Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-05-18
LONGDALE.
Editor Hindic0t0r :.


A visit of several days at the furnaces
and mines of the Longdale Iron Co. has
made an impression which I take pleasure
in presenting to those readers of the VIM
DICTATOR, who have never visited these
works. A track of railroad, ten miles in
length, is owned by the company, which
connects the mines with the furnace and
the latter with the main line of the G. q 0.
Two furnaces are in constant blast day and
night, yielding from seventy-fve to one
hundred tons of pig iron per day. To the
inexperienced eye, the operations of these
furnaces afford an INDISPENSABLE wonder
and interest. Two ovens of immense d.
mansions, with an elevation of sixty feet,
are fed with the ore in the crude state, by
means of trucks drawn up an incline by
steel rope. This rock, sand and iron are
dumped into the hopper and goes through
the melting process in its passage to the
rooms below. A ride on one of these trucks
is exhilirating and exciting, but too apt to
take the starch out of ones sinews to be
taken often for pleasure.
The view from this height is vast and i'm
posing, including mountain, hill and dale
of a portion of two counties-Alleghany
and Rockbridge. On descending you enter
large building with a sand floor, on either
side of which are sand moulds and troughs
for receiving and shaping the melted iron.
Every six hours the blast is tapped, by
punching a small hole through the cement
ed fastening. A little stream is started,
when the heat and force gradually charging
the opening, it pours out with the roar of
artillery, throwing showers of sparks, which
at night present beautiful and sublime
appearance. When cut off, the floor recalls
tn mind tho pnnn1or i6aa of tho of
Paradise paved with gold, but the tempera-
ture is too high for close inspection.
The refuse of melted stone and sand
being lighter, rises to the top and is caught
and carried outside, and strange to say,
that in one blast from which thirteen tons
of iron are gotten, not SO much as pound
of iron is lost in the separating pro-
cess
At the furnace, mines and quarry you
find comfortable and commodious houses,
some OF them very pretty. These houses
with roomy yard and garden attached are
furnished free of rent and repair by the
company. There are no bar rooms allow
ed here. Perfect order and contentment
are noticeable. The employees are requir-
ed to work, and receive good wages in ad
dition to the liberality mentioned above. I
attended singing school at the mines
conducted by Mr.. VIM E. Burnett. He
has class of forty, including merchants,
farmers and miners. The music was ex-
cellent and the voices well trained. Mr..
B. has a voice of rare sweetness and power
and I would suggest to our C n 'ert club
that they would do well to have him take
part in some of their musicals DR.. T. H.
Kinney, the company's surgeon, has an
enviable popularity here. While at the
mines the telephone was constantly rung
for him, and his refusal to obey was al
ways due to his hands being full else
where.
They are DESTROYS here of having an en-
tertainment early this summer for church
and Sunday school benefit. The ladies
promise rare treat in the line of delica-
cies. Good music can be obtained, but
they need the addition of some bright and
happy speaker to entertain for while an
appreciative audience and complete the
programme for useful and pleasant even
ing. Cannot some one from Staunton
furnish this article in himself OR suggest
some one who will?
The kindness and courtesy of employees
and employers rendered my visit exceed
ingly pleasant. And for the development
of our Virginia minerals, the employment
OF Virginia labor, and the fairness and lib
eral treatment to all its employees, would
say long life to the Longdale Iron Compa-
ny. II.