COAL  IN  THE  NICHOLAS  QUADRANGLE,  WEST  VIRGINIA. 
By  George  H.  Ashley. 
Location  and  present  development. — The  Nicholas  quadrangle  lies 
near  the  center  of  the  State  of  West  Virginia,  from  GO  to  100  miles 
cast  of  Charleston,  the  capital.     It  lies  just  east  of  the  northern  part 
of  the  New  River  coal  field  as  developed  on  New  River,  and  of  the 
Kanawha  coal  field  as  developed  along  Kanawha  and  Elk  rivers. 
The  developed  portion  of  the  New  River  field  just  overlaps  the  south- 
west corner   of   this   quadrangle.     Geologically   the   whole   area   is 
practically  a  continuation  eastward  of  the  two  coal  fields  just  men- 
tioned.    With  the  exception  of  the  southwest  corner,  this  quadrangle 
represents  a  coal  field  containing  a  large  quantity  of  commercial  coal! 
of  the  highest  grade  lying  in  such  a  position  that  it  has  been  entirely 
untouched.     At  the  present  time  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Railroad, 
passes  down  New  River  within  a  few  miles  of  the  southwest  corner, 
and  two  branches  of  that  road  just  project  into  the  quadrangle.     The 
Coal  and  Coke  Railroad  up  Elk  River  runs  only  a  few  miles  away 
from  the  northwest  corner.       A  branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
projects  into  this  area  from  near  the  northeast  corner  well  down  the 
eastern  side  to  the  town  of  Richwood,  but  this  branch  has  as  yet  been 
constructed  only  for  the  transportation  of  lumber,  and  not  for  coal. 
A  private  road  is  at  present  building  up  Strouds  Creek,  through 
Beaver  Creek  Valley  to  Muddlety  Creek,  for  the  purpose  of  reaching 
the   adjacent   lumber.     This  road  will  connect   with  the   Baltimore! 
and  Ohio  near  Camden.     Another  road  is  in  part  under  contract  toj 
be  built  up  Buffalo  Creek  with  the  object  of  ultimately  connecting 
the  Coal  and  Coke  Railroad  at  Clay  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio] 
near   Camden.     A   series  of   surveys   is   also   being  run   up   Gauley; 
River  and  Meadow  River  from  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  and  the 
Hocking  Valley  railroads  at  Gauley  Bridge:  also  from  the  Chesa- 
peake and  Ohio  at  Alderson  northward  into  this  region;    and  there 
seems  fair  prospect  that  within  the  near  future  a  railroad  will  bej 
built  into  the  southern  part  of  this  quadrangle  for  the  removal  of 
the  coal  and  timber.     In  view  of  this  prospective  development  in  the 
near  future  the  coal  resources  of  this  area  become  a  matter  of  con- 
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