Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-09-26

Cttd pCO VIZ llNil hCIVDD Nu1CiA VIZ sAOStSp Va
either side charged. looking to the right
you see the Lewis place where what is called
the battle of Port Republic was fought and
which ought to be called the battle of Lew
istOn, for it was fought some miles from
Port Republic. Looking to your left, just
standing, you see the grove-the new hotel
grounds will touch it-in which Jackson S
army rested for week after the two bat
ties, before silently stealing off to Richmond
to ioin in the attack on Mcclellan.
On the top of this hill where the hotel is
to stand, there is being erected an observa-
tory seyenty-ive feet high, with stair land
ings to make the ascent easy, from which the
splendid scenery can be viewed. Even this
early. the view shows the new town waking
up. The streets laid off like a checker
board, the brick manufactures at work and
a busy force of Eutsler Bros. & Co. building
carpenter shops which are to cover an en-
tire block and employ a hundred hands.
The hotel to be erected on this summit
| is to accommodate one thousand persons
and will be Il great resort for people from
the n orthern cities all the year around.
The health giving pines which form large
part Of the park will make it sought as a
| health resort IN the winter as well
as in the summer, and the caves
will make it a rendezvous Of tourists in the
summer.
Mr.. VIM. Russell, of New York, the
architect who made the plans for st. Fat
ricl7s Cathedral there, was in the city to-
day and made rough ground plans and
estimates for the grand hotel. 1t will be
Of stone ard brick, four stories high, with
a tower at the centre. Its height will be
400 feet. The hotel elevator, located in the
tower, will be operated by electric power,
which has been practically tested by use in
New York hotel and found just nineteen
twentieths cheaper than steam OIL water
power.
1t is believed that Shendun will
become in large part a residence for Wash
ington people, for by the new railroad to be
built to the National capital from the
Shenandoah Valley Ry.. Washington will
lie only about three hours travel from here.
The arrangement of the sites in the town
| has been made with 4 special view to giving
the rich man his villa as well as the work
ingman his cosy home. Its villas will be
separated from its residences; it's residen-
ceS from its business houses, and it's bust
ness houses from its manufacturing dis
! trict.
On the summit Of this ridge. few feet
to the n orth of the hotel, and overlooking
the battle fields which he won, there has
| been selected a site for a bronze equestrian
statue of Gen. ''Stonewall77 Jackson. The
order to prepare it has already been given
to Valentine the Virginia sculptor.
From the plans Of the company l come
to the conclusion that their intention is not
only to make this busy city, but an at
tractive one, that will bring to it as per-
manent residents people of means. The
minor details OF the general plan such as
the 1,000-foot park between the resi-
dence portion and the business and manu-
featuring section; the discarding Of fencing
| between public buildings; the fronting of
ali residences on the Avenues and no fronts
on the cross streets, and other things indi-
cate that this is to rival what are called the
beautiful cities at the North.
The financial affairs of the company are
far more than equal to carrying this plan
out. After paying for it's 80, GOO acres Of
land, which it can do with it's first issue of
stock and the sale of a few lots, it will have
twenty eight thousand acres left, which
include valuable farms and ore lands.
This will constitute wealthy corporation
well able to carry out even the most costly
plans for the improvement and making
more valuable its other holdings.
And now a word about what is to give
this city of Shendun it's prosperity. Just
four months ago, the sixth day of this
month, "The Grottoes Company was in
corporated, and the company as organized
resolved to to make it's present capital
So, Co., 900. The charter admits of a maxi
mum capital $6,O00,000. The President of
the Company and the controlling spirit, so
to speak, was Maj. Jed. Hotchkiss of
Staunton, whose name is known pretty
much all over the land where the mineral
resources of a section are in discussion. |
believe it is conceded by all, that he is more
familiar with the mineral resources Of Vir-
ginia and West Virginia than any man in
them. 1t was his report that first called
attention to the famous Pocahontas coal
region. His knowledge of these resources
has made him and others rich, which is the
severest test applied in this day of materi-
alism to the value and accuracy of knowl-
edge.
This company bought thirty thousand
acres Of mineral, timber and farm lands
here and i'll it have set the new city OF
Shendun. Their property includes ten
miles of iron ore land along the western
slope of the Blue Ridge, on which there are
nine opened mines. OF this thirty tho,ls-
and acres Of land, twenty-five thousand
acres are the old Mt. Vernon Iron Works
property, property that for a generation
supplied the Mt. Vernon Furnace, the Alb
bot Iron Co and the Wyeths of Baltimore,
and the Millers and Lewises of this section
with ores from which charcoal pig iron was
made. Analyses Of the ores give the ave :
age per centage of the ores of Western Blue
Ridge range i'll Virginia. At the Northern
end of this iron tract manganese mine
has been opened and developed with good
promise of results, and on the property are
fire clays, kaolin quantities. (for glass max
ing) and sandstone. Included in this pur-
chase were the famous Weyer and Fountain
Caves, natural curiosities known all over
the country, a mill property, a forge prop
erty at which recent measurement found
q water power of 500-horse capacity,