The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-11-09
AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.
SOME OF THE RICHES OF SOUTH
WEST VIRGINIA

YVES vlRGiNIh
The Ride From Richmond to Bristol-
Mountains and Prosperity of Towns and
cities.
BRISTOL, TENN.-VA.. Nov. S-lSpecial.l
Life is made up Of contrasts. To go from
Richmond 10 Southwest Virginia Is 10 pass
from stately and queenly city TO land
Of mountains and valleys, and one which Is
just beginning to surrender its charms to
the Industrious rapacity and ceaseiess N
petuosity Of man.
Ii is quiet, clear day, and we are on
the Chesapeake and Ohio afternoon train
rolling up the mountains. AS We gaze out
OF the car windows we catch magnificent
vistas Of the huge mountains and the mar
row valleys. The forests are already
radiant with the splendid and many colored
robes-there a restful beauty in the whole
scene. This region Of country which we
are looking at is Piedmont, Va. Now we
dash in the long, dark tunnel, and passing
rapidly under the Blue Ridge arrive in the
valley of Virginia.
GREAT DEVELOPMENT.
The most casual observer would not fail
to see that he had gotten to part OF the
State undergoing great development.
Looking out of the window one sees numer-
Gus houses going up in what IS known as
Basic City. True, between many OF the
houses there are magnificent distances, yet
there is large hotel about completed and
many other signs that show that for some
reason capital is attracted here. The train
is soon crowded with men. These are
boomers returning from a lot sale The
business of the day is the subject Of the
conversation. Turning 10 a man who sat
by your correspondent, | said: "What DO
YOU think Of the boom that is going on IN
Southwest NirginiaW
"Well, | can't say. | have bought lots in
a good many places and made good deal.
You see | buy on speculation. / cannot
say how it will all turnout, but | think that
while some will lose that the ultimate effect
will be the development of the mineral re-
sources of the country, and the general good
Of the State"
What is the biggest rise you have known
| in any lot!
Well, let me see, said he, looking medita-
| lively. There have been some wonderful
| rises in lots. You would be surprised 10 hear
what prices have been paid. Some OF them
miles away from the present buildings.
some lie peacefully beneath the waving
grass and signing pines. How is II
| impossible for such lots TO be worth
ANYTHING for years: ! will ask the
CAPTAIN, said he, pointing to a
"A big fat man of two hundred and fifty
pounds who sat opposite, what he knew
about the largest rise In "A single lot. The
| H,,t.i, on hainw addressed allowed n
luxurious smile TO expand itself over his
spacious cheeks. IL have known OF lot,
| he said, ''tO rise all the way from one hundred
and fifty dollars to five thousand inside OF six
months. but then that was from pure spec
ulatiOn" One Of the dangers of this rise in
prices is that population will be driven
away. Some of these places have natural
advantages that will overcome all diihculty.
Some. il is sad to narrate, will only exist on
paper, and the departed glory will linger in
the minds of those who have invested.
THROUGH THE TOWNS.
As we passed through Staunton and Lex
ingtOn we were told that these places, TOO,
are being possessed with spirit of the times,
and that booms are being inaugurated.
! Everybody is talking about the lot sales
and the growing cities. Everybody seemed
a boomer of the country, and TO have its re-
sources at his fingers ends. Even the wo-
men and children have caught the fever.
| The current is so strong that il is hard TO
resist, and even your reporter felt its force,
although he has steadfastly purpOsed To be
a calm spectator of the passing phenomena.
To look at the state of affairs in this South
west country philosophcally one must not
have financial interests and it is from
this point desire to view things.
FROM THE FAR wEsr.
AS went from stanton to Lexington
had as a neighbOr in the car q sprightly
Young man just returned from the far west.
| lie was telling his friends all he has seen
in the growing West. lie speaks of the
vast cities and fertile plains, but confesses
that Old Virginia, and especially the Val
ley of Virginia, is good enough for
him. lie evidently is not willing 10
believe that this country is to re-
turn to state Of stagnatiOn. In build
| ing house sometimes you get good house
and a bad foundation; in building "A town
| it sometimes happens that you get good
foundation and no house.
In conyersing with a gentleman, he re.
marked, some of these towns have a glO.
rious future, but some of them will never
tgrOw. Foundations of industries are laid,
| but the real thing will not come.
No doubt there are many foundations OF
plants laid that will never be carried
| further.
The town OF Buena Vista strikes the
| traveller, who merely catches birds eye
view from the rapidly passing train, as
having good promise for the future. Its
situation is exceedingly picturesque and
numerous, some of them substantial brick
buildings, are going up. Here lots have
gone up TO very high point, which only a
large business and population could justify.
THE GREAT DANGER.
was sitting by a gentleman of promi-
! nence, who seemed 10 have great confidence
in the future Of this place and Glasgow, an
other Of the coming cities, which is situated
little further on at Balcony Falls.
\ ''rhe great danger" said he, 'that these
! towns have to face is that the spectators will
run these lots up TO such fabulous prices that
the places will be retarded in their growth"
Glasgow is being steadily pushed by eX-
! Governor Fitzhugn Lee and the ROckbridge
| Company. 1t has an exceedingly beautiful
outlook on rugged and Swiss-like noun
| tains.
In these towns are already a considerable
number of enterprlsing young men from
East Virginia.
PLANS OF WORSHIP.
The various denominations are erecting
places of worship, and making eflOrtss to
meet the religious wants Of the coming
population. The Episcopalians have re-
Gently secured the services OF the Rev. Mr.
Benedict, who will alternately preach at
Glasgow and Buena Vista. They have also
obtained from the development companies
several lots for church and rectory pur-
poses.
As one walks through these new towns
| he is very much struck with the predOmi-
nence OF the male population over female.
In this respect these new towns have quite
Il Western aspect
'"WhO are the parties who are investing
so largely herey' | asked one who was ia
miliar with many of the new towns that are
| being laid out.
"They come from all sections Of the cOun-
n.y." he replied.
"A man often sells out his farm at enOr-
nous figures, and straightway gather his
way and buys a number OF lots at high prices
in some booming town. Often he puts in
all the money he has gotten, so that the prac-
teal result is that, for the tine being, the
man has no more money than he had before,