The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-21

-Buena Vista. November, 1889, and
Bucna Vista, November, 1890, are two
entirely different places
The growth of the town during the
last twelve months has been really
phenomenal.
Just year ago paid my first visit to
Buena Vista, and this is my first trip
since. l knew the town had grown ra-
pidly during the present year, but had
no idea that the extent of the develop
ment was so large.
Buena Vista at that time had from
four hundred to five hundred people.
1t now has from twenty-five hundred to
three thousand.
The town was then just in it's incipi-
iency.
Everything almost was prospective.
1t then had no municipal government,
and not a single brick building COM
pletcd.
came down on the Shenandoah Val
ley road and had ticket to Green
Forest the name of the station at that
time. stopped at the Hotel Buena
Vista, located on the high bluff over
looking the town site, and was lighted
to bed with a kerosene lamp.
Last night as the train pulled into
the town the electric light cast it's
radiance for distance of two miles
about the city, and | got off at the
l'uena Vista station, about one hundred
feet from which the Richmond and Allie
CLANCY road has also erected Il pretty
painted depot
Tho old hotel has been burnt down.
but the now one near the depot is
lighted with electric light, supplied
with other modern conveniences, and
crowded with people in attendance on
the sale OF lots yesterday and to-day by
the Bucna Vista Company
So far as the prosperity of Buena
Vista Is concerned, it is already as
sured.
In fowayaars it will have at least
ten thousand people
According to the best experts it has
most valuable deposits of iron ore in the
immediate vicinity and the best of fa-
cllltles for making cheap pig iron.
The iron ore deposits surround the
town and about two hundred miners are
engaged in working the mines and pros
pecting.
The furnace, one of the largest and
best equipped in the State, will go into
blast in about two weeks or n month.
and the paper mill is already turning
out eight tons of paper per day.
In addition to the tanncry, saddle and
harness factory, Wise wagon works i'll
operation and the cggcrate factory and
wooden mills completed, one of the lar
fry.S ,tat., ,,.ie, a..
To Bucna Nista's prosperity, and on
which work is now going on. is the
Harig Machine Works. This enterprise
was moved here from Columbus, Ohio,
and its capital stock was Increased to
$500, 600
1t will manufacture boilers and en-
gincs, and will have from 500 to 900
men on its pay-rolls. Work was begun
on the construction Of its buildings
about month ago, and its walls are
now some ten or twelve feet high The
length of the building is 200 feet. and
the grounds Of the company will cover
several acres.
On the other side of the railroad the
Steel Plant Company, Of which Mr..
Clarence Nj. Clark, of Philadelphia, is
president, has twenty acres of ground.
upon which they propose constructing
their works. The capital for this com
pany has already been subscribed, and
work will be pushed forward as speedily
as possible.
There will be few larger plants in Vir-
GINA than this and the Machine Works
when the two are completed
a stranger visiting here for the first
time is struck with the substantial char
acter OF the buildings, the air of activ-
lty that pervados the place. and the
magnitude of the industrial enterprises
in operation or construction, where
eighteen months ago fields were cult
waited.
The business buildings are largely OF
| brick, costing from $40, 600 to $4,000.
The town has most efficient munic-
ipal government eand owns its own
water works and electric light system.
The water supply comes from q noun
tain spring and about five or six miles
of pipes have been laid. The electric
light is one of the best in the State
The town is crowded to-day with those
ttending the lot sales, and the Hotel
Buena Vista people estimated that they
fed 700 people yesterday. The sale
took place in the large brick building
Mills, and the bidding was sharp and
active. Mr.. j. IL. Valentine, OF Lynch
burg. acted as auctioneer
Dnring the sale ] met Mr. A. r. Bar
clay, president OF the company, and Mr.
ID. {. Moomaw, one OF the leading drec-
tors. Mr.. Moomaw's former estate
forms large part OF the present town.
He is an active, cnterprising man and
naturally feels great pride ut the sue
cessfnl growth of the town.
'Wc have grown very rapidly, said