The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-08
THINGS In VIRGINIA.
FLEET-FOOTED IN THE INDUS
TRIAL RACE.

Re Accused OF Never Tirins bec5nse sue
Goes $50 siow."-A Travellers obser-
vstiouI
Thomas =. Grasty writes a. follows ID the
Manufacturers Record, Of Baltimore, this
week
"t'he industrial aciiyity In Virginia has
led to confidence in Virginia investments
which for rapidity Of CESSATION and iniantile
vigor has no parallel in American history,
with the single exception Of the California
gold mining activity Of is49. year ago or
Whereabouts not Nirginian would invest in
Virginia properties. The capital Of the
State was going 10 Duluth and Minneapolis
and Birmingham-any where away from
home. Since then an industrial revolution
has occurred. IL had its start at Buena
Vista. it is reaching its climax AT Waynes-
boro and Basic City-the town futurities Of
the great valley.
A year ago predicted in the Manuiac,
inrer- necOfd that q twelve month would |
develop in Virginia a state Of industrial ac- |
tivitv that would surprise not only the
natives but the nation. Actuated by con-
victiOn. based upon careful investigation Of
resources of Virginia, and Of the tendency
on the part Of Northern men 20 look south /
ward for investments, / then advised those
Nirginians who had gone To the inhospita- |
bic West and there made money. 10 come
home and buy up everything susceptible OF
Improvement. Had this bit Of free gratis
advice been taken at the time, millions Of
dollars i'm profits would have been rcaliza- |
bic to-day.
However, it is not yet too late. for not one
i'm ten Of the available opportunities in Viz
ginia has been "cOrraled.' Among the To-
cations which J emphasized "a year ago was
Buena Vista. Lyety Investment made In
that new town has already resulted IN o
fourfold profit The stock which during the
last six months could have been had, / am
told. for twenty cents on the dollar. is now
eagerly taken at aul above par. The lots
in Buena Vista which could have then been
bought for an average Of 500 piece are
now worth from $500 20 $500. l write down
the figures in order 90 show that did not
advise my feilOw-cOuntrymen 90 come ~
out OF the cold without knowing whereof
spoke.
The next undeyeloped property that / en-,
deayOred 10 acccntuate was the region ROUND
the crossing point Of the shenandoah al
lev and the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads,
4
] believe in the value Of a dollar. or in the
truth OF the Christian religion, or that ue
sun will rise tomorrow morning. that this l-
a certain and unacceptable situation Tor q
successful Industrial city. The Blue Ridge
at this point is full Of iron ore. there are
two competing coke and coal carrying rail-
roads, and the adjacent country ~ one Oh
great fertility and is inhabited withal by
prosperous people. But some how OF other
neither Of the opportunities Just mentioned
brought the Nirginlans home from the West.
Perhaps 10 was considered wise TO wait
until outsiders came in and proved the
merit Of these locations and got the cream.
Perhaps 10 was argued that if there were
iron ores Of value hereabOut they would have
| been developed long ago. Perhaps % was
claimed that the once celebrated Whit.
| Tunstall was right when be declared that
the saving sold Virginia never tires arose
from the fact that she Travelled too slOweycr
| 70 weary.
What amazing surprises tbs decade is
flashing ON the world Virginia, famous
for going slow "from the time whereunto
, the memory Of man runneth not TO the con
trary." has. in one brief year, so quickened
her pace as 20 DE able 90 challenge with
every chance OF winning. any state M the
| Union for an industrial race. And VINO are
the men who have brought about this quick
ening? Northern menu NO. Western men.
Not al all. This rciuyenati0n, this REIN
ygOratl0n, has been achieved by natives
20 the manner bOrn.n
During the last two weeks ! have spent
several days in the Waynesb0ro environ
ment. | have been up TO see that iron prop
erty known as the Roscland. and owned 10y
a company of which that once illusuious
Federal general. General W. :. kOsecrans.
who is now the register Of the Treasury OF
the United States. is president. have gone
over the properties of the Base City Co., and
those owned by the WaynesbOro Co., and
J those around the greatest Of lithia and iron
springs Ina the world. and the magnificent
properties OF the Herman Iron Co., and the
result Of my investigations simply confirms
my beliefin what the Manufacturers Record
has already printed ever my signature con-
corning the opportunities for money making
al this point
This is written from Lexington, Ky.
where / am waiting for a train TO take me
: TO Versailles, in the great horse and whis-
/ key. beauty and elOquence producing county
OF W00df0rd, where ! am going for rest.
And a man who has spent fortnight M
Nirginia's centres Of Development needs
| rest. He there sees 30 many things That
there are millions in, he there meets so
many men who are peryaded with the spirit
Of progress, that me can but paftake OF the
prevailing excitement - an excitement
which makes the blood flow feyerishly, az
| opportunities for making great fortunes are
flashed upon the vision Of ones mind like
magic-lantern pictures on a screen.
There are going tO be some new big cities
i'm Virginia, not one or two, but dozen.
The biggest ones viii be where coal and
coke carrying railroads cross, and where
there is an abundance of iron ore. Schemes
for cOncatemated industries viii be worked
out, and the spirit of the age iayors local.
ties with combined advantages. 10 Is not
merely question Of tine survival Of the fit
test The iitest viii not barely survive but
Will literally swallow up weaker CONF
petition. ln few days / Will give
some detailed inform alton about GER
tain points that deserve 90 be placed i'm the
front rank Of the "fttest.' WaynesbOrO,
Basic City, and the Roseland property and
Baker Springs and the Hermann property. in
short, the region round the great Blue Ridge
iron deposits contiguous 90 the crossing Of
the Shenandoah Valley and the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroads, viii De one OF the ilrst
points whose combination of advantages ]
propose 20 elaborate. The man who will
take time BY the lOrclOck and make invest
ments hereabOut within the next ten days is
the man who will las up for himself treas
ures on earth.
ON my way westward from Waynesboro
/ experienced my first warmth from the
engine on a railroad train. The DAY was
raw and the snow was Tying, but on that
superb train, the "F. +. W." which the &.
i o. people are running from Louisville and
Cincinnati through. solid. 10 New York, the
day car was made sOothingly comfortable
by the steam pipes filled with heated yapor
from the great iron horse in front. In view
Of the horrible hol0causts which stoves in
trains have caused, this arrangement is
calculated 10 increase the travel over the
{. < o., and every man who trayerses Viz
ginia by this route will see and hear things
en- route which are likely 10 put money in
his pocket.
n0N,T M TIT,