Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-03-25
is TO BE ADDED TO OUR
OTHER INDUSTRIES.
100000 CAPITAL. $50 EMPLOYEES.
Mr. ]. Allen Watts Talks Interests
iprIy OF tho Great Project. Good
Men Behind II. A Market mt Cur
Doors. Facts and Figures.

nish iron that can be used in other
manufactures. A TIMES reporter
called OH j. Allen Watts, esq.. city
solicitor, and attorney for the Norfolk
sud Western, and Shenandoah Valley
railroads, he being one of the prime
movers in this enterprise, and asked
him for some facts and figures about
tho mill, aud the benefits to be de-
rived by tho city from it, said Mr..
Watts The proposed mill will make
plato iron from nine inches to eight
feet in width. from twenty to
fifty feet in length and from one.six-
tsenth Of an inch to two feet in thick.
ness. This includes boiler plates.
sheets for furnace work of all kinds.
bridge plates, and plates for gas works,
stand pipes, stack iron for chimnsys,
for all mills, safes, jails, ore washers,
iron or steel wheelbarrows, ship iron
and in fact plato iron Of every descrip-
lion. By establishing this mill and
with the product of the present rolling
mill, ne will be abba to furnish iron for
use in almost any kind OF industry here
at home. There are no mills of this
character south of Mason & Dixon's
line and therefore the whole south will
be market for our product, although
as a matter of fact a large proportion
Of the output will be consumed in
Roanoke and the immediate vicirity.
Our mill will give employment to about
one hundred and fifty men, all of whom
are high-priced, and two-lhirds of them
are very high-priced skilled labor.
Realizing tho importance of lhi. NEST
ing to Roanoke two meetings have been
held to consider the cost Of the erection
of the plant and the probable profit to
be derived. The meetings consisted of
Mr., Henderson, assistant superintend-
ent of the Machine Works; Mr.. McCon-
nell, general foreman OF the same; Mr.
Wentworth, proprietor and general
manager Of the American Bridge
Works; Mr. Hunter, consulting engin-
eer of the same; Mr.. Sharp, of the Roll
ing Mill, and myself. All of these
gentlemen, with the exception of my
self, are experts in all matters relating
to iron and have had considerable ex-
perisncs in operating mills of similar
character.
"At the first meeting an estimate
was made Of the probable cost and pro-
FL. This estimate was made with great
care, by going into the most minute de-
tails regarding every thing in relation to
the business. After the meeting one
of the gentlemen went North to lnves-
tigate the matter and others, by letter
and inquiries, verified tho estimate
made. Thsir figures show that a
twenty-ton mill will cost 800, 900, the
running capital at least s25 1000,
lhslarger the better, and the profit,
at the very lowest estimate, after de-
Quoting the cost of repairs, taxes, wa
ter rent, wear and tear of machinery,
intetes. on the money and everything
that could be thought of, over $4,000
per year. An estimate given by par
ties in the North, who had been given
the price of coal, iron and labor, puts
the profit at about $4,000 per year.
1 think, therefore, aud the above
named gentlemen fully agree with me,
that we can safely count upon profit
of $4,000 per year, which is placing
it very low;
It is proposed to get out subscrip-
ton papars at once, and ask the citi-
zens of Roanoke to subscribe the
amount necessary to erect the plant.
ALI of the figures concerning the indus
try are in my hands. and I will take
pleasure in showing them to any one
who wishes to investigate as to the
safety Of the Investment.
81 do not wish to draw invidious
comparisons between Roanoke and
other cities, but We have here what is
generally lacking elsewhere. at pre-
sent the industries Of this city are
enough to support more than the
population. 1 think it could be
shown without much trouble that We
have here permanently employed in
our industries such as the machine
works, rolling mill, bridge works, fur
naces, canning factories, Bridgswater
carriage factory, the railroads and
numerous other manufacturing estab-
lishments, at least 5000 mechanics,
wsll-paid men, who are permanent
" employed. This is equivalent to a
population OFFS, 900 people. Then, be-
sides this, we have q trade embracing
the western part of Bedford and Bote-
tourt COUNTIES and parts ofCraig, Mont
gomery, Franklin, Floyd, and other
counties in the southwest which sup
port q population of 5000. I think
therefore that Roanoke today is in q
position where 10000 persons would
not be an excessive estimate for what
is generally normal population, but
to prevent collapse, and TO- insure a
permanent and rapid growth until our
population reaches $4,000, wo must
have other industries. Every owner of
lot, every business man, every law
YER, and above all, every real estate
agent, is bound to do all he can to OBJ
tain this end. Therefore, I think,
that if this mill is built, which with
the present rolling mill and other man
ufacturing enterprises here, will act as
| nucleus around which nearly every
other industry can be built up, every
man that owns lot in Roanoke city
will be able to sellat an advance, and
all vacant commons. and outlying dis
tricts will be, in a: very few years,
filed with houses, and our population
will reach even what the real estate
agents claim. I hope that no difficulty
will be encountered in getting up this
mill, and that every one will aid us to
1.-The extent of his means. We have
worked together ia the past, and Il We
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