Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-01-16

On the Chesapeake & Ohio road, the life
of one of the most remarkable men of bis
time ended. His appearance is familiar
to almost everybody in Virgihia-a short
stout figure, round body with stopped Shout
ders, head covered with griZzled hair,
piercing but kindly brown eyes, round
face full of good humor mixed with patient
determination. a person nearly always
clad in the plaineSt and coarsest of ap-
parel, and lips that uttered language
strangely ungrammatical, for man WHO
had seen so much of the world and asso-
ciated with the wisest and most cultivated
men in it, when it was his business or
pleasure to do so-is fair description OF
Claiborne Rice Mason, one of the most
widely known and successful contractors
on public improvements in Virginia.
Born IN New York in poverty, his expert
ence of working life began like that of
Hon. VIM. Mines, in a coal mine, where
he worked with his father, near Peters
burg in this State. He was civil engineer
without theoretical education, but by in
stinct. That such man should rise to
any distinction to which his ambition
pointed the way, was as natural as that
cork should come to the surface of water.
From the coal mine he found work On
railroad leading to it, and then on such
railroads building in various parts of the
State as be could get contracts on. But
the work of bis life fairly commenced when
he drifted to Louisa county where the old
Louisa Railroad was then little
patch of road being built from Louisa G.
a. to Hanover Junction. The first outfit
he commenced work there with was two
wheelbarroWs and one cart. He rapidly
worked bis way up till he became Saper-
intendent of Construction. It was queer
road at which the old contractor often
laughed in later years. The seats Of the
cars, which were SMALL ran lengthwise Of
the car and the wheels were very low. Be-
hind the car was attached a stable-car
containing four horses. When the train
came to steep grade these horses were
taken out, hitched up in front, and hauled
the train up to the summit. They were
then returned to their stable-car and
hauled on to the next grade. That was
railroading in Virginia just fifty years
ago.
When the Louisa road was, as it was
thought, finished, he took contract On
the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Poto-
mac railroad. He had a frame headquar-
tiers which was taken down and moved
along as the force completed section by
section of the road. to its terminus. That
was tie fashion Of railroad building in
that day. When he returned to his old
love, the louisa road, 1T had become
part of the Virginia Central. He had con-
tracts on that, On its successor the extern
sion to Covington, and On the final Che
sapeake Il Ohio road until it reached
Lexington. Ky, and afterwards on many
of its feeders. 1t was on that line of road
that be achieved what he always consider
ed his greatest triumph as railroad con-
tractor-the complexion of Lewis tunnel
not far from Allegheny station. Contrac
tor after contractor had taken the job and
been financially crippled, until at last
Capt. Mason took it and successfully
pushed his way through the solid stone to
daylight on the other side. In his long
railroad experience he had helped to build
the Baltimore & Ohio R. R Louisa; Va.
Central, and Chesapeake q Ohio r. r.;
Cincinnati Southern; Valley R. R Ken
lucky Central r. R.; Richmond. Fred
ericksburg Il Potomac r. r.; Richmond
& Allegheny r. R.; New River extep-
SION; Richmond & Mecklenburg r. r.;
Kentucky Union; Virginia and North
Carolina extension; Danville extension
through Georgia, Alabama and Missis-
sippi, and at his death was engaged with
his firm of Mason. Hoge s. Gooch, in build
ing the Vanderbilt road in Southern
Pennsylvania, having contract thereon
worth about $4,000, 600. This firm also
have been the lessees of the Kentucky
State prison for three years where they
work l 200 convicts.
But for four years Capt. Mason's rail-
road fame was rivaled by new reputa-
tion that he gained in the civil war, AT
the opening Of the war he was elected
captain of a company of infantry attach
ed to the SD Va. Regiment, a regiment
successfully commanded by Colonies John
B. Baldwin, Michael G. Harman and Jas.
FL. Skinner. Stonewall Jackson finding
out what sort Of man the Captain was had
him put in the Quarter Masters depart
ment where his peculiar ability would be
OF greatest service. In 1872 Capt. nj.
by order took corps of colored farm
hands and made good road crossing the
Allegheny mountains at Ramsey's Draft
to where Gen. Ed. johnson was camped.
And one fine morning Stonewail Jackson
suddenly appeared from the other side
of the Blue Ridge, marched through
Staunton to West View and over the
mountain to Mcdowell, taking John son
around with him and whipped Milroy.-
When Stonewall returned to meet Banks
be found North river near Port Republic
too high to ford. There were 10 boats to
make pontoon bridge Of, and Capt. Ma
son sent around and got all the big wagons
in the country, had them driven into the
siver, chained together and by laying
timbers on top made fine bridge. The
soldlers' nicknamed it the "Wagoon' -
bridge.
After Banks was disposed of Jackson
went to flank Mcclellan, and it was at
Chickahominy that the incident happened
which originated perhaps the widest known
story of Capt. Mason's engineering ~
Jackson wanted bridge at once, to cross
the ChiakahominV and sent Mason to the
spot with bis pioneer corps, telling him
that he would find engineers there sent by
Gen. Lee. Whe would give him the oil ans