Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-02-27
mae Ni1hitatsr.
FRIDAY MORNING. FEB. q. 1886.
Local
BUSINESS BOOM IN WEST VIRGINIA.

BUSINESS BOOM In WEST VIRGINIA.
CHARLESTON GETTING LIvELY-A FINE
HOTEL KEPT BY A sTAUNTON NAN
WHOLESALE HOUSHS-SALT BOOMING
COAL TRADE ON THE RIVER-WHERE
OUR GAS COMES FROM-swIss COLO
NISTS-TIIE BLUE HOLE-A SAD STORY
THE GRAVE OF sToNEwALL JACK
SON s MoTHER-NEW OPERATIONS BY
sTAUNTON MEN-GROwING TOWNS.
&C, &C, &C.
Some notes made on n rece.it run along |
The G. & y. railway, throug,: the rich val
eys of The Greenbrier, New River and
Kama VIVA, will interest the readers of the |
as indicating to some ex- |
sent, the progress that section, with which |
this is so closely linked and in which so ma |
ny OF our citizens are interested, is max
ing towards.prosperity and wealth.
CHARLESTON, KANAwHA.
IS every year growing in Importance as
trade centre. and five years hence, when
the seat OF government is removed from
to. that city, the growing young
State of West Virginia, will not need to
bt ashamed of her capital. Fifty thou
sand dollars have been already appropria-
ted to enlarge and improve the former
capitol building. which is even now a
structure OF no small! pretensions and it is
thought that before il is completed several
hundred thousand dollars more will be ex.
pended upon it.
One Of the largest hotels in the
State, IS here, the Hale House, with 100
rooms and capacity to accommodate 40
guests. The proprietors are well known
in Virginia, Maj. Moves Rand, for years
cashier at the White Sulphur Springs. and
Mr. J. ". FitZ, the popular agent and
Postmaster there. The Superintendent
and manager, DR.. E. O. Peyton, an old
Staunton man, maintains in this large and
well ordered establishment the we'll earned
reputation Of the Peytons as princes among
hotel men.
There are several large wholesale houses
in Charleston, among which are the Ruff
ner Brothers, who do Il grocery business of
several hundred thousand dollars year
and have taken almost all the trade in that
section which formerly went to Gallipul1s.
P. H. Noyes' is another large Wholesale
and retail house in the same line; Arnold
& Abney, wholesale dry goods, and VIM.
Jeluko's, clothing, SO all lines are
represented here, and retail merchants
along the 70 I'd say they can do as well in
Charleston as in Cincinnati or Baltimor e.
Twelve steamers, six of which are regu
lar packets and six tow boats. come to
Charleston or 60 higher up the river and
two of these steamers are getting fast
growing carrying trade from this point
upon the railroad 10 Gallipoiis, TT. Pleas
ant and other Ohio towns, by receiving
freight from the railroad h re, and thus
getting into the business of the Hunting
ton boats. The competition is very lively
but Charlest, II having the shortest line
has the inside track. 1t is understood that
the G. & 0. Company will shortly build AL
incline from the depot to the wharf in order
| to facilitate this growing trade.
Charleston much leeds one or two first
unsightly frames that occupy portion Of
her water front, even if no better build
| ings we're to replace them. The corpora
ton, one would think, could afford TO bu,
| the property and throw it into the river
| just for Appearances sake if for nothing
else.
THE KANAWHA SALINEs
is another interesting locality. For miles
along the river. the stream and its banks
are alive with the salt trade. Huge brick
stacks belching forth volumes of black
! smoke; extensive sheds, steaming with va
por from the boiling salt water; the regu
lar thump-thump of the pumps; the con
slant whistle of the engines; busy men
wheeling the fresh snow white product il
great barrows from the boilers to the pack
ing-rooms; Others barrelling and weighing
with active boys to roll them out upon tn,
! yard, where steamers and tow-boats arr
loading, and flat boats piled high will
pyramids of empty barrels, unloading a
fast as men can do it, all working like the,
are putting out fire. go to make up "a bus
picture that We may study for hours ant
not grow weary Of.
1t looks strange to the traveller to SCI
the apparent Indifference with which tn
salt is exposed to the weather after beinI
barrelled. A shed is not thought of. TIL
barrels, as soon rs packed, are rolled on
upon the yard, from some of the furnace
at the rate of 500 a day. until thousand
and thousands cover the ground for acre
around, taking whatever weather ma
come until an order comes and clear
them away. A barrel of 81 bushels j
worth at the furnace SIPS, and for S o
10 cents the boats will take it u long wa
up or down the river.
In the midst of these salt operations
upon the lands of Mr.. John D. Lewis,
wealthy Valley gentleman of the oil
school, three large coal companies, work
ing what is known as the Campbell
Greek mines, add the stir and din of thei
business to the general activity. Thei
coal is brought OH narrow gauge railroad
from the mountains near, and CONSTANT,
arriving by long trains at the river bank
is weighed and run down to the barges
which line the bank. AS many as sixty o
these barges. each one holding enoug
coal to run Staunton week, after y I'M
for months waiting for Il rise in the rive
were towed down to the Ohio after tn
late rains, which were most welcome t.
the coal Operat ers of the kanawha.
| WHERE STAUNTON GETS HER GAS.
Passing up the river 10y Coalsburg AM
Blacksburs and Enterprise. which hav
| 49,. x>oforo roportad (loal V.lI.v mud % n