USA > West Virginia > Logan County > Logan > History of the city of Logan, W. Va. [West Virginia], 1823-1916 > Part 9
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In addition to this we would not be surprised to see the corporate limits of our city extended any day to such proportions as to take in Barboursville, Huntington, Ken- ova and other suburbs, while we realize that Charleston is
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too far away from Logan and Omar to ever amount to much.
William Anderson Dingess, born on the 30th day of October, 1806, on the point across the Guyandotte river op- posite the passenger station, bore the proud distinction of being the first white child born in Logan county. Mr. Dingess died December 13, 1893, in his 88th year.
Ben Cary built the first jail ever to be erected in Logan county.
Extract from an issue of the Logan Banner dated March 18, 1896: "Aracomo has five general stores, seven hotels, one newspaper, two churches, one school building, one livery stable, three blacksmith shops, one photographer, one jeweler, two shoe shops, six carpenters, two stone mas- ons, three surveyors, four ministers, six physicians, eleven attorneys, one job printing establishment, one drug store, five teamsters, no saloons, some of the finest buildings in the state, cheap town lots, healthy climate, plenty of water, and the best people in the world. Come and locate with us." While we have outgrown the first part of the above story we can heartily commend to the reader the last part of the article as applying to the town at present, with the excep- tion of the 'cheap town lots' for space is so scarce here that town lots now are very valuable. However we are proud to know that we had the progressive spirit and 'boosters' in onr midst twenty years ago. That same spirit abides with us yet.
In an old dusty volume found in the office of the county clerk, being the records of the surveyor, we found an entry as follows:"Surveyed for the county of Logan, two acres of land for the the public square, by order of the court. Completed June 9, 1825. James Jenks, John B. Chapman, Chainmen; Francis R. Pinnel, S. L. C. r
In addition to the many other things of which Logan is proud to boast is the fact that this is the home of Mrs.
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Elizabeth Hatfield, mother of the present governor of the state. "Mother" Hatfield" as she is lovingly called by a host of friends is a woman of lovely traits of character and we are proud to claim her as one of our citizens.
Logan gains more prominence through the fact that this is the home of Hon. E. T. England, Republican nominec for the office of Attorney General, in the coming fall elec -- tion. On account of the state being considered strongly republican politically it is a pretty safe bet that Mr. Eng .. land will be the next Attorney General.
On visiting the cemetery the writer came to the grave of Hon. H. C. Ragland, who was at one time a practic. ing attorney of Logan, and during the time of his residence here compiled a history of Logan county. It was from this history, which by the way was never published in book form, that the writer secured much of the information con- tained in this work, regarding the early period of the town. We found upon his tombstone the following unique in- scription, which was dictated by Mr. Ragland himself, and the stone made before his death: "Henry Clay Ragland, born in Goochland county, Virginia, May 7, 1844, died May 1,1911 ; believing in equal rights to all men, both in church and state. He was a Baptist in religion and a Democrat in politics."
Correction on Public Schools of Logan.
In compiling our history of Logan schools we failed to mention a prominent figure in the early life of the high school in the person of W. I. Campbell, who was the man to first call a meeting of the citizens for the purpose of paving the way for the establishment of this school. Mr. Campbell was also the chief factor in the employment of W. W. Hall, as district school supervisor. In justice to Mr. Campbell we are making this correction and take pleasure in publishing
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the printed call made and circulated by him at the time: Dear Sir:
On Saturday, February 11th, a mass meeting of the taxpayers and citizens of Logan district will be held in the court house at Logan to discuss the question of establishing a district high school and of providing for district super- vision of schools.The state supervisor of high schools will be present and will discuss the advantages of high schools and district supervision.
