Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1912-11-07
West Virginia's Wealth.

Boards of Trade of West Virginia, held
in Morgantown recently, DR.. |. c. White,
President OF the Association, read paper
on the enormous wealth of the States
natural resources that has attracted gen.
eral attention in business circles. DR..
White is State GeologiSt OF West Virginia
and is regarded as one OF the eminent
scientists OF the country. The following
excerpts from the paper read by DR..
White set forth the opportunities for in
dustrial expansion in the State.
although not known as an iron ore
producing State, West Virginia neverthe-
less has over 3OO,OOO,OOO tons of excel
lent iron ores which the great iron manu-
facturers will be only too anxious to Oh
tain within the near future. Our lime
stones are boundleSS in extent and unex-
celled for purity, being adapted to every
purpose for which lime can be utilized,
from the snowy whiteness OF plaster to
that of ordinary lime for agricultural pur-
poses.
"The number of millions OF feet OF TIM
Der which formerly covered our hills and
mountains has never been computed.
Up TO 1910 there were still over 800, 600
acres of virgin forests containing many
billion feet of spruce, hemlock and hard
woods remaining from our l5,75O,OOO
acres originally covered with one OF the
greatest forests of the world.
"In glass sands there would appear to
be no limit in quantity, and nothing su-
perior in quality. In petroleum West
Virginia stands just ahead OF Pennsyl-
vania in quantity, being fifth in order OF
production, but first in quality; while in
natural gas, after having wasted guam
tity amounting to many scores OF millions
of dollars in value, the State still pro-
dnces for market more than one-third as
much as all the other States OF the nation.
"WeSt Virginia ought TO stand next to
Pennsylvania in the production OF iron
and steel, since she is already next to
her in the production OF bituminouS coal,
but instead OF that she produced from her
three furnaces only 5000 tons OF pig
iron, against II 100000 tons for PennSyl-
vania and 5,5OO,OOO tons for Ohio, the
latter of which has no cooking coal eX-
cept what the railways bring from West
Virginia. West Virginia has only three
blast furnaces, against l03in Pennsylvania
and "A in Ohio.
"The great rivers OF West Virginia,
like the New, the KanawhaS, Gauley,
Elk, Monongahela, Cheat, Greenbrier
and Potomac tumble down with rapid
descent from attitudes of 5000 TO 1900
feet above the sea, affording splendid
opportunities for the production OF cleo
trio energy by that cheapest OF all forces.
the power OF falling water, the only kind
of perpetual motion which man has yet
been able TO harness TO productive work,
and which will continue so long as the
sun shines with his present vigor and the
clouds and rains endure"
Largely contributory TO the develop
ment Of West Virginia'S natural resources
have been the extensive transportation
facilities which bring the States products
within easy reach of the leading markets.
Within the borders of West Virginia are
1926 miles of main line trackage serving
every section of the State. Indeed, few
States possess equal mileage.
Of the total railway mileage OF the
State, the main lines Of the Baltimore and
Ohio embrace | l,065 miles. It's tracks
extend across the northern counties, from
the Potomac to the Ohio rivers, with
main line connections with the southern
sections of the State. The leading cities
of the State, including Grafton, Fairmont,
Wheeling, Clarksburg, Buckhannon, Bel
ington, PickenS, Weston, Redwood,
Parkersburg, Huntington and numerous
other centers are situated on ifs lines.
The management OF the Baltimore and
Ohio has entered upon an elaborate pro-
gram in an effort to promote the indus
trial development the State, the location
Of new factories and the investment OF
outside capital. The Industrial Depart
ment Of the railroad has pursued sys-
tematic campaign towards this end, and
recently this has been supplemented by
the establishment of a Department Of
Agriculture to cooperate in the develop
ment Of West Virginia's agricultural re-
SOURCES.