The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-05
A TIDE-WATER MAN.
,.n,AI HE THINKS OF THE BOOM
ING SOUTHWEST.

rho younr.r ~. Paul and MInneapo-
n. rrgieston's Springs as a Render
vous.
rsctTsroN's SPRINGS, GILEs COUNTY,
"a, oct. Special. 1t has been our
,lo,snrc sometimes To drop line to TuE
r,vrs. and give its readers an account Of
o,r travels. and IL this letter should prove
.fau interesting we shall be gratifed. The
writer il no newspaper correspondent, but
ike. occasionally TO note the improvements
and developments going on in our state
and in no section is there a more rapid and
.,.siantial progress than In this South
MIS-. Virginia. We Of the Eastern shore
rad and hear Of the booms AMI growth of
town. which but few years since were in
SIGNIFICANT railroad stations but one has 10
...ne 10 this country 20 realize more than
were dreamed OF and sec for himself the
,.mplpic revolution tnat has taken place
,.l. the growth of towns, the establish
I'M .nf OF m tnufactures, the influx Of capt
ftl the development Of mineral resources,
lni the general prosperity of the people.
For many years before the late war II
t,4s our custom. in boyhOOd DAYS. 10 visit
fl.- parl Of the state, when we would leave
l.nchburg IN the morning on the old Nirgi-
.ia ani Tennessee railroad and barely
reach Christiansburg depot In time 10 drive
i,lr or five miles to the "Ncllow sulphur
syringe 10 supper, and next morning the
nur-hOrso stage would make an early start
and often arrive AT this place late at night.
And what a Journey 10 was In those times
tD the salt Pond (uOw called Mountain
Lake,, aud 10 the top Of Ball Knob noun
fainy Now its about three hours from
Ivncbburg 10 II ldf0rd, or New River bridge,
and forty minutes thence 10 this picturesque
resort. an the access 10 the Mountain Lake
comparatively easy.
What "A change in that respect,
Great things have the Norfolk and West
aru peopIe done tor Southwest Virginia,
md when the y and W. and the j.. ana
a. meet at or near big stone Gap" In a
few months and the ''lrOnton' and other
branches completed, what won ieriul DC
,rlopme nts will be seen in a country, here
toC1re so little known 10 the world, every TO
Eastern Nirginians. Why, right along IN
front of these springs, Just across the beau
titul river which quietly flows al the base Of
ma site cliffs glS feet high, one Will sit
here and see a half dozen or more passen-
ger trains day, and more than fifty coal
and freight trains running on what VIII
then be the main stem Of tie y. ana .
.ysicm. which will have 10 be double
which will be carried on with the West
and the neXhaustible coal and iron mines.
Il l. not possible for one unaccustomed
o. newspaper correspondence TO give The
readers Of THE TIMES in the compass Of a
single letter any accurate idea Of what Is
gong on out this way. The late Edwin 6.
booth once "a large land owner in this
section in "ante-bcllum times ana since
fine war. when, rs compared with Eastern
ftfu nf moi
seem 50 prosperous, was wont To say 1.-THE
time is nigh at hand when the Southwest
would far surpass Eastern Virginia. and
'lhat this country would be pierced all over
hv railroads. which would have to be built
90 carry It's treasures 20 distant lands lie
lived - see his predictions in part iulhlled
A. il wonderful how they do build railroads
through and under these rocky mountains.
4 short time since the writer took tril
ON the Clmch Valley railroad. To 81
Pnurs and Minneapolis about l2O miles
from this point. We had expected. when
leaving udewatcr. from what had been read
i'm The newspapers aud heard from eye-wit-
uosscs. 90 see d wonderful growth OF towns
along that now main line-Bcdtord CITY,
Roanoke, salem, and the magical liadiOrd
but wc could hardly trust our own eyes
when we visited Buencld, Graham. susan,
and Richlands: aud then 10 see the biz
work being done at Minneapolis and II
Iluls, which places the railroad reached
hut few weeks ago; 10 witness the sale OF
lots at those two future tOwns-oNer
$500 for a small lot at Minneapolis
aud $1,000 at It. Pdul's. This was
almost beyond ones comprehension at
first. but the seeming mysicry was explained
when we were told that the Three C's,
Charleston. Cincinnati and Chicago rail
rnalj crossing at that point, the Norfolk
ana Western. is being built as fast as men
AnI money can build" aud would shortly
connect the great western cities directly
with Charleston, =. c., and also with the
purc rich Cranberry mines Of North Caro-
lima" Ii was a great sight TO look out from
Che ears rs they ran down the Chnch river,
and See the stupendous work done by the
Norfolk and Western company, which We
were told would in few weeks meet the
Louisville and Nashville at Princess Flats
or Weston. not far from Big stone
Gap. I'm going ont on the Clinch
Valley road one sees from tue cars as they
mll down on the banks of the Clinch river
some very beautiful country. I'm TaZewcll
cultivated fields with fine corn, and grass
uulu which craze hundreds of fat cattle-all
very attractive 10 the tourist But the
scenery u wild and rugged in Russell and
nicker,On counties that is, where the
railroad goes along. But 10 the writer it
WAS an very interesting, particularly to
hear % the fabulous amounts of coal, iron,
anI other minerals. and the immense sup
r't If lumber OF al kinds which is being
-lrpcd. and viii hereafter be sent from
This lart of the country when the many
railroads being now built and contemplated
afa completed.
Why. capital seems 10 be flowing into
this country from all over the | United states
anI from Europe. We Travelled with "A
liDmineut and Wide-awake real estate
agent from an Eastern Virginia city a few
weeks ago. who told me "he believed there
Wls English capital ready TO buy the
Mountain Lake and its one hundred thou
sand acres of land surrounding, if the owner
was willing to sell at reasonable igure.'
And parties are now negotiating Tor the
purchase Of this property, "EgglestOn' ;
syringe options are being asked for, and
thsoWners are considering the matter.
ID Is Of easy access, ana then, TINS beau
um river rolling slowly along in front,
forming a. Iii were" a lake ttty 20 100 feet
deep aud 100 yards wide, as the current be
comes Ohstructel in passing through the
narrow gorge at a sharp angle, OVerhung
hy the frowning cliffs, measured 10y the rail
road engineers when building the road
hprcl. and proving % be Dos feet high.
This apparent inland lake offers fine OPP
portunities for boating, and all during the
summer season the visitors, mornings and
evenings, can be seen rowing up and down
the sluggish stream.
Unfortunately the accommodations here
for visitors are limited, else the place would
Doe Largely frequented. What a pity the
owners OF this property do not improve il
or sell 10 those who would make the desired
Improvements; naturally, IL is so attrac-
tive and susceptible Of being made one OF
The most popular resorts in the mountains.
The foregoing may be called an eXagger-
af.l picture of this part OF Southwest Nlr-
einia, but let The reader come this way. and
our word for il, he will realize more than
has been here written.
The cold weather has come, fires now
very comfortable and we will be among the
visitors tO leave here next Wednesday and
Wen1 our way back 70 our home in
"TIpEwATEE.'
VIRGINIA OF TO-DAY.
what j. seen and Heard In Riding over