No more important project has ever been undertaken in Logan district than this movement for better schools. Many of our young people are growing to manhood and womanhood without an opportunity to obtain the training and preparation for life that the present day demands, and that other communities are providing. The few who do ob- tain such preparation are compelled to go to other parts of the state or to other states and in doing so are at great expense. Families have moved away form this community and others have been prevented from coming to live among us, because of our lack of better and higher school advan- tages. We can not offord to allow this to continue. Logan and the region immediately around it has most promising prospects for the future because of its natural wealth. For the proper development of our wealth, however, we must b able to offer advantages that will induce men to bring their families and make their permanent home among us. The chief of such advantages is a good system of schools including a good four year high school. We can not af- ford to be behind other communities in this respect. In this and other states high schools are rapidly multiplying. A number of districts in West Virginia with far less taxable wealth than Logan district possesses, have established high schools and others are doing so.
In a district like ours a central district high school open without cost to all youth in the district who are ready for high school work, would best meet our needs. Such a
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school located at Logan would be within easy reach of the entire district, and could be maintained on an annual levy so small that it would not be noticed by the tax payers of the district.
The high school and all of the elementary schools of the district should be placed in charge of a trained and capable superintendent so that our schools may be brought up to the standard of efficiency attained in a number of other dis- tricts that have made similar provision.
Let every tax payer in Logan district come to the court house at one o'clock on the afternoon of February 11th and participate in the consideration of this important subject.
W. I. CAMPBELL, Pres. Board of Education, Logan, W. Va., Jan. 28, 1911. Logan District.
Another honor has just been recently tossed Logan way in the nomination of Hon. J. B. Wilkinson, our present circuit judge, by the Democrats in session at Parkersburg, on August 2, 1916, as a candidate for the position of Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeals of the state of West Vir- ginia. Should the Judge be elected to this position his elevation will meet with the approval of all of his friends and it is predicted that he will fill the position to the honor and satisfaction of the whole state.
While we do not doubt for a moment that a man would travel the entire distance around this terrestial globe in order to win one of the Logan girls still it must be remem- bered that the young men of Logan are very popular as will be witnessed by the following article clipped from the daily paper of recent date:
COMES 2,000 MILES TO WED AT LOGAN
Colorado Girl Married to Logan Man-Groom Unable to Leave Work-Bride Makes Two Thousand Mile Trip From the Pacific Coast
Traveling two thousand miles from Union Colo., to Lo-
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gan, West Va., Miss Dora Segelks, on Tuesday became the bride here of Frank L. Perry, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Perry, of Washington avenue, Huntington.
The couple met at Union several years ago when Perry was traveling in the west. As he was unable to leave his work at Logan, where he is general manager of the West- ern Union office, it was arranged for Miss Segelke to come to West Virginia.
The wedding ceremony was performed by Rev. J. A. Smith of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church Mr. and Mrs. Perry will make their home in Logan.
1
History of Omar
The Magical City of the" Buyan Halley
Along with the early pioneers that came and settled on the present site of Logan, came Barnabus Curry and Fran- cis Browning. Curry settled near the present site of Barn- abus while Browning settled near the present site of Chaun- cey. These settlements were made on the upper part of Main Island Creek and the mode of living was the same as followed by other pioneers of that day.
Thus the vast territory lying on the upper side of this creek remained practically a wilderness and was handed down by the fathers to their children and 'tis said that at one time nine thousand acres of this land was sold for fifty cents per acre .. In the later years some thirty-seven thous- and acres came into the possession of Cole & Crane, large lumbermen of Cincinnati, and in 1913 this boundary was leased from them by the Main Island Creek Coal Company, an enormous corporation which had been promoted and or- ganized by John Laing, formerly chief of the Department of Mines of West Virginia.
