The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-02-20
wAYNEsHORO.
It's Attractions-Its Future.

trial progress of the South, in which the
following paragraphs appear relating to
Waynesboro and it's future. The pic
ture is not overdrawn, nor the possibili-
ties exaggerated We transfer it to orr
columns IN lieu of what we had intended
writing. but have been prevented from
doing by indisposition for two weeks
past, Notwithstanding some of it's state
ments are based upon conjecture. We
do not adopt them all, but give them pub
LEGATION as approximating possibilities
in the developments of the future. The
extracts will be read with interest:
ut is Waynesboro. Va. Yes, knew it would
surprise you. 1t has long been one of the slow
est and sleepiest little crossroads villages in all
the SOUTH but the boom has struck it, and struck
it hard. 1t would not surprise me to see city
of 10000 people there within eighteen months or
two years, and possibly 10000 within another
year or two.'
But what exclaimed, ''is to build it? What
is to make it -
lust what has built and made all the other
magic cities of the South-the discovery of vast
wealth of resources in and around it, and the
enterprise and capital of few clear-headed
men, 1t has started. and nothing but the whole
ale confagration of the universe can stop it
The place now has l,50O Inhabitants tits within
four hours of Washington at the crossing of the
great Chesapeake and Ohio and the Shenandoah
Valley systems of railroad 1t is near the yerv
heart of the grandest coal and iron fields of
America. 1t is literally walled in by mountains
of ore and minerals. With Waynesboro as a
center, radius of forty miles will include every
,sNtxr <.fs
red specular, limonite. red and brown hematites
fossiliferous, earboniferous, manganiferous and
red shale, and they all found in vast quaint
ties. The town is built ON mass of solid lime
stone of the finest quality, and surrounded by
eXhaustlesS beds of it. Forests of oak, elm ash
hickory, maple and walnut stretch for miles in
every direction, furnishing timber for every
building and manufacturing purpose Situated.
as it is, at the intersection OF two great systems
OF railway, the coming city can get the best
coke in the world from three SOurceS-from the
New river coking fields, by the Chesapeake and
Ohio; from Pocahontas OF Flat Top by the Nor
folk and Western and it's tributary, the Shenan-
doah Valley, and from Connellsville by the
Shenandoah Valley and the Pennsylvania sys-
tenn. Experts say that with the natural advan-
tages of the place-its vast deposits of high
grade ore, its supply, it's abundant limestone for
ton of pig metal can be made here for SO or
less. 1t is possible to make a ton of pig iron
here, ship it to Newport News by the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad, load it as ballast on cotton
carrying vessels, and lay it down i'll England as
cheapy as it can be made there! Think of that,
my boy! Five cities-Boston, New York, Phila
delphia, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati handle
tfrea-fifthS of all the iron produced, consumed
OF used in the United States Waynesboro has
choice of all these markets at not more than
three dollars ton freight. Think of that, too.''
What has been done in the way of develop
ment and improvement? What work is actually
going on? enquired
LAS said, the place already has 1850 people.
1t as Presbyterian, Methodist Baptist and
Lutheran churches and the Catholics and Epis-
copalians are building. 1t has fiourishing fe
male seminary, with about hundred young lady
students; and military academy, with nearly
a hundred cadets, among whom are two broth
ers-in-law of Berry Wall, the king of the dudes,
of New York, SONS of Captain w. +. Melbourne
of Washington. 1t has roller process Touring
mill, with capacity of I25 barrels day; two
large furniture factories, sash and blind fac
tory an extensive foundry, q creamery, three
hotels and a good newspaper. All these are in
full blast, running successfully; but they are
hardly worth mentioning besides the new en-
terprises and establishments that are just be-
ing inaugurated or projected. Among these are
a furnace and iron mills, with capital of
$2,000,000; machine works to be put in by Ohio
capitalists; rolling mills and bridg works. street
car lines, electric light plant, water works, with
capacity for $1,000 people, a new and handsome
hotel, carriage and wagon factory, and num-
ber of building associations, loan and trust com
panies and other similar organizations. The
First National Bank of Waynesboro is getting
it's bnlding and safes into shape for opening its
DOORS and the Waynesboro Board of Trade Is
an active and pnblic spirited body of men, ev-
cry one of whom believes III the manifest desti-
ny of his young city. The transfers of real es-
tate within the last sixty days have amounted
to about 100000, and prices are rushing upward
at race horse Speed.''
Here broke in to ask: But what is to MAIN
tain ths boom? What is TO make the thing per-
manentY
"Why the iron, the coal, the timber, the glo-
rious climate, the cheapness of living, and the
energy and money Of the wide awake men who
have taken hold of the place. | just going
to tell you that in addition to all the institutions
and organizations have enumerated, several
powerful corporations are Interested in and
around the town. The Wayneaboro Land I'M
provement Co. has gone to work with capital
OF S500,OD0. The Basic Mining and Manufactur
ing Co. has capital of 100000. General Thorn
az l.. Rosser and others have entered the field
with a land and development company and
capital of 100000. The Wayne Mining Co., with
a capital of 100000, begins next week extern
sive mining operations. The Hermann Iron Co.,
of Philadelphia, has capital of $1,000,0000 and
proposes to mine LOCO tons of ore day; and you
are, perhars, not aware that Andrew Carnegie is
working down there. never knew it till few
days ago His mine is d short distance out of
WayneSbOro. 1t is called the "Crimora,' and is
the largest manganese mine, so far as is known,
in the world. He leases it, paying $500 ton roy
ally. The production IN the three years since he
began work upon il has amounted to about
$2,5D00lO in royalty. He is now taking out over
i5DD tons a month. But probably the greatest
and most important of all the companies inter
ested in the building up of the city and the de-
velopment OF the region is the Roseland Iron
and Coal Co., Of which General w. s. RosecranS,
register of the United States Treasury, is presi-
dent and Herman Becker, of Philadelphia, treas
urer. The company has capital of $1,0IO,0O0,
and it owns property of incalculable value, in
Gliding mountain of red specular There
are three thousand acres in the tract, which
are seventeen veins of the ore from seven to
forty feet wide, and running the whole length
OF the land-fve miles. The ore runs according
to assays made for the company from So to 81
per cent of metallic iron, with little more than
trace Of phoSphorous. IN quantity it is pro
nouncaq, by the highest authority, absolutely
eXhaustless. Besides this there is a vast bed of
brown hematite ore, which can be mined-or
rather quarried-like limestone from the sur
face. The company is pushing work, and will
soon be in condition to turn out 1000 tons day.
Both the Chesapeake and Ohio and the shenan-
doah Valley Railroads run through the entire
10,
east and west. A huge furnace and rolling mill
win be erected and many Kindred enterprises
set going. The carrying OUT of the plans OF this
one company means the making of city OF
10000 Inhabitants as speedily as roofs and walls
can be reared to house them"
but where will the water supply for the city
be found 2"
right through it; but, far better than that, sur
passing anything OF the kind | have ever seen
elsewhere, is Baker Spring, pouring out 100000
gallons of water day. 1t Infinitely excels the
famous springs at Huntsville and Tuscumbia
Alabama. Ille water bursts out Of the side of
low spur of the Blue ridge Mountains i'll
stream from thirty to forty feet wide, CLEAR as
the clearest crystal aud absolutely pure. The
beautiful stream swarms with brook trout l
saw at least hundred OF them darting like tiny
bits Of animated sunshine through the water
when l was there last Sunday. That spring
alone would abundantly supply 100000 people:
and there is another within few hundred yards
hat H. ul,a