782 



WEST VIRGINIA. 



has also appropriated for the creation of slack- 

 water navigation on Great Kanawha river from 

 the Ohio river at Point Pleasant to a point near 

 Kanawha Falls, in Fayette County, 90 miles, 

 $3,885,200 for locks and dams. The work on the 

 locks and dams has progressed well during the 

 year. The entire slack-water navigation will be 

 completed for the 90 miles when 3 locks are fin- 

 ished. There will be 6 feet of water continuously 

 furnished for 90 miles during every day in the 

 year. The engineers expect to complete the 

 work in 1896. There will then be a permanent 

 guarantee to the collieries of the Great Kanawha 

 district of free and unrestricted transportation, 

 as tolls on the Great Kanawha were abolished by 

 act of Congress in 1892. The improvement in 

 navigation for the past year served to increase 

 shipments, estimated at a total for 1894 of 25,- 

 821,000 bushels. The increase observed applies 

 to cannel, splint, and bituminous coal. The re- 

 moval of obstruction will also be of benefit to the 

 timber regions. 



Railroads. The Charleston, Clendennin and 

 Sutton Railway began the extension from Clen- 

 dennin to Sutton in October. Various impor- 

 tant surveys have been made through the State 

 during the year, and the Chesapeake and Ohio 

 contemplates building a parallel to the Norfolk 

 and Western through southwestern Virginia. 



Despite costs for repairs, bridge building, and 

 dull trade in coal and lumber early in the year, 

 caused by strikes and difficulties in navigation, 

 the earnings of all roads show a marked sur- 

 plus. 



Oil. Oil was discovered in this State in 1860, 

 on Little Kanawha river. The total production 

 to 1893 has been tabulated this year for the 

 Labor Commission as 20,000,000 barrels. The 

 average daily yield for four months early in 

 1894 was 27,000 barrels : total during the year 

 10,000,000 barrels, worth $8,000,000. The oil 

 belt extends from Wetzel and Marion Counties, 

 on the northern border, to Wayne and Logan on 

 the southern. 



Coal. From the coal area of 16,000 square 

 miles in the State 2 counties Fayette and Kana- 

 wha produced one twenty-seventh of all the 

 coal mines in the United States in 1894. West 

 Virginia is now the fourth State in coal produc- 

 tion. The total number of tons mined in 1894 

 was 9,428,065 ; shipped on the Kanawha, 1,032,- 

 840 tons, valued at $1,035.000. 



Agriculture. The National Congress of 

 Farmers met in Parkersburg, in October (see 

 FARMERS' CONGRESS). The tabulated statement 

 for 1894 shows less than one half of the State 

 cleared and in use for farming and grazing. Of 

 50 counties, 42 report agriculture and stock. 5 

 lumber, and 3 mining as their first industry. 

 Agriculture is reported from 23 counties as the 

 second industry, lumber in 19, merchandising 

 in 4, mining in 3. oil in 3, and railroading in 

 Taylor County. Unimproved cotton lands have 

 an average value of $18.32 an acre, improved 

 land $37.82, and the highest price $70. The 

 figures of the wheat crop showed highest yield 

 25 bushels to the acre, and 12^ on an average. 

 Oats were a full crop, but short of estimated 

 yield of 20 bushels an acre. Corn was inferior 

 on account of rainy weather, giving only 20|- 

 bushels an acre. Meadows and fruit suffered 



from rain. Potatoes averaged 61 bushels an 

 acre. Live stock was in good condition, only 

 10 counties reporting any disease. The num- 

 ber and value of farm animals were as follow 

 Horses, 163,312, $7.586,792: milch cows. 1SL>- 

 265, $3,490.375 ; sheep, 765,705, $1,619,77^ : 

 mules, 7,601, $421,036; other cattle, 354 :!7(i 

 $5,387,721 ; hogs, 407,344, $1,975,698. 



The meteorological State department never 

 has had any State appropriations, but ha* 22 

 voluntary observation stations working in co- 

 operation with the governmental service. The 

 rainfall was reported at 13 inches, and the tem- 

 perature at 2. 



State Institutions. The report from tin- 

 State institutions for 1894 show their general 

 condition to be as follows : 



The State University, at Morgantown, has 244 

 students. 



The experiment station reports to the regents, 

 showing none in the country doing finer work, 

 and none better equipped/ It has issued 37 

 regular and special reports and 3 annual reports 

 for the benefit of State agriculturists. 



The Deaf and Blind Schools, at Romney, have 

 113 deaf and 47 blind pupils. 



The First Insane Asylum, at Weston. has 

 patients as an average, with recoveries 24-3 per 

 cent. The Second Insane Asylum, at Spenser, 

 has 123 patients. 



The Reform School had an average of 63 pu- 

 pils during the year. Lack of sufficient ac- 

 commodation necessitated frequent changes. 



The Penitentiary, at Moundsville, has a new 

 hospital and 404 new cells. It has 463 convicts 

 and 465 cells, and requires enlarged accommo- 

 dations. 



The Colored Institute, at Farms, is in ex- 

 cellent condition, with a total enrollment of 182 

 pupils. Expenses, $26,500. 



The State normal schools of Marshall and 

 Shepherd Colleges, and those at Concord, Glen- 

 ville, and West Liberty, have a patronage 

 tributed over the State in numerous branch* 

 The entire enrollment numbers 1,004 pupil 

 They are benefited also by the Peabody Educ 

 tional fund. 



The public schools create a levy, with their 

 building fund, of 80 and 12 cents on $100. 

 The total number of pupils was 282,770 ; total 

 number of schoolhouses, 5,302 ; valuation, $2,- 

 376.386. 



Banks. Delegates from 35 banks of this 

 State met in Charleston in May, and formed a 

 permanent State organization for mutual benefit 

 and protection. No failures were reported for 

 the year. The State banking institutions num- 

 ber 53 ; savings banks, 2 ; and 1 trust and in- 

 vestment company. National banks number 30. 

 Resources of State barks, $12,048.425.84: 

 tional banks, $13,497,195.27; total, $25,545, 

 621.11. 



State Museum. This institution was for 

 mally opened to the public by the Governor 

 April 3, in the Hall of Delegates at the Capitol 

 It contains the former exhibit of the State 

 the World's Fair and the regular collections 

 the State Historical and Antiquarian Societx 

 It is permanently opened to visitors. 



Insurance. For the year ending with 

 cember, 1894, 68 fire insurance companies ot 



