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May, 1905 COAL AND TIMBER
By W. H. Woodruff.
Wheeling, April 27.—Will the season in
West Virginia mining be a busy one, seems
to be the inquiry the average operator
is asking himself. If his introspection is
worth anything he cannot help reaching
the conclusion that the situation has so
vastly improved within the past week, that
the summer will be one of the most profitable
to the trade in the entire history cf
the larger regions. Notices which are issued
by the Fairmont Coal Co., a few days
ago to its superintendents, are indicative
of the new conditions. These notices directed
each superintendent to instruct his
men that the days of employment will be
more numerous, and state that prospects
for the season could not be brighter.
The lake business, which opened four
weeks ago, the notices state, promises to be
the largest known in many years; probably
will establish a new record. In the down
state fields, the New River, Kanawha, and
Flat Top, conditions are said to justify the
greatest expectations of the hour. The only
cloud that mars the horizon is a scarcity
of cars among the independents, and a possible
tendency to keep down prices, which
tendency may prevent any substantial increases
for a few weeks, although it is
bound to happen that rates will improve.
The Panhandle independent operators are
making a loud clamor against what they
claim is unjust discrimination in the matter
of freight rates, not only to the lakes, but
for mere domestic shipments. They claim
that immediately across the river, miners
are getting less money and mine a long ton;
on the West Virginia side, the men are paid
from 10 to 15 per cent, more, yet put out a
short ton. Add to this a 10 per cent, excess
of freight rates for the Panhandle, and a
situation is produced that is not very pleasing,
to say the least. The railroads are
being negotiated with, committees are it
work, and some sort of an adjustment is
possible. But for these unpleasantries, the
West Virginia coal operator might be the
happiest man on earth, in view of the prospects.
Prices are about as they have been the
past two weeks. Lump has an average price
of $1.10 to $1.15; three-quarter, $1 to $1.05;
run of mine, 90 cents to 98. In the lower
state field activity is marked and if the car
supply is half respectable the coming month
will be an unusually brisk one in the way
of production.
The belief prevails that within the next
month contracts will be awarded by Senator
Stephen B. Elkins and his associates in
the Morgantown & Kingwood railway extension
for the remainder of the construction
work between Kingwood and Rowlesburg,
the latter town being an important
point on the Baltimore & Ohio at the foot
of the mountains, and a strong location
strategically, from the coal point of view.
This new extension, which has been partially
completed, goes into the very heart
of a district but little known in coal development,
but which will play an important
part in the Elkins development program
from now on. Trains are running into
Reedsville, and the road bed for further extension
is being ballasted from Reedsvill;
to Bretz. The territory is brought directly
into close commercial union with Pittsburg,
via Morgantown. It is understood that before
the railroad plans were begun, the
Eikins interests bought up nearly every foot
of coal and timber worth the name, and that
when all is ready a second Fairmont will
rise from the mountain fastnessess of the
district. There are thousands of acres of
coal land within easy reach.
Messrs. Edward Donley and John L. Hatfield,
of Morgantown, have completed another
coal deal, by which they sell to L.
L. West, of Connellsville, half their interest
in the J. S. Patterson tract which they
recently purchased. Their half netted about
$3,000, which is considered pretty good considering
the fact that it is but a 48-acre
tract. The price of coal land in the vicinity
of Morgantown has constantly increased for
the past year and very little is to be had.
Until a few days ago most of the mines
of the Fairmont company were unable to
make good time, owing to the lack of cars.
The men in all the mines grew discouraged
and it was to prevent their moving out of
the territory that the company this week
took advantage of improved circumstances,
and issued the notice referred to at the
outset of this letter.
One thousand dollars an acre for coal,
which ten years ago could have been bought
for $5, was the rather remarkable incident
connected with a court sale on Roaring
creek, near Elkins, a few days ago. Senator
C. H. Scott, of Elkins, paid $1,025 for
just one acre of coal, which is said to be
worth more to the Davis Colliery Co. to
whom it was transferred afterwards. The
story of that acre of coal is rather interesting.
A large territory was formerly
owned by Senator Scott's father. After his
death, and in the division of the property
among the heirs, and a subsequent sale of
part of it, an acre got lost, so to speak, in
the survey, and was not accounted for until
recently. It became necessary for the Senator
to bid against some other interests, and
he did so, getting the coal at high-water
figure. The property is not unusually well
located, and the price it brought is considered
a fair average for that particular
district in the Roaring Creek field.
The Kenneth Coal Co. is the name of a
new corporation of Wheeling, which is getting
into the West Virginia trade to some
extent. E. B. Carney, of Wheeling, is president,
and George J. Mathison,, same city,
secretary.
The National Tube Co. is buying heavily
of lumber and general building materials
for improvements on its Riverside works,
at Benwood.
The sympathy of the trade will be extended
to J. C. McKinley, a prominent
Wheeling operator, whose mother died a
few days ago in Orlando, Fla., whither she
had gone for her health. Mrs. McKinley
was an estimable woman, and quite prominent
throughout West Virginia socially.
She was the sister of ex-Senator J. N. Camden,
and her numerous friends were totally
unprepared for the sad news of her demise.
One of the more pathetic features of her
death was the fact that a daugher died some
months ago, in Florida, when on a similar
mission—recuperation of health.
The removal of the office of Rinehart
Dennis, Wabash contractors, from Fairmont,
to Scranton, Pa., leads many to suspect
that the Wabash West Virginia extension
towards tide-water will not be prosecuted
to a finish this season. The abandonment
of work has led to numberless conjectures,
and what the company may do is
an absolute uncertainty. Coal and lumber
interests are trusting the extension will
be finished as soon as possible.
Gen. Morris Horkheimer, of Wheeling, a
member of the Brier Hill Coal Co., has returned
from an extended tour in Europe.
He is much improved in health.
The Buffalo colleries, near Williamson,
will shortly improve facilities by the addition
of much new, modern machinery.
No official report of the recent disaster
in the Redash district has been filed.
Government inspectors, under instructions
from the Commerce and Labor bureau,
are conducting a West Virginia coal inspection.
TO DEVELOP NEW
TERRITORY.
The Norfolk & Western railroad has purchased
the 13 miles of railroad owned by
the Merriman-Youken Co., and connecting
Interior, Va., with the main line of the Norfolk
& Western near Rinnlemead on New
river. This road was originally built as a
lumber road and has been used to get out
the product of the big lumber mills at Interior
for several years. That industry appears,
however, to be languishing at that
point, the most of the timber having been
cut out; and a few days ago Senator P. F.
St. Clair substantially closed a deal for a
large tract of timber land in North Carolina
and says his mill will probably be removed
hither from Interior. But it is given
out that the Norfolk & Western people now
intend to extend the railroad by building up
Big Stony Creek through Giles county,
across the divide, and down the valley of
Potts creek, in Monroe county, thus developing
the famous Potts valley iron ores. It
is even said that the extension will be continued
to a terminus at Covington, Va.
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