The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-04-03
Prospectus Of Clifton FORGE Co.

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Capital Stock, S4Oo,ooo. in shares of slCo each
/ par value, 500.
OFFICERS:
President-W tt. Mccormick Chicago, Ill.
First Vice President e. NJ. Nettleton, Covins-
| ton, Va.
Second Vice President ID. Crowle, Staun-
/ ton, Va.
Treasurer. IT, Trout, Staunton, Va.
Secretary and General Manager-B. L. Part
low, Staunton, Va.
Engineer-D. st. Geo. Fraser, Houtzdale Pa.
Counsel Mai. 7. C. Elder, Staunton, Va.
Directors--W. II. Mccormick, Chicago, ILL.,; e
/ NJ. Nettleton. Covington, Va; Charles Curry, p
H. Trout, John D. Crowle, S. NJ. Yost, j. c. Schef-
I fer, S. Brown Allen, Stauntop, Va; J. L. Duncan
lexington Va; J. A. Frazier, Rockbridge Alum
| Springs, Va.
The Clifton Forge Company has been organ
lied under liberal charter granted by the Leg
islature of Virginia. 1t is empowered to &C
quire lands lay off town sites, construct rail
way, not to exceed 20 miles in length contract
for and build water works, mine ores, establish
manufactures, and do all things else necessary
for the Improvement and development of the
property it now holds or may hereafter possess
and contribute to the business success OF a town.
1t owns by purchase about 500 acres of land
/ lying in, around and near the corporate limits
of the town of Clifton Forge. Its property is
peculiarly adapted to the purposes for which
| the Company was organized. 1t is so related to
Clifton Forge and the contemplated improve
ments of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Company, that it must necessarily become an
essential factor in the growth, progress and
I prosperity of that locality.
| Clifton Forge is the terminus of three divis-
| ions of the Chesapeake and Ohio systenl-West-
! ern, Eastern, and Jar>ss River. tt is a town of
about 5000 inhabitants, comprised of intelli-
gent, progressive enes.Ngat1c business men, who
appreciate the exceptional advantages the
town possesses. and are alive to the future pros
! perity OF the location. 1t has churches, schools
a fine hotel and all other improvements Incl
dent to growing town, with indefinite posi-
bilities before it..
Clifton Forge is in the centre of the richest
iron district in the South, and midway of the
vast natural wealth that burdens the entire
country from the Blue Ridge the east, to
Kanawha Falls on the west, unsurpassed for its
mineral sources on the one side, and it's supplies
of.coke on the other, as well as it's timber and ag
ricultural capabilities. On the east are Longdale
and Victoria Furnaces, now turning out nearly $50
tons of pig iron daily followed by Estaline, with
it's large bodies of brown hematite and red shale
iron ores; then Ferrol, where it's mountain of
| brown ores are now being worked and shipped
on an extensive scale; Buffalo Gap, with similar
| Developments and then the Blue Ridge with its
specular and brown hematte ores, supplement-
ed by manganese. On the west is Lowmoor, and
on the south, Princess Furnaces, yielding com
bined output of from 200 to 800 tons of pig iron
daily. The three furnace plants Lowmoor
! Princess and Longdaie-With an output of 00,00t
| tons of iron yearly are within radius of +
miles of the holdings of the Clifton FORGE Com
pany. The Callie Furnace property. the quality
and quantity of whose ores are uneXcelied, is
within ) miles. The noted Douthatt survey, en-
bracing $1,000 acres of mineral and timber lands,
one of the most extensive bodies OF brown hema-
tte iron ore in the South, ad1OnS the property of
the Clifton Forge Company. This property was
recently purchased by Hon. Peter McIaren, of
Canada, for $500 000 and it stands to reason Il at
this marvellous wealth viii not be allowed to
sleep with this amount of capital invested i'll it.
