Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-11-27
OUR ROANOKE.
THE BIRMINGHAM OF THE
OLD DOMINION.
IT'S Wealth. CONTINUES TO GROW
what the Baltimore Sun IIns 10 Say
About the Industrial Develop
ment ofsouthwest Virginia.
Railroad Furnaces, Etc.

Virginia is evidently fast recovering
from the wounds and losses she SUI.
fered during the civil war, says the
Baltimore Sun. The hundreds of mil
lions of capital annihilated within her
borders while the war was in progress
and in the decade that followed are
being regained with phenomenal
rapidity. y great deal of foreign capt.
tai has been invested in Virginia in
recent years. Governor Lee will show
in his Forthcoming message, it is
stated, that $100,0OO,00O has been
brought into the state for permanent
investment since 1888. There are good
reasons he thinks, for believing that
the influx of capital will increase in
the next few years at rate never
before equaled,a large amount OF new
money going into the development OF
the iron and coal-mining regions along
the Shenandoah Valley, Richmond
and Allegheny and Norfolk and West
ern railroads. A great deal has
already beer done since 1883 in the
territory traversed by these roads.
The record of new railroad mileage
built, furnaces constructed and put
into blast, factories, mills, machine
shops and other industries established
is such to show that the Old DomIn-
ion is leading rather than tagging
behind in the race OF progress upon
-. l,
Alabama has her Birmingham, a
marvellous creation, but Virginia
has her Roanoke, and has besides
dozen other Roanokes in the shape OF
new towns springins up here and
there and large accretions to the pop
ulation and industries of numerous
cities and towns already in existence.
No one that visits Virginia now after
an lbsence of ten years can fail to
observe the transformation that has
taken place as respects both the face
of the country and the condition, in
duStries and spirit of its people. They
have entered upon new era without
breaking with the old. Virginia adj
vances, but it is still the Old Do
minion and not new Virginia, AMI
mated by purposes foreign to her
nature.
Not the least striking evidence of
Virgina's progress is found IN
the expansion and improvement OF her
railroad system. Double track rail-
roads, which have hitherto been re-
stricted to states north Of the Poto-
mac, are now becoming necessary for
the TRANSFORMATION of Virginia's min
eral and other products. The Nor
folk and Western, according to the
Richmond correspondent OF the New
York Times, will, early in 1890, double
track a large portion of its line. The
stockholders of the Richmond and
Petersburg railroad have made ar
engagements to double track the whole
length of their road. The Richmond.
fredericksburg and Potomac railroad
will double-track a great part OF Its
mileage. The Chesapeake and ONO
recently purchased the Richmond and
Allegheny railroad with the object of
increasing its facilities by double
track between Clifton Forge and Rich
mond. The new facilities are de-
manded by the increased freight and
passenger traffic of the last few years
Facts like these point to happier
future. The wealth now flowing into
the state, added TO the vastly greater
wealth created since 1880 by the in
tlustrv of her people, promises a re
newal of Virginia's former great and
wholesome influence in national at
fairs.
The railway movements in the Val
lev of Virginia at this time are attract,
inr attention. The Norfolk and
Western company, as has been re
ported. is surveying for line that
will give a connection between the
Shenandoah Valley railroad at Lnray
and the city of Washington. The
Norfolk and Western, it is believed.
is in shape to get control of the Shen-
andoah Valley road. The Baltimore
and Ohio company, through their
Valley railroad, are unouestionaoly
in commanding position for exten,
sion southwark. The flow Of capital
into Virginia and North Carolina, AZ
well as the othor southern states, for
the development of the vast mineral
and other resources of that cOun
try. is "A marvel OF these times. The
Baltimore and Ohio, as the statement
goes, is waiting to see in what direc.
ton this movement will settle, and
what is the proper route for the
southern extension OF its line.