PRAISE FOR WEST VIRGINIA.
Wheeling Man Talks of State's
Wonderful Resources.
"You do not hear much of West Virginia out this way, but it is the richest state of its size in the Union," said H. R. Griffin of Wheeling, W. Va., at the Coates House last night. "It hasn't as many dollars nor as many people as some states, but nature tucked away a lot of riches under the surface and over it, too.
"Last year the state produced 44,000,000 tons of coal. The famous Pocahontas fields are very extensive and are furnishing a much desired steam coal. Experts estimate that the fields will not be exhausted for 650 years. Our timber cannot be cut off in thirty years. West Virginia oil is the finest and the production has only started. Few states have as many natural resources as the so-called home of the rattlesnake."