Another tract of mineral land containing abort
Is COO acres, on Potts Greek, in the Rich Patch
range, has been purchased by a syndicate, and a
railroad projected to it. And still another tract
of over a,otD acres of very rich mineral lands,
| estimated to contain Il5.0G0.G00 tons of brown
henlatite and red fossil ores, i'll the same range
and adjoining Low Moor has passed into the
hands of a company and contract entered into
for mining and shipping the ores. These move
menus IN the ln1fneu1aUe tIlIOn FOfSe
promise wonderful industrial developments,
which must in the nature of things, increase the
value of the property of the Clifton Forge Com
pany and contribute to the upbuildng of Clifton
Forge.
Other valuable mineral tracts intervene in the
| west, between Clifton Forge and the coal fields
of West Virginia, where the best OF eOking and
4 other Goals are found in endless quantity along
| tt line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.
West of Clifton Forge, the Chesapeake and
| Ohio Railway contro S lands, part of which
has been laid off into building sites, a large res
! ervaton having been made for the workshops
| of the company, where will be employed from
! LOCO to 1900 skilled workmen.
/ On the south is iron Gate, which is already an
assured success and West Iron Gate, whose re
cent organization was attended with such phe-
uomeaal results. the whole capital stock of $780,,
| 600 having been subscribed for within half
! hours time after the organization of the COM
1 pany.
/ 1t will be seen from this cursory review of the
! surroundings and connections OF the Clifton
Forge Company that it is not merely specula
tive adventure 1t has for it's foundation estab
I lished conditions, comprised in q progressive
/ business town Of oyer 1900 people; the terminus
/ of three divisions of the Chesapeake and Ohio
| Railway; the extensive plans and purposes of
4 the railroad company comprehending the loca-
/ ton of its workshops on the adjoining lands to
Clifton Forge Company's property, where a
large number of intelligent, skilled mechanics
will be employed, and the erection of a $75,0i0
hotel on their premises in the active operation
/ of three blast furnace plants, with five stacks,
and an output of 100000 tons of pig iron annu
ally; in the immense mineral wealth that
abounds around it; in the Rolling Mill, the Steel
Mill, the Farmers Alliance Agricultural Works.
Stove Factory and other industries established
and assured at iron Gate, only a mile Distant
| and it's proximity to the Warm, the Healing and
the Hot Springs the greatest Natural SANTA
rum on the continent,
Supple aental to these actual, tangible, estab
lished advantages and industries contem-
plated railroads to span the State of West Viz
/ ginia, traverse and expose the lneXiIaustible
coal fields and forest districts of that Common
wealth, to find outlet through the Natural
Gateway at Clifton Forge, and draining the
richest mineral, forest and grazing country in
| the known world. 1t is to meet the requirements
of these conditions, actual and prospective, that
! the Clifton Forge Company.has inaugurated it's
scheme. The necessities of the situation are
such--the growing importance and multiplying
advantages and improvements of the locality
/ as to demand an extension of the boundaries
and an enlargement of Clifton Forge to satisfy
not only present requirements, but to prepare
/ for the assured SfuWtl anu augmented business
! enterprise which must necessarily concentrate
at Clifton Forge.
1t is not an eXtravagant estimate, considering
! the natural advantages of Clifton Forge and
the improvements which must contribute to it's
| immediate growth and prosperity, to assume
/ that it will number $4,000 people i'll less than a
decade. Gen. M. r. Ingalls,, President of the
| Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, has said that
| Clifton Forge is destined to be the Altoona OF
/ the South; and another, equally sagacious, has
claimed that Pittsburg viii find rival in the
! busy hum of industry and the furnace fires
Which the future holds in store for Clifton Forge.
Jacksons River flows through the town, in
| wiling the use of machinery and all the arts of
mechanism to avail of it's unused power. The
natural wealth of West Virginia, unmeasured
and unreasonable. which must soon be exposed
and utilized by the construction of projected
railroads, will flow into Clifton Forge as the
natural outlet from its mountain Businesses on
its way to the sea, much of it to be arrested at
this important centre, and much to move on to
/ contribute It's share to the commerce of the
world. From every direction and In the mme
diate presence, will come the forces and the
agencies which must build up this favored spot
as great centre of human invention, activity
and energy-harnessing the elements of earth