The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-01-17
An Important Enterprise.
A dispatch from Lexington, Va, date
the 11th, saws:


half million. The enterprise wi be Ful mace.
Mining and Land Improvement company me
board Of direetorsIC NJ Flsgrf; pamK . Oh Lee Zee
University F. T. Giascow, attorney ReV. D.
G. Moomaw. chief promoter of the company,
and A, L, Barclay, Lexington Manufacturing
company.-Inet to-day and arranged for DOCKS
subscriptions and permanent plan OF organiIi
zation which VIII be submitted al Harc, geny was
elected president OF the company. me ore VI
this company's mines. actual tess In furnace;
the cost of production including everything
will be as low as SS.5s per ton The Iron IL
company organ lied has the brains, financial
sagacity, opportunity and location. all the ao-
vantages to build agile city, and II they SUI sui
coed IN carrying out their plans Roanoke VIII
find a rival that Will dispute her power IN alew
years. The necessary capital Is assured. here
is chance for Virginia capital TO invest al |
home. A more beautiful site for a large CITY |
Can not be found.
This is the right spirit. 1t further H.
Illustrates what our people can do when
they determine on an enterprise. There
il n, que stion about the value OF the
Buena Vista property, nor is there any
reason to doubt the advantages of the To-
cality named for the purpose Indicated.
When compaI ison of natural attractions
are ius: ;tnled bttween Green Forest anc
Roanoke or any other point where booms
have been prt jected, in every instance
hey will De found to be in favor OF the
R ,ckblidge enterprise. With practical
demonstration of home confidence in tie
resources of the Valley, will come outside
capital to supply every practical demand,
and aid in consummating every well adj
;usted plan of development ard improve
ment that may be inaugurated. In con.
versation with Northern gentleman a
few days ago, who was lin the Valley ex'
aiming mineral properties, he remarked
that there were millions of money in the
E asst ready to come to Virginia, when it
should be shown that it could be placed
profitably. Attention, there, he said, was
being directed to this section, and when
the wonderful mineral wealth OF this To-
cality shall be known. there will be no diff
ficulty in commanding all the means that
would be necessary for its development
and utilization.
An important consideration should be
observed. 1t is ot necessary for one en-
terprise to be jealous of another, nor the
! promoters of plan for the improvement
| of one point to become enyious of others.
There are means enough for the develop
ment of every important mineral locality,
and there will be demand for all the OUT
put of as many more enterprises as Will
likely be established in the next decade.
| The trend of capital and energy is to the
South from the North. Here we have the
raw material essential to iron industries,
] in close proximity. They are in their virgin
state. Labor is plenty and comparatively
cheap: the climate and all other conditions
favorable. Greater profits can be assured
here than in the North. where the natural
resource, are partially exhausted, and
Consequently more costly to command,
They have the advantage of the plants.
already established. and so long as they
can be operated with profit, they will be
Kept alive. But capital seeking invest
ment will come to the new field. And 10
assure this. every irducement consistent
wi h self protection, should be offered to
draw it here. 1t will not come where there
is contention and strife over titles and
terms. Capital IS sensitive and a narmo-
NOUS and sympathizing public sentiment
must back the material conditions. 1t
will prove suicidal for the friends of one
locality to decry and dsparage the advan-
tages of another On the contrary let us
help one another. What advantage would
it he for Staunton to decry Lexington. or
for Waynesboro to look with jealous eyes
upon Green Forest? 1t would have no
other effect than 10 injure both, and prac-
tically defeat the object both have in
view.
So far as Staunton is concerned it has
natural advantages as manufacturing
centre possessed by few towns or districts
in the South. I'VE are in the centre OF
the great Valley, with a mountain OF iron
ore on either side, reached directly by
trunk lines of railroads. We are at the
Intersection of two important through
lines. assuring competition in freights TO
every portion of the Union. We have a
city already buiided, with schools and
churches, and ample facilities for indefi-
mite enlargement, by our own people, for
accommodations for families That would
mean a saving of $50, 900 to SlOO, 600 for
houses to live in to any company that
might undertake 10 establish industrial
plants, to employ five hundred or thous-
and men. With every advantage that
could be suggested for an industrial CEN
tire, we lack only the energy and sagacity
to improve them, and to avail of the propl-
tious times upon which we are entering,
to make Stanton pr osperous and grow
ing city.
We know it has been. and is yet
questioned whether there is anthracite
coal in the North Mountain range,
in commercial quantities and OF COM
mercial value. But the weight of tes-
timony, both theoretical and practical
Is in favor of iG. We have the demon
stratel fact of pick and shovel, TO show
that it does exist, in large quantities, and
covering an area of territory sufficient to
make this the future anthracite coal dis
trict of the country. Not only are there
| "
feet in thickness, known to exist by actual
exposure, but We have the evidence of
expert scientists to sustain the assump'
tion that these openings are the sure in
dces to large and practically exhaust
Iese fed of the coal. But with the test
of pick and shovel for $50 miles in length
and 80 miles in width, to show the range
and extent of the minerals, it would hard
" be reasonable for this testimony to be
disregarded, even were there no theoreti'
cal evidences to support it. There are bow
ever some of the most eminent and learned
mineralogists of the country who have
examined and reported on it, and added
their opinion to the practical tests to
which we have referred. At North River
Gap the most inGubitable testimony is
presented of the existence of the coal. 1t
would require a railroad twenty miles in
length to place Stanton in direct commu-
nication with that point. Near Buffalo
Gap and at Ferrol, it is claimed that coal
will be found. when the proper efforts
have been made to uncover it in the same
range of North RIVER Gap.
Rut arart from this and leaving anthra.