Founding of Omar
Could a person have fallen asleep in 1913 and contin- ued in a "Rip Van Winkle" slumber until today, a period of
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two years, and then awoke and gaze upon the little city of Omar as it stands today the writer believes that it would take more than the power of mere man to convince the sleep- er that where Omar now stands was the same tract of land that was covered by a wilderness just two short years ago. In January, 1914, this gigantic corporation came into this wilderness and with the same decisive methods that charac- terize all vast undertakings of the present age, undertook to open and develop the coal beneath the surface of this vast tract of land. Evidently all plans had been carefully laid and fully matured before the first pick fell into the carth, for as hard as it is to believe, it is nevertheless a fact four months and twenty six days after the work was begun these people were shipping sixty-five railroad cars of coal daily. The sound of the hammer and saw that begun the construction ofthe town at this time has never been stilled, the vast opening being bored into the bowels of mother carth continues to this day, the facilities for loading the enormous quantities of coal that pour in one continuous stream from the under ground, are being erected as fast as human might and skill can construct them and it appears to the writer that the expansive desire of the company for better and larger development may never be satisfied. Can we believe that in this short space of time that this company has in operation today nine mines, running coal over five tipples, six other openings under development, employing at the present time 1,200 men and room for 1000 more, with the town of Mico under construction and another town three miles above Omar. just beginning? Can we- but what's the use ?The physical evidences of bigness are so impressively impressive, the gigantic undertaking so large to the human brain, the rapidity with which the un- dertakings are completed, the scenes of things being done and planned by these big men of obvious energy and ability, that there is little chance for doubts to persist.
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Location of Omar
Omar, which derived its name from James Omar Cole, one of the original lessors, is situated on Main Island Creek at the junction of Pine Creek and lies ten miles south-east of the city of Logan.
The officials of the Main Island Creek Coal Company
Main Island Creek Coal Company is one of the largest operating coal companies in the Guyan Valley field today. The very task of promoting and organizing such an enor- mous corporation was a task for big men only and to such men fell the lot of organization.
John Laing, the president and promoter, has organized five operating companies in the state today and is the presi- dent of each. e is one of the best known mining men in the country, even in fields other than the one in which he is such a conspicuous figure. He is universally known as the former Chief of the Department of Mines of the State and has had long and varied experience in both the operative and administrative phases of the coal production and dis- tribution. Mr. Laing was brought up with the coal industry and has the practical knowledge of mining while he has studied and mastered the technical knowledge of all phases of the industry. One trait of a big man is his ability to enlist the assistance and co-operation of other big men. No surprise, therefore, is expressed when we find affairs at Omar wholly in charge of A. J. Dalton, who qualifies in every way as a big man. Jack Dalton is a big man, men- tally, morally and physically, confronted with a big task, but grappling with the big problem in a big way.
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The work here is no dwarf's job but a big man's job and it fell upon his big shoulders, forming a part of a big physical frame of a big man, seeing nothing but big busi- ness methods and handling them in a big way. In fact a visit to Omar will stagger a big brain, bigger than the writer's with the awful bigness of big things being done. The truth of the matter is that the writer fears that we
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Loganites are just a little envious and jealous of Omar and I fear we will have to look to our laurels lest we lose in the future the proud title of the metropolis of the Guyan Valley. Jack Dalton is a very busy man, yet he is never so busy that he can not be approached by any of his employees, in him they confide every care and find in his big heart -- much larger than his body-room for all their confidence. The writer was impressed with the kindness and hospitality, so dear to the heart and -- and -- and stomach of the writer, of the man, who never permits the vast amount of daily busi- ness to worry or fret him in the least. Mr. Dalton has had approximately thirty-five years experience in all phases of the coal industry and through this extensive knowledge he is iminently fitted for the position which he holds.
Mr. O. O. Copper, the secretary and treasurer of the company is a financier of Hinton, W. Va.He is president of several of the large corporations of that part of the state and connected with many of the large institutions of Hinton and surrounding territory.
J. A. Kelly, superintendent and right hand man to Dal- ton, comes from the Norfolk & Western coal fields and fills his position to the satisfaction of all concerned.
R. F. Carson is consulting engineer, J. H. Steidel, resi- dent engineer; James Montgomery, superintendent of mines ; W. T. Jones, resident inspector; Thomas H. Brooks, store manager, and W. B. Crickner is chief bookkeeper.
