Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-05
LOWMOOR.
PIE NEW TOWN OF THE ALlE0HANy
MINING AND DEVELOPMENT co.
nescvipttca II Thss Valuable Property--
It's Fanr~-Drawtng and ssie OF Lots
December 10. 1890.

2nc new town 1.-THE Allegheny Minint
and Development Company located herr
took me somewhat by surprise. Lik'
many others / bad formed q menta
picture OF Lowmoor without having seer
il, and l always imagined ii as craggy
industrial nook in the hollow OF 8
mountain wherein improvement compa
nv would naturally present each pur
chaser OF lot with O rope-ladder anC
toboegan. slide. This morning it ap
peared 10 me that tho end OF our tran
had hardly cleared the magnificent array
of shops and round-houses the Chesa.
peake and Ohio Railway Company has
erected at West Clifton Forge before we
turned q hill and dashed into level.
sun-liohted plain at the foot of which
runs a river. That was Lowmoor-a
very different thing from what / had
pictured it.
THE NEW TOWN PROPERTY.
The property is a perfect horseshoe,
around the toe of which runs Jackson 8
river, and directly across the centre OF
which. between the toe and the heel,
runs the Chesapeake and Ohio railway.
The half touching on the river is dead
level of beautiful meadow land and the
upper half is q gentle ascent until you
reach the foot OF the hills. There isnot
single lot on bill, which was altogether
contrary TO my expectations In this
horseshoe there are 80 acres. If You
stand Mt the broad end OF the shoe the
view is very pretty. In front OF you
Is the plain bordered on the north by the
river snd beyond the river rise mountain
after mountain. All around you rise
The mountains which enclose and make
frame for the scene. At your feet the
heavy burden trains of the railway dash
across the plain, while little to your
left are the blazing stacks of the Low
moor furnace and the fires rising from
q hundred and fifty coke-ovens. Back
OF that is neat little village in which
live the workmen of the furnaces, while
scattered over the plain are the hand
some residences OF the men who manage
the works. 1t is hard 10 think OF u
prettier place for home. But the
landscape will be much prettier before
any Of your readers see it. Already, as
stand / can look down q new seventy-foot
broad avenue which the wOrkmen are
Just finishing up, and everywhere over
the plain | see gangs OF workmen MAX
ing sixty-foot cross-streets and other
avenues. The new avenue Of which L
speak runs from the point where the
4 1. 20 r1u n
distance OF half mile, and it will have
shade-trees planted on each side OF it by
the time YOU see it. The company pro-
pose TO make the property attractive,
purpose, may add from my experience
with new towns, that will yield them
thousand per cent. on the cost required
20 carry it out.
A NATURAL LAKE.
And while talking of the attractive
ness Of the place 1t follows that should
speak OF the natural lake which COM
mences about hundred yards from the
hotel site. OF oil the places | have
visited / have never seen such luck rs
this company has had in getting some
thing for nothing. / suppose the lake
/ am about to tell you of would have
cost the company just $1,000 or more
30 make it. When the general manager
and mounted our horses for this part
Of the inspection he said II am going
10 show you the prettest thing you ever
saw in your life." had heard that re-
mark from general managers before, so
i made no response But when the
"prettiest thing" came in sight l must
confess il broke up my reticence. With
ont question it is the most exqulsltely
artistic thing have seen in Virginia. 1t
is lake twenty feet deep of pure
spring water. half mile long, and IN its
centre are two beautiful islands. The
back ground of the lake is an almost
perpendicular height covered with trees
Of smen growth, and at the foot Of this
runs a roadway which Is to be widened
10 sixty feet. On the other side of the
lake runs the railroad, and on that side
there will also be a sixty-foot way, which
will make circular drive around the
lake. IL there is any prettier lake IN
any public park or at any watering place
in this country / have not seensit And
it is all here for nothing and cannot, as
j have said, be duplicated for a hun
dred thousand dollars. On one side OF
the lake, running out of the precipice,
is one OF the strongest of alum springs,
above which you can see the sparkling
crystals OF alum glistening through the
rocks. The lake itself is filed by
spring of free-stone water about two
bundred yards of, and which furnishes
water enough for population OF
5000.
FORTUNATE LOCATION.
While / am on this subject of getting
something for nothing, l may as well
further illustrate the good luck of this
company. Without dollar of cost to
themselves they have next to and touch
ing on their town site M iron furnace
IA fun operation, turning out eight hun
bred tons OF pig-iron week and en-
ploying about TOO men. Isuppose that
the interests Of the Lowmoor Furnace
Company, including their works and
mines here, must be over $1,000
Indeed, the projectors OF this new town
have settled down in nest OF industries
ready made to their hand. Draw "a cir
ole around tho town OF Lowmoor and YOU
will see what you enclose. On the north
il touches the great Douthat iron-ore
tract WHICH was bought by Peter Nc
Laren for $500, 900 last year and for
which am informed he has been offered
by English investors 81, ZOO, 900, but re-
fused Il, To the west Of that you see
She famous Rich Patch iron track which
10 alpSady building railroad to the
Chesypeake and Ohio road just west OF
Lowhoor. A little further west in the
circle you strike the Lowmoor iron
tract where their mining is going on.
South OF you, as you turn, you come
70 the iron tract Of the Allegheny
Mining and Improvement Company, and
every hour or 30 you hear the blast OF
their mining corps at work. II looks as
il nature had shot the pretty town site
right into the bulrs.eye of the iron-ore
circle. Turning TO the east through the
approach by which you came here is
town after town humming with indus
try. Almost touching this company's
4 a