The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-16
MARVELLOUS MAX MEADOWS.
How a Manufacturing Center is
Built Up.


Notwithstanding Iron Furnace Town
Whit Has Been Done and What Is
Being Done.
! Up to about six months ago Max
/ Meadows was Il sleepy little country
hamlet. containing about thirty to
| fifty souls. Before the Cripple Creek
/ railroad was built it was quite busy
! place, being the railroad outlet for the
/ country all around lvanhoc. Small
charcoal furnaces scattered through the
/ mountains hauled their iron to this
point for shipment. taking their supplies
back. The furnaces have suspended
operation. and the only business re-
naming to the place was the shipment
Of cattle and sheep, the surrounding
country being noted for many years for
its admirable grazing facilities. owing
to the ''bluc grass" everywhere TO he
found The world at large has known
little or nothing Of the wonderful trans
formation that has taken place. thanks
to the emergency and money of out
sidcrs. What was quiet country farm
is now the scene of Il wonderful activ-
ity: hundreds of men being employed
in Transforming Il farm into an indus
trial town.
The combination of Philadelphia and
foreign capital, seeing tho decided ad-
vantages of the location, less than a
year ago purchased some 1000 acres ~
ing on the railroad which they have
been laying out into town site. and in
addition bought large and valuable
iron ore properties about two and
half miles distant. Tho principal at
traction to the place was the splendid
flow of Reed Creek, bold, full stream
of exceptionally good water. Withouta
proper supply of water it is impossible
to build up manufacturing town based
upon iron, as modern furnaces. mills
and steel plants imperatively demand
large and constant water supplies.
From Mr.. NJ. Ii. Maury. the engineer
in charge of the furnace building. and
its future manager. the following par
ticulars were obtained: While ONLY one
IL.
plant has been laid out for four. and adj
ditional furnaces can readily be added
at any time. without changing or inter-
fcring in the slightest degree with the
workings of the present one. The fur
mace Is Onc of the finest and most CX-
pcnsivc that has been built i'll Virginia
1t is I feet by - feet, equipped with
Whitwcll fire brick stoves 90 feet by 20
feet. Ii double tiucboilers "a inches hy
80 feet. with !. lS-irch nucs. and =
AlliS engines. i2irch steam cylinders.
GO-inch stroke and S4inch blast cylin-
dcrs. fitted with Corliss valves. These
are the first engines OF this make and
typo that have been used in Virginia.
and the same engines that have given
such Satisfactio at the famous isabella.
Lucy and Edgar Thomson furnac - at
Pittsburgh. Penna. Unusual attention
has been given to large cast-houses and
stccEhouscs. Ground covered by the
cast-houso roof is 100 feet by - feet.
and Icy the st, c';-houSc 23O feet by 1870
feet. Three tracks ran On trcstles 20
feet high through the Stcc,<-house. aud
100 feet beyond. In addition there is a
track on she stock housc floor level.
Tho Hoist Is Tie ''l'aycttc Brown
skip Hoist. with :. supplemental hop
per. to which is attached the Kennedy
Scott patent. for regulating the dis
charge OF the stccl into the bell. and
which has proved SO sLcc lssfully III the
LUcv furn:c'
Hitter X CUnicy. Of piitshurr. Pa. are
the contractors. The plant rs already
50 far along rs to mako !. most imposing
showing. and while far enough off To be
or no annoyance To the town. Is in full
view OF every portion OF it. altogether
il il Il plant 10 b. seen ana copied.
The IRON company is b0ilding mar
row G;,u~c railroad to the ore mines at
the end oi Draper mountain. known
as tEc Henson mines. Il distance of
three ard one-haif miles by rail. al
though only two miles in Il dir, CT line.
( Extensive explorations. running over
/ manT months. SHOW the undoubtod cx-
iStcMce Of apparently very large brown
ore deposits al these mines. and wash
ing machinery is being erected and inn
4 provcments made to prcGuct Il large
amount Of good ore.
I The company has another source Of
supply i'll high grade brown ores of Il
somewhat different quality. at Clark
Summit. only seven miles distant by rail
( on the Norfolk and Western railroad
The Consolidated Mining Compare has
/ opened up at this point large mine
capable OF yielding from 1000 to q. 900
/ tons month
/ The famous ''Gossan ores Of Carroll
county arc only forty miles distant by
the Cripple Creek railroad which makes
the Cripple Creek ores also !. source of
supply. The projectors of this furnace
/ plant think that they have IA location
Tor cheap and varied ores as good us
any. and far better than most of the
Southern furnaces. The fuel. of course
Is the |. cahOntaS coke: distance lU3