Thns we find the affairs and destiny of the company in the hands of John Laing, president; A. J. Dalton, vice- president and general manager; O. O. Cooper, secretary and treasurer; John A. Kelly, superintendent, ably assisted by the men mentioned above and backed by a capital of $1,000,000 the Main Island Creek Coal Company is fully able to handle any undertaking in which they may engage.
Coal and Method of Mining
The tract of 37,000 acres is leased from Cole & Crane of Cincinnati. Starting about 150 feet above water level at
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one side of the property and dipping gradually northwest- ward to the opposite side where it must be reached by mine shafts, is a magnificent seam of coal varying in thickness from six to seven feet in the higher portions to seven and eight feet in the lower parts. Estimates place the total coal in this property at 275,400,000 tons. State geologists say it is fromed by local combinations of seams which farther north are separated by many feet but here are parted by only a few inches of shale. Here in Logan county, however, the coal is distinctly different in character, being a very peculiar mixture of splint and gas layers. The splinty parts have enough of a certain kind of gas to make them ignite easily ; hence the excellence of the domestic fuel from Omar. The seam yields enough gas coal to make it a splendid steam fuel.
For both domestic and steam purposes it is better to break the lumps into rather small pieces, to avoid loss of gases in smoke. But as the market, rightly or wrongly, calls for lump coal, the mines are equipped to load their product that way. At another mine of the company about two and a half miles down the creek from Omar, a foot of cannel coal is found at the bottom of the seam and this is loaded out separtely.
The mine projects contemplate working on the panel system, with triple and quadruple main entries, double side and butt entries and rooms paneled off the butts. From the several openings made for the purpose of development, the working will be joined and then the progress as a unified whole. In the present mines the coal seam is fair- ly uniform at about seven feet thick, quite clean except for the three inches of shale which forms the parting be- tween the upper and lower benches, at a height of thirty- eight inches from the bottom. The top and bottom is ex- cellent so the general mining conditions are favorable.
Entries and breakthroughs are driven twelve feet wide. Rooms twenty feet wide are spaced on 60 feet centers, with
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twenty-feet break-throughs at ninety-feet centers This leaves pillers forty by seventy feet to be drawn later by a suitable means of robbing.
Gathering of the coal is done altogether by motors, the small five-ton gathering motors being used for haulage from the rooms while large thirteen ton haulage motors are used for transporting it to the tipple.
The coal is cut by means of several different kinds of electric machines, the straight face, turret, short wall and other kinds of machines have been used but exhaustive tests have proven that the straight face machine has given the best results and it is the intention of the management to install these machines in all of their new operations. By means of this machine, which cuts the coal in the center of the seam, the 'scrapping' which is so hard and dreaded by the miner, is eliminated. In fact any and all machinery that will tend in any way to eliminate the hardest part of the work for the men and will enable the management to produce the amount of coal is speedily purchased and in- stalled. In all their machinery as well as any and all kinds of emplements used by the company, quality is always the cardinal requisite with them and the matter of price is of secondary consideration. This principle holds good throughout their entire development.
The tipples are constructed of steel, the equipment for handling, preparing and loading is of the highest class and most modern character and the five tipples now operating handle a daily output of 14,000 tons per day and the mines are running practically every working day in the year.
The Town of Omar
So much for the mining conditions. Now let us turn to the outside development and see what we shall see. Of course any historical sketch of Omar means a history of the Main Island Creek Coal Company for the lives of the two are inseparably linked. Co-incident with the development of the mines was the construction of the town begun. In
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strong comparison with the methods followed by the early operators throughout the state this company began with the very first construction to erect buildings of the very best character. The homes for the miners were built of good lumber and for the most part these were plastered, well fenced and have running water in each of them. The very first store to go up was one of the largest and finest mine camp stores to be found in the state. Just as this building was completed and the enormous stock of goods moved in, it caught fire from some unknown cause and burned to the ground-entailing a loss of approximately $75,000. Hardly had the embers grown cold before they were cleared away and immediately the work of rebuilding was commenced and four months from that date, December 29, 1914, the second store house was finished and ready for occupancy. This building is equipped with refrigeration equipment, electric elevator, a soda fountain, other features not found in the usual mine stores, while in the basement they have an ice making plant with a daily capacity of ten tons.
