The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-09-05

wealth Of southwest Virginia and south.
east Kentucky, will be practically solved;
But the last thing in this world to 1901
or to lie fooled with is railroad. t-may
not always run in the direction OF the
kingdom of heaven, but it does always
run toward dividends OH stock; may not
sec far ahead, but it always sees its own
terminus. That so many railroads should,
therefore, he approaching this point from
40 many different directions seems to iii'
# at once TO position of extraordinary
Importance.
But it is only few months since the
nearest one reached there; and, since 1T
file could be done toward development
otherwise, at Big Stone Gap one sees me
process of town making at an carrier
stage. Still, there are under construction
water-works, from the pure mountain riN-
or. at nm elevation of four hundred icet'
six miles from town, that will supply dali
lv two and half million gallons OF water;
two iron furnaces Of Il hundred tons daily
cnpacity; an electric light plant, starting
with fifty street arc lights, and seven nun
bred and fifty incandcscent burners Ior
residences; and colossal hotel OF three
hundred rooms, and costing, aside from
the grounds, some hundred and nifty thou-
sand dollars. These may be taken as cvi-
dcuccs of the vast scale on which devcl-
eminent is TO be carried forward, 10 say
nothing of steam street railway, ne''
line. lumber and brick and hhisnihS
nlants. union depot. and Il coke plant
modelcd after that at Conncllsvillc. Ana
an the whole il NAV he said that already
ov., million dollars worth of real es-
t,te has been sold, and that eight land
coal, and iron Development companies
have conferred here the development Oh
properties aggregnting millions IN 'alnc;
If is Il popularity Of these industrial
towns thus being founded i'll one OF the
most beautiful mountain regions OF inc
land that they shall not merely nc ihuus-
trial towns. They aim at becoming ci'ies
or homes for the best of people; 1resh
centcrs to which shall be brought all the
newest elements of civilization from the
North and South; retreats tor ]aaea
plcasurc-seekcrs; asylums for invaiids;
and therefore they are laid out for ameni-
ties and beauty rs well as induStry-wlth
an eve to using the exquisite mountain
flora and park-ikc forests, the natur",
boulevards along their watercourses' ana
the natural roadways to vistas of cnchant-
ing mountain scenery. What is to be done
at Middcsborough will not be forgotten
At Big Stone Gap, in furthcrance Of this
idea, there has been formed Mountain
Park Association, which has bought some
three thousand acres of summit land few
miles from the town, with the idea ot
making it IA game preserve and shooting
park, adorned with a rambling clubhouse
in the Swiss style of architecture. I'm this
preserve is High Knob, perhaps the high
est mountain in the Allegheny range
being over four thousand feet above sea-
level, the broad summit of which is car
pctcd with bluegrass and white clover III
the midst of magnificent forest growth.
The preserve is to be enclosed by hish
fence. and stocked with game OF all kinds
which will be rigdly guarded by keepers,
and is further to he enriched with noun
tain lake adapted TO trout. What wonder
if Big Stone Gap-whcn il gets better
namc-should realize all the commercial
greatness and aesthetic charm that surely
seem to lie in It's future!