WEST VIRGINIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



61 



branches of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, from twenty to 

 thirty first class mills are cutting on an average 3,000 feet of 

 lumber per day." And so it was along practically all other 

 railroads as they were built from time to time. A few came at 

 first and these were soon followed by many others as mentioned 

 in the quotation above. Just as the old water mills followed 

 closely the first settlements, supplying the lumber for floors and 

 ceiling in the log houses and for the construction of the first 

 frame dwellings, so the portable mills followed the newer settle- 

 ments as they were established along the lines of railroad. 



Below are given dates of the opening of the principal rail- 

 roads in West Virginia. These dates, as has been suggested, 

 correspond in most cases with the beginning of active portable 

 saw mill operations in the different localities: 



BALTIMORE AND OHIO RAILROAD. 



WINCHESTER & POTOMAC RAILROAD Miles. 

 Harpers Perry to Swimley, Va,, .... 20.21 



Date. 

 1836 



B. & O. MAIN LINE 



Harpers Ferry to Wheeling, 



248.25 Jan 



1, 1853 



BENWOOD BRIBGB 



Benwood Jet. to low water mark on 

 • Ohio side, 



1.41 



PARIOERSBURG BRANCH 



Grafton to Parkersburg, 

 Parkersburg Bridge, . . , 



103 .13 

 .82 



1857 



WHEELING, PITTSBURG & BALTIMORE RAILROAD 



West Alexander, Pa. to Wheeling, 



W. Va., 14.41 



1857 



WEST VIRGINIA & PITTSBURG RAILROAD 



Clarksburg to Rich wood 12 0.99 



Pickens Branch, 



McPelah Jet. to Pickens, 



50.51 



Suttom Branch, 



Flatwoods to Sutton, 



5.63 



Total mileage W. Va. & Pittsburg 



R. R., 177.13 



1879 



