The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-11-06
THE VALLEY VIRGINIAN.
HTH,ERRED MATTER.
Stuart S Draft Items.

TIHERRED NEATEER
Stuart S Draft Items
Miss Hannah Forrer, owner of the fin
level farm Immediately north of the Stu
arts Draft settlement, has been quit
i'll for about two weeks. On account O
her advanced age, about rs years, he
condition is considered serious. He
brother, Mr.. Jacob Forrer, owner of tn,
adjoining farm, is still in possession of /;
fair measure of health and strength
though he is near 81 years of age
The iron mining operations of Moore
& HILBERT. Of Staunton, have brough
about q noticeable increase in the bust
ness OF Stuart's Draft stores. On the
ract Of 1880 acres purchased from Maj
S. M. Yost, about 80 men are now EN-
ployed under the superintendent O
Capt. Fred. Cole, aminer of large expe
rience in the celebrated iron districts O.
northern Michigan. In four different
shafts fine lodes of iron ore have beer
encountered. The ease with which 8
|
strueted from the Shenandoah Valley
track to the mines, and the abundance
| of water for washing mixed ore found
near the surface, render the tract men
toned a very valuable iron property
About 10 of Moore & Hibbert's men are
now sinking exploring pits on Miss Han
nah Forrer's farm, in the low hills at the
eastern side of the South river bottoms.
Iron ore has been found in six or eight
pits none of them over so feet deep
The foreman here, under Captain Cole,
is Mr.. England, who for 25 years has been
engaged in iron mining along the west
side Of the Blue Ridge The employ
ment Moore and HILBERT give to indus
munity.
Arrangements are being made by citi-
zens of Stuart's Draft, with some gentle
men from Staunton, to organize COM
pany for building up town at Stuart's
Draft. This place is situated on the
Shenandoah Valley railroad in the midst
of the smoothest and most fertile dis
tricts in the valley, within two miles of
large deposits of iron ore, and within a
half mile of Sonth river, with it's fine
supply of water for iron furnaces or 9TH
er establishments. An option on the
land surrounding the settlement has been
obtained.
Mr.. Thomas J. Brennan, city clerk
for Moore & HILBERT, drove out from
Staunton last Saturday to pay off the
men employed in their mining and ex-
ploratory work.
The beauty and fertility of the land
traversed by the road from Stuart's
Draft to Staunton were spoken of in
glowing terms by gentleman who Wis
tied this neighborhood last week. He
says that for fertility, cultivation and
general disturbances, he has never seen
any land that surpasses it, and he has
Travelled over the choicest agricultural
portions of New York, Pennsylvania,
OHIO, Ontario, Michigan, Indiana and
Kentucky. Nature was bountiful in her
endowment Of the Virginia valley. In
the present rush for mineral wealth,
commandable though it is, we must not
forget that a large part of the wealth of
the leading mineral States, has been ac-
cnMuiated through progressive, intelli-
gent agriculture. One of the greatest
utterances of Washington was, "Agri-
culture is the most healthful, most use
full and most noble occupations Of man. ;,
The drought that characterized the
latter portion of the summer was severer
and continued longer in the Stuart's
Draft neighborhood than in probably
any other part of the country. The
heavy rains that fell elsewhere, about
September 20, and two weeks later, at
the time Of the Baldwin District Fair,
soaking the ground thoroughly, were but
scanty showers here. Farmers, there
fore, were unable to complete their pillow.
ing until long after the usual time. Not
many finished seeding until within the
tast week or ten days, and a few persons
are still blowing. Cornfeld wheat is
looking very WE'LL having been sown in
good season, but most of the wheat, in
fields that had to be plowed, is just com
Ing up. Some farmers are beginning to
shuck corn. Phe general yield is not
much above a half crop
Mr.. J. G. Shelton, of Massie's Mill,
Nelson county, spent the latter part of
last week at Stuart's Draft. He reports
considerable interest in the phosphate
deposits of his locality.
Mrs, CARRIER, who keeps store and the
post office, is building an attractive new
stable on the rear corner of her residence
lot. Mr.. Carroll, the blacksmith, is in :
creasing the size of his shop, adjoining
the store of Mr. Hicks. He is building
an addition, to serve as a wood working
shop.
The Shenandoah Valley trains pass
here with large numbers of passengers.
1t is q favorite thoroughfare from the
northern cities to the rich investment
fields of the South.
The political meeting that was to be
held here last Friday evening, by the
newly organized democratic club, did not
take place. The attendance was not
sufficient.