The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-10-28
In Early Days Mining Was
Done for individuals Only,
While Now Il Is Success.
LOCAL FIELDISONE
OF BEST | NCOUNTRY.
Almost $4,000 Men Are En-
ployed Daily in Bowels of
Earth in this Vicinity.
eY JOHNSON CAMDEN MCKINLEY

BY JOHNSON CAMDEN MCKINLEY
When our forefathers in their tire
I some Westward journey came to the
broad waters OF the beautiful Onlo.
= they found a spot On which they de
: termined 10 make their homes. IN
I our Imagination We can go back and
0 picture this scene as IL appeared 10
these hardy pioneers. Beautiful
hills. fertile valleys. splendid climate
B and an abundance of game 70 furnish
: both sport and sustenance. The at
I fractions and advantages that ap-
pealed TO these worthy ancestors were
all on the surface and. intelligen,
as they were in most ways. thev were
innocent OF any knowledge OF geology,
ard. therefore. the greater riches
which should have been a factor in
the founding OF a city were entirely
overlooked.
wheeling enjoys the unique distinc-
| ton OF being located nearer the cen
ter OF a great coal field than any other
Z city OF this continent.
J The geological formations in this
! section are uniform and regular and
carry Ia different coal measures. OF
d "a
4 that are workable. but they are an
{ present and can be readily identified.
/ The principal coal measure. and the
/ premier Of them all. is the great
/ Pittsburgh seam which extends in a
/ broad. unbroken sheet from Barnes.
vile. o. on the west. to and beyond
/ the waters OF the Youghiougheny on
/ the east. and from Golfers on the
/ north TO and beyond Clarksburg. on
the south. This entire country is nm.
derlaid with one unbroken stratum OF
! this splendid seam Of coal. Thou.
/ sands OF millions of tons Of this great
seam have been mined. but as Vet. IL
| Is only on the margins and in some
+ OF the valleys that this coal bed has
been developed
For Private Use.
The history Of the early develop-
/ ment In and around Wheeling is lost
/ IN the maze Of time. Nearly a cen
fury ago men dug coal from the hills
around Wheeling and used II in their
MONIES and for Industrial purposes.
/ owing 20 the primitive methods only
+ a small percentage Of the coal was
: recovered, and at that time there
/ were no means Of ventilation sniff
F Gent 10 enable them 20 go very far
under ground Therefore after WORK
/ lns out a small tract they would pass
B on 10 another and leave the old ono
J 20 nm up. and nature. that GREAT boaier
OF All wounds. would cover the dis.
hgurement on the hillside mare nv
man. and within generation very M.
III" would BE- left Of tho scar ~ sbov,
B where the coal had been taken ONT
/ rms Is true Of practically all the
Z nils around Wheeling. and as ,be
I lath"rs died. the sons forgot and thew
| IN iHrn would die. so that now II Is
practically impossible 10 discover
when and bv whom these old mines
Wen' worked. \ number OF Thorn
however. from which coal Is still no
ing taken were opened more than 20
year ago. and many Of the mines
when ar" working today are being
AIMED 10 work 80. 81 and 100 wears
IN INC iuture. No longer is the indus
Try carried on in a naphazard. ro.7s-
t"u-pl'ase manner. bur every oyoaya-
lion Is made only after careful sur
N'N. ana maps are made with scierti
.lc ccufacy 10 show the excavation nm
Ier each acre Of ground. In thi. v.av
lH'ur" generations viii know eYac,1v
"A'r" tho coal is lOw being exhaus.-
ed and who IS doing II
w" consider the Wheeling distric,
b as composed OF the counties ada
c'hf 70 Ohio county. thar is prools
ana MARSHAL loo West Virrini7 u.L
mont and Jefferson boz Ohio These
I'VE counties practically comprise the
Co'l industry 1s DO affects Tho cIf, i.
Wheeling Almost 4V of mis- 49,.
torH Us connected with Wheeling bv
'roII'F lines and many railroads. ana
We might say that AN of Il Be- % re-
cent development The rapidifv OF
mis- development never has boar
exceeded and only e1ualod by The De-
F,.opn"nt ~ 'h" Porah0ntls field.
which is also ir Woef NirriuIa
Employ Many Men.
D" "' ahplt 1000 men were tm.
ploNed in and about the mines .r mis-
on trict These men produced 900.
''l IONS az coal annually and fHn nav
roll was nor much above ST. BOO Uu.
per year The mines were uDefI,
small nd poorly equipped both for
production of coal and Tor the safety
uf the men
Since chat fIua. however frr-s has
been On lrnaf change. fia r1.r.lF
have git"u better facilities H- fskfnr
care Of 'lr tonnage Is. have on
outraged tho Investment uf rnuff4f
81 fHn' time practically all off trn
coal wac owned ht f.n farmer. now
n ia practically aH owned o.. ...
|I.u I. afo Oh. 1900 f'r GOD. t..
'Hw ss.-.| separated. .r.. .H.
>ot OBJ. division .. H...
"HH' H"I . ur|
If. I.. .m. I..r. f.f f
H..HI. t.r COAL n.. .HI .rI Don
HII. 0" thereto. '. ..... b. often H.
..r '.r' H.t..I .r..s