave grip, is under.
aid with four seams Of the Poca-
flontas variety Of soft coal-admit-
ted to be the finest yet discovered
and the Virginian is going after it
with a bunch Of short lines and
branches that will reach every inch
OF It, and when the field Is tnus
covered the road will possess mileage
In this State double that of the pres.
ent. Three years from now will see
! the locomotives in what are now al
most inaccessible mountain Businesses
and coal tipples will decorate hill.
sides where once wild beasts roamed
as nonarchs OF all they surveyed.
There are something like a million
acres of undeveloped coal territory
q and virgin timber lands to be tapped
by this new enterprise. The number
Of branch lines to be bull: and ope.
rated Is yet question but tie cas-
ual observer figures on a goodly
number as there are surveying pl
ties doing duty all over the territory
and Of course they are not climbing
mountains and wading rivers tcl
their health.
The road may be BOTTLED up" Il.
q the mountains of West Virginia, but
I since it was never intended for any.
thing BIT 80 carrying enterprise,
st doubtless has the only outlet ever
expected and no other is probably
contemplated or desired
Logging has ever been quite an
industry in this section, but in most
instances only timber adjacent to tn.
! rivers has been tempered with and
there yet remain millions OF feet Of
standing timber that will become
available upon the arrival of the
railroad and the lumber business
will be of considerable proportions
and will add materially to the Vir.
ginian's tonnage, for saw mills Of
various capacities will spring III
4 nele and there all over the district.
Z The counties in which the road o2e-
rates and will operate are rich IN
rough products almost beyond he
dreams OF avarice, and while most
( Of the property has been grabbed up
by "heartless corporations" the ma
tiyes will nevertheless get their sh"ra
Of the prosperity that will som
sweep upon them.
although, the taxpayers Of wyom-
ing county voted down the propo-
sftinn to Issue bonds to build court
house at Pineville, the county court
Z hiss taken UP the matter and has
purchased the handsomest piece OF
property in town, paying therefor
the gum Of $4,000 and work on a
court house building to cost in ;ae
neighbornood Of $4,000 will begin
= I'm the near ft,ture
Tax assessors are now abroad n
the land, and they are valuing INC
things op in the pictures and the
total figures will make last years
tax statistics look like an original
! tariG bill after It has been tampercd
with by both houses Of congress.
tIIaeI Mo Ehtp al 54e-An