The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-24
.AFL0URlSHlnG VIRGINIA TOWN.
The Developments and Indus
tries at Max Meadows.
A Good Hotel--The Marrow Gauge Road
to tho Mines---MininG Operations.
What is Going on In tho Building Limo.
Tho Rolling MIL and Horse Shoe
Works-A Description of the Furnace.
The Wuter Works.

oDouI IuaA IhcuuOWS, couciuucu 10
stop over there day, and look care
fully into what was going on.
am compelled to give my first and
! large attention to the Max Meadows
Inn. Externally tho appearance, Of the
house is not at all pretentious, but thor
oughly neat, in fact it is rather pleas
ing contrast to the Queen Anna's and
Colonials now generally being bull but
the inside is about the checrfullest and
pleasantest place that 1 have been in
for long while. 1t is finished in clean
yellow pine, everything about 1t is
bright and CHEEKY looking, plenty of
room, attractively finished, and hand
somely kept.
The cooking is strictly flrst-class in
every respect, and tho service as good
as could be desired; in fact, havo not
been in any hotel in Virginia that was
so thoroughly satisfactory, not oven ex-
cepting Hotel Roanoke.
AS got out of the cars at 0:3O on the
top Of tho hill, which rccollected very
we'll was 4 cattle and sheep pasture,
saw y brilliantly lighted house, await
ing tho arrival of guests. 1t was hard
work to realize that this was the pas
toral Max Meadows of former years.
Tho next morning after comfortable
nights rost, l was introduced to Mr.. nj.
II. Maury, the engineer constructing
tho furnace, and learning from him
that he was going out to Hensen mines,
begged permission to accompany him.
Tho ride was very interesting.
found the company had very wisely de-
termined to own their own railroad to
their ore ines, and accordingly arc
building narrow guage road about
three and half miles in length, through
about one of the toughest pieces of
country that have seen for a long time.
In order to get over u divide between
the furnace site and tho mine they had
to introduce two switch hacks on each
side of this divide. The work Of building
the road is going along actively, about
one-half the grading been finished, the
ties are being delivered on tho road and
the iron is at the station, so that with
anything like decent weather, this work
will BIO done before very long.
At the foot Of, the mines a snug log
camp has been built in close proximity
to tho new washing plant. The mines
are being opened up so as to have good
workings ready for the erection of the
plant.
The explorations thus far made seem
to indicate the existence of a largo body
of wash ORE They have sunk one shaft
near tho top of the hill, in close proxim-
ity to what was locally known as the
great outburst, which is now about
ffty-hve to sixty feet in depth, and tho
last forty-fve feet has been through
wash ore all the way, and is still in tho
ore.
Mr.. Maury explained his plan for the
working of this piece Of ground to DO as
follows:
The shaft would be sunk as long as
the ore ground lasted and then a short
tunnel would be driven in, near tho base
of the hill, to strike tho bottom of the
ore deposit, which would enable tho ore
to be very cheaply mined, aud econom-
ically delivered to the washer at the
foot Of the hill by an incline.
l must confess that l was somewhat
surprised at the amount of work that
had been done upon the town site in the
last six or eight months. The necessa-
ry streets and avenues, mono of them
less than seventy feet in width, and
some one hundred, have been laid out
level fiat to the south of the RAILROAD
have been thoroughly macadamized,
and coated with crock gravel, making
substantial and permanent road.
In close proximity to tho present rail
road station q large three-story brick
hotel is now having the roof put OH. 1t
has seventy-five feet frontage by ono
hundred feet deer, with stores and
Offices on the first floor, and is really
very creditable building
Messrs. Maury and James McGavock
are building on Clark avenue, adjoining
this hotel, two brick stores. Ncssrs.
Oglesby Sc Co have built on Third
street, fronting the railroad, u large
store and have an cXccllant assortment
of goods. Messrs. Blair &, Robinson
have fixed up their store. undermining
1T and made large addition. The old
Woods store has beer put in good order.
and is now occupied by Joseph Crockett
& Company.
One rather unusual and fery desirable
feature is the establis ment of the
co1ored portion of the sfvn by itself.
On second bench at the sfoot of RAM
seys Mountain, an excollant town has
been laid out, a number of streets have
been laid open and graded, and fifty
snug comfortable two room houses have
been built. These buildings are painted
In attractive colors. and altogether
make very pleasing looking settle
ment for working men.
I understand that the Company arc
willing to sell these houses to respecta-
BILE colored mon on long time, and easy
monthly payments. This strikes me as
capital idea, as it will get working
men with their families there, and
identity them with tho place.
Not l.