The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-02-07
TIE LEASE OF VICTORIA.
Activity in Iron Int rests along the
Chesapeake IL Ohio Railway.

/
Chesapeake * Ohio Railway.
"Vox," writing from Clifton Forge under date
+ Of the 3lst, to the Richmond Dispatch. gives the
| following interesting facts
/ The general advance movement in the iron
interest, which with the opening of the new year
seems TO be felt over Virginia and the other iron
States Of the South. sPromising to be very active
in this portion Of the State also. 1t has been
stated that company has leased the Victoria
/ furnace, near Goshen for one year with the privi
/ lege of five.
| Victoria furnace, as is we'll known, is one of the
largest and most complete plants Of the kind in
South, and has been from accumulation OF cir
cumstances, out of blast and idle for four years.
During this time Mr.. Haskins long connected
with the old management, has resided on the
property at the furnace and Captain John Car
penter, the gallant commander of Carpenters
Confederate battery during the late war, has re-
! sided on the property at the mines; and the valu
able improvements have, for unoccupled property
been kept in remarkably good condition. The
lessees are firm Of Ohio gentlemen doing
! commission business at Columbus, and consist of
Messrs Lee Chamberlain, ]. F. Wheeler and A.
D. Turney. Mr.. Turney is also an iron man of
experience and president of the Hooking Valley
Coal and Iron Company. MIR. Chamberlain is its
secretary. Their resident general manager is Mr.
A. Magoon, from Logan, Ohio, who ran and for
wears engaged in the furnace business in the ia
nous Hooking Valley region. So lit is that these
gentlemen who for some years perhaps, win act
an important part in the material interest of this
section of Virginia, may be presumed to know
something about the business they have under
taken They will certainly be received and
welcomed with best wishes for their success BY
every one in this locality.
II is stated on good authority that the leSsees
of this valuable property will soon be on the
ground and propose to organize joint stock
company for the purpose of carrying out their
plans General Manager Magoon is already at
his post at the furnace, and is preparing to get to
work on the repairs. He has visited Low
Moor and Longdale and critically examined their
mode of operations and Investigated their system
Of labor, posting himself as to any difference in
the manner Of operations in Virginia iron works
and those with which he has been familiar lie
| says he will employ the same kind of labor that
was formerly employed on the works. and that
he finds there is not great deal 10 do to put the
furnace in blast. The principal work to be done
| IS to put in new hearth and bosh bell and
hopper, and some inconsiderable repairs about
the boilers and stoves. The furnace will not re-
| quire refining. The contract calls for COM
| mencement of iron making by the last of April.
lie thinks that the work, when under full heads
way, will give employment to about $50 men at
inc HlilSS, lUu al tue furnace ~ on lHe TallIodu
and 40 at the stone quarries.
The resumption of work at the place will be
most welcome to the people of this section, and
the manager has been already numerously waited
on by parties wanting places. Goshen, for the
time being, is something on the order of Indian
apolis, and Manager Magoon might almost mag
inc himself a Benjamin Harrison a reduced
scale. The new work, the new management,
and the new manager are all the talk from here
ia
way benefited. $50 mote it be-
new mining company called the Clifton Iron
Company is just getting under way The mem
bers of it are Messrs. Frederick Colburn and 7.
w. c. Bryant, Of Clifton Forge, and A. L. Rob
ertson, of Lynchburg. They are mining a rich
seam Of brown hematite in the mountains
mile west of Clifton Forge, and the Chesapeake
Ohio company are now laying track from
their line to the dump ofthe iron company, which
will be shipping ore in a few days.
This place continues to improve steadily and
the population is now estimated at about $500. |
In the last few months the appearance Of the
town has been greatly improved by the erection
OF number of pretty residences and slightly bust
ness houses, among which are the residences Of
DR.. r. S. Wiley, Messrs. E. F. Powell, E. NJ.
Nettleton, R. X. Trbbett Captain ]. E. Smith, |
DR.. J. f. Hughes, and the stores of Messrs Wills |
T. J.. Bowles and Mrs. Nj. 2. Wilson.
The town is also soon to have its waterworks |
in operation. The dam in Smiths creek has
been constructed and arrangements on foot
for constructing reservoir on the hill north of
the place at elevation of $50 feet above the |
town. Real estate has in the las, six months |
advanced in many instances 100 per cent. and |
investors have found here inviting field for |
their operations. The operations at Low Moor /
the largest iron works now running in Virginia
are on an extensive scale, and for weeks past the |
output has averaged over SEQ tons per week t
Captain Henry Merry, an experienced Michigan
iron man, who is general manager, is constantly
making Improvements In this fine property, and |
Mr. Joseph +. Shedding, the foundryman, a
nephew Of his predecessor the late James Skeld>
lF, is maintaining the high record of this well |
known furnace.
The Dolly Ann, Iron Mountain and Stack iron !
mines, in the vicinity of Coylngton, under the |
management Of Colonel Haw, all in success
full operation and doing their part towards main
tanning the reputation and activity of the iron |
interest in this favored section Of Virginia.