Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-09-07


very superior grade of coke, containing
only 4 Der cent. of ashes. This is turned
off at the rate of 200 tons daily and ship
ped to the furnaces at Roanake and else
where. The amount of coal supplied by
these mines to the Norfolk u Western
road and used by that company is enOrm-
GUS the huge banks Of it is now lying at
Central Station for tire coaling OF engines,
being estimated, by an engineer, as worth
over $175 COO.
The population of Pocahontas is made
up of Hungarians, French. Russians,
PenDsylyanians, West Nirglnians, North
Carollnians, Virginians, ard few others,
and an orderly, thrifty community 1t Is.
WILD SCENERY.
The new railroad is admirably graded
nd we'll ballasted from end to end. 1t
passes through the counties of Pulaski,
Giles, Monroe, West Va, and Tazewell,
down New River, to the mouth of East
River, up that stream TO the dividing
ridge at Blue Field, in West Virginia,
across those highlands to Blue StOnt
River, down Blue Stone to Laurel Greek
and up Laurel to PocahOntas. Along th'
iine are encountered, some "f The fines
views and widest scenery III ~TIi'r hs
anywhere witnessed. The tails Ill d po"
along New River are beautiful, the mouI
tains grand and tine Castle K Jocks are real
ly splendid. TIL Y rise abruptly from tn.
river. from 230 to 1870 feet, and when the
road bed was made, the rock had to be cut
from the top, sheer down its face to the
bottom. The contractor, on that portion
of the line, says, when his men first com
menced working un the ZZy height. they
would often grow faint AID sick and b.
compelled to lie down upon the rock shelf
till the faintness would pass away, before
they could resume work.
NATURAL DAM.
Near, Pocahontas, nature has kindly
constructed a heavy stone dam, Is or 20
feet high, across Blue Stone River, backing
the water in pond from to Is feet deep
for half mile, and here the enterprise of
man, with wise economy. has constructed
mill, which does the grinding of the
nelghborhood. Here, there is station
called The Falls. Nearly all Of the stations
along the road have well sounding, sug-
gestive names such as Ripplemeade, Stay
tide, Churchwood, Winonah, Gennlyn,
Oakvale, Oresiding, Ingleslde, Longfalls,
and the dep It's are large, commodiOus, well
constructed buildings painted brown with
red tin roof.
ANOTHER NEW TOWN.
Ten miles east of Pocahontas and about 63
miles from New River Station, Graham,
another new town, has sprung up since
last spring. The pioneer settler here is
VIM. b. Morton. an enterprising and pros
porous merchant. DR.. O'Keeffe, the Land
Improvement Company's Agent, has
bought at 500 per acre, a portion of tho
land contiguous to the station, and laid it
off in streets and building lots, which sell
at from 800 to $500, according to size and
location. Five store have gone up and in
80 days there will be seven Or eight there,
among which is one large structure, 100
feet deep, in process Of erection. by D. O.
Baldwin & Co, large dealers in agricul-
tural implements, &c. an important
branch of trade here.
THE LUMBER BUSINESS
here, is a big thing. there being two large
firms engaged in it, their operations being
for the present confined to the walnut
trade. Some days, as many as 100 wagons
come to this place loaded with walnut logs
and lumber. Yesterday, one of those huge
logs which came in, measured 1000 feet
Of lumber and is worth about $S5, and
$4,000 worth Of logs has been sent off in
single week. The representative of the
Taz9well Lumber Company says they have
bought enough walnut lumber in Tazewell
to keep 10 teams running rs years to haul
iG to Graham. The other finn, j. M. Thom
as Il Co., has sold and has on the ground
i 100000 feet. They sell to Baltimore
firm, which ships the pick of the stock,
direct to Amsterdam and Bremen. This
rate of depletion will soon exhaust the
walnut, but there remains, almost un-
touched, millions upon millions of oak,
he mlock, ash, pine, hickory, cherry and
other woods, which will make this centre
for lumbermen for years to come, as it is
/. ;,,tF or c;x,
three in Virginia-Taz9weli, Bland and
Russell, and three in West Virginia,
Monroe, Mcdowell and Wyoming. The
cattle trade of TaZewell also, which runs
to about 1900 head annually. will
nearly ali come to Graham as a shipping
DO ut, to say nothing of that from the
other counties mentioned.
IRON FURNACES CONTEMPLATED.
This point is the centre of a great iron
ore range Astounding, as is believed, in in
exbaustable quantities Of the best Besse-
mer steel ore. This same So uthWest Vir-
gInia Improvement Company is prospect
Ing now with view to the erection On an
eligible location, a quarter of a mile from
the station, of two 125-tOn furnaces. If these
are built, OF which there seems to be little
doubt, the growth OF the town towards
Importance is assured, and some of the
cit!ZeDs now calculate that the population
will in two years reach 2,000Ur mure. AS
it is now, the overflow are jewellers III
tents and sbanties, and pile up of nights
On the logs and walnut chips. though the
new buildings will accommodate them all
by time winter gets in.
ANOTHER ENTERPRISE
along this new railroad line is that of the
Belle Hampton Coal and Iron Company,
n / Anr /
~ Ter, Vice President, who have opened a
seam OF anthracite coal at their mines
five miles from ChurchWood Station. They
are located i'll the mountains near Back
Greek i'll Pulaski county. and the enter
prlslDg company has constructed an eX-
celent narrow gauge road four miles loug
from the miner to the New River road. SO
true is it that enterprise begots enter
prise. This cDmpany will soon be ship
ping large quantities of their popular coal
10 points ali along the Norfolk & Western
line and furnishing trade, the demands
of which, they have heretofore been una
bis to supply.
GROWTH AND IMPROVEMENTS.
No section of Virginia has apparently
advanced materially, 80 rapidly as the
Soutiw west. Five years ago Roanoke, a
city of five Or six thousand Inhabitants,
had not as many hundreds, and Glsh's
and CloveTdaie stations on the N. u W.
and the Shenandoah Valley Railroads two
and five miles distant have shared in itsp pro.
gress aud become villages. Butordsville has
in few years become a place of popular
summer resort, as has Big Spring, aud
grown also In such popular favor that
hundreds of eXcursionlsts every week
make it their Mecca. Bangs, in Mont
gomery county, has got to be town with
two hotels and number Of stores, a for
m.dable rival Of Christiansburg. Central
in the same county has grown much in
size and trade and the hotel bill Of fare is
almost sure to include the famous New
River catfish. New River Station, from
the switch Of a few years ago, has got to
be railroad junction with its three stores
and hotel. Dublin has grown to be an
incnrnnrated town witt several hotels and