The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-10-21
Correspondence of the Richmond Dispatch.
ebay After the Fair" Z!
STAUNToN, October IS, L

oAACN OStoUOi IC1 low.
We had intended sending you full ac.
count of " the day after the Fair" giving
number Of odds and ends Of interest to the
public, but we really have not time, and you,
perhaps, have not space for more than very
few items.
had also intended giving full notice Of
the products Of Burk S Iron Works, Staunton,
and Of the works themselves. | have only
time now to say that they were established in
1865 by Captain William A. Burke, with a
small capital and force Of only three hands,
and that they now employ fifteen to eighteen
hands, and turn out annually one thousand
plows and large amount of general job iron
work, which is unsurpassed by any other
foundry. Certainly the people of this sec
ton have no occasion to send elsewhere for
anything in the line of this enterprising house
| And I must again mention the collection Of
maps exhibited by Major Jed Hotchkiss. To
biographical Engineer, of Staunton, Va, to
which premiums were awarded. The farm,
map was of the fine estate of William FL
Peyton, near Staunton, showing in detail the
| fields, gardens, &c.-in fact, the complete to-
Biography Of the farm, with corner map of
the surrounding country-just the thing, we
would say, for every intelligent: practical farm
er to have for a guide in cultivating his farm
The estate maps of those valuable iron prop
critics Elizabeth Furnace, in Augusta, and
the Abbott Iron Companys, in Rockingham,
were full Typographical maps of large proper
ties, giving the details of mountain, valley,
and stream, with countouls Of elevation, ge
illogical sections, &c. 1t is only by such maps
as these, and their accompanying scientific
reports, that such immense ESTES Zone Of
them 10000 acres) can be fully known by
the many interested in them. A complete
map Of Nelson county, Va, to the scale of
one inch to the mile, was in the collection );
this we learned, is one of the series Of the
Physical Survey Of Virginia by Washington
College. under the direction of General LEE,
Of which survey Major Hotchkiss is the to
biographical engineer. We earnestly hope
the State of Virginia will, as soon as she is
thoroughly reconstructed, establish bureau
Of information, and provide means for giving
to the world these valuable maps, so necessa-
ry every way for the use of the tourist, the
scientific explorer the immigrant, and those
seeking Investments for capital in the miner
al lands of the State. Let any one reflect for
moment on the fact that maps Of sixty
counties of the State, from actual surveys,
are ready for publication, if the means were
at hand, and he will see what vast fund
of information, that costs tens Of thousands
OF dollars to procure, is lying idle and useless
when all the world is calling for information
about Virginia. There were men from Ger
many, England, and from several of the
northern States, at the Fair, all seeking homes
here, and all desiring information to send
home Just such maps as these would be of
incalculable value in promoting immigration,
and ought BY all means to be published.
The sixty maps alluded to above were pre-
pared by Major Hotchkiss while on the stats
Of Stonewall jackson, Ewell, Early, and Cor
don.
How much the brilliant success of jackson
was due, in the earl days of the war, when
mparatively little was known Of the topog-
raphy of the State, to the skillful and daring
reconnolssances and accurate maps of Major
Hotchkiss, and how highly the great chief
tain priced his services, only those familiar
with the facts can tell 80 ~
But 1 must really close. Not, however.
without expressing my thanks to the officers
Of the Society, marshals, and committeeman,
and especially to the efficient Secretary and
his polite clerks, who, amidst pressing work
SO necessary to the success of the Fair. vet
took time to give the representatives of the
press every assistance.
Our thanks are also due to the Vindicafor
and to the proprietors of the Virginia Hotel
orpolite attentions and fayors.
We had great fair. May they have
better next year: and may the Dispatch have
better reporter, and & l be there to see w
VALLEY