The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-12-03

RANgfE S FACTORY BUKNED.--Ou
Thursday night last, the large wooden fac
tory OF j. II. Rankin, near Stuart S Draft,
in this county, was burned to the ground
together with quantity of wool, CLOTH
&c. III an hour and d half after the fire
was discovered The factory was q mass OF
smouldering ruins. Besides the main
building, the cloth room. wool house, a
saw and grist mill and other smaller build
inas we're consumed. The stock DESTROYED
embraced about 13, 900 lbs. choice wool,
2 100 wards Of cloth, most of it cassimer,
worth from so cents to 81 90 per yard 5oo
lbs. stocking yarn 400 bushels OF oats 2oo
bnshtls Of rye barrels Of -four, and a lot
Of miscellaneous goods. The entire loss
is estimated at about $4,000, upon which
there was an insurance Of $4,000 on the
stock-s2 .000 in the Phoenix, and $1,000
eael in tie Virginia Stale and Hamburg,
lall Of which companies are represented By
Arista Hoge, agent.) and S2,350 on the
buildings in the East Augusta Mutual.
From The evidences at hand. Mr.. Rankin
is satisfied Chat the FIRE was the work Of
an incendiary.
The loss will be a serious one, not only
to the proprietor, but to the community az
large. This was the most prominent man
ufaetory in the county, giving employ
n.ent to some twenty hands. and creating
a home market not only for wool but for
supplies Mt. Rankin has been apushing,
energetic man, and in addition to the
buildings For the Factory has erected q
church, school house and a number OF cot
tages for hands, constituting in all quite a
little village. We hope that arrangements
win soon be made for the re-erection of
the factory
". II. WELLER has just received large
invoice of handsome Black Silks every
yard warranted. Having secured the
agency of these Silks, they cannot be found
elsewhere,
SKlPPED By THE LIGHT OF THE Moon.
On Friday evening, Harrison & Gour-
ley's famous farcieal comedy, skipped by
the Light Of the Moon, will be presented
at the Opera House for the first time in
Staunton, and the occasion will be one long
to be remembered. This play, WHICH has
brought fame and fortune 10 its progen-
itors. is undoubtedly the "funniest" piece
which has ever been presented here. and
it has been leading attraction in every
large city from New York to San Fran
cisco for the past three seasons indeed
skipped is the piece that started the ex-
isting rage for funny plays. The support
ing company, which is an exceptionally
strong one, has just finished tour through
the South, and the Atlanta Constitution
thus speaks of its late appearance in that
city
.,At the beginning of the performance
last night the ladies' of the audience,
vaguely conscious of the prim proprietles
to which they are used, stuffed their pretty
little white handkerchiefs into their pretty
little mouths but they soon yielded to the
inevitable, and before the second act ended
they were breaking their bonnet strings
and gasping Historically in efforts to catch
their breath between shrieks. 1t was q
complete surrender to the mad spirit of
the hour; and the more the audience
laughed the greater seemed their provoca-
tton to laugh. 1t is a fact especially
worthy of record that the climax OF this
extraordinary performance, reached at the
last moment before the curtain finally
came down, was funnier than any that had
preceded it. Only those who were specta-
tors of it can understand the full signili-
canoe of that achievement.