Water supply is carried to or into all houses from the general water system, which also furnishes fire protection. On the hillside above the power house is a steel tank of 100,000 gallons capacity, its elevation assuring pressure head for throwing a stream onto and over any building in head for throwing a stream onto and over tny building in the town. Two hose reel houses are located at advan- tageous points and there are four large chemical engines at other points.
There are school houses and churches, lodge rooms, and club houses, reading and rest rooms, barber shops and bil- liar parlors, refreshment rooms and bath houses for both white and colored. In fact, every convenience that human brain can conceive has been or will be installed by this company for the convenience and comfort of the employees of all races and nationalities. The management has erected large and handsome buildings and installed equipments rep-
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resenting thousands of dollars from which they will not, nor do they expect to receive one cent in financial returns.
This same spirit of progress and liberality will be car- ried out at Mico and Little's Creek, the latest operations, and one item that was impressed upon the mind of the writer before reaching Omar was that while the town of Mico is now being constructed, right along with the building of the residences is a church being constructed, thus show- ing to the world that the Christian civilization is being carried along with the industrial development of the com- pany
A few other things that may be mentioned that the company is doing for the benefit of the laborer are these: garbage disposal is taken care of by means of a steel tank wagon and collections are made daily, a model dairy has been installed with a wagon, containing an upto date steril- izing machine, making two deliveries a day, the manage- ment bought and planted 900 trees of various kinds which they placed over the town and along the streets, also $300 worth of flowers were purchased and distributed to em- ployees and prizes offered for the prettiest yard as well as the best garden, a model garage being built to accommo- date seven automobiles the use of this to be free to em- ployees who own machines for it must be remembered that miners have accumulated enough through the liberal pay that they receive to buy themselves a machines.
Many other charitable acts could be cited but to do so would lengthen our story, but we feel that two other things should be mentioned. A fine large base ball park was laid out and enclosed at a large expense which was individually borne by Jack Dalton and donated to the Athletic Associa- tion. Then in order to enjoy and properly celebrate the Fourth of July just passed the company had prepared an enormous free public dinner, and over five hundred chickens was just one item of the bill of fare. Suffice to say that
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this dinner alone cost over $500, all of which was borne by the company.
The bath house here is the finest thing of the kind ever seen by the writer. The entire floor of the building is given up to baths which will accomodate five hundred white bathers and three hundred and fifty colored. Each bather is furnished with an individual piece of soap and and a clean towel at each bath. The clothes are run up on chains to dry and each bundle of clothing hangs free of other clothing. This permits the clothes to ventilate and keeps them in a sanitary condition. The top floor of the bath house is given over to lodges, of which we have five represented here, being Red Men, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Eagles and Woodmen of the World.
The large auditorium building consists of the Young Men's Civic Association, while up stairs is a motion picture theatre with a seating capacity of over five hundred, show- ing each week-day night the very latest and best motion pictures, while at intervals films showing safety work in mines, first aid methods and mine rescue work are shown and explained by competent men. The Young Men's Civic Association, which plays such an important part in the life of the men of Omar is ably handled by R. A. Schutte.
The club house just across the railroad is a thing of beauty and will prove to be a joy forever. Enclosed in an acre of level ground, surrounded by a nice grassy lawn which is covered with ever blooming cannas and scarlet sage it presents a pleasing picture to the eye, while the build- ing itself is comfortably arranged with thirty bed-rooms with a shower and tub bath on each floor. The spacious porch is enclosed by glass enabling the management to use it for dancing purposes in winter as well as summer.
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