The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-04-09

The foregoing views OF Mr. Bird vii
have great effect upon ironlnasters al
4 over the Union, as he is we'll known as /
successful furnace man Of large expert
ence, as was his father before him.
he general manager of the Coving-
4 ton Improvement Co. is Mr.. +. f. Eakle
4 .jr., of Staunton, who is one Of the most
energetic and magnetic town managers
| OF my acquaintance. He is yet young
! man, but by sagacious investment il
I Virgina's new towns he has acquired d
/ comfortable fortune. However, he de
! serves far more credit for getting his first
foothold on the lower rungs of the ladder
4 OF success than for any recent fayors at
/ the hands OF the tickle goddess. He
came to Staunton 10 years ago, a count
| ry lad, and began work as a clerk at SEQ
a month. Without any favoritisln or adj
vaneement or financial aid worth men
tioning, he has built up wholesale gro
Gerry business at Stanton amounting to
more than 100000 a year. He is heavi-
ly interested in Buena Vista, being the
owner of one seventh of the capital stock
of the Buena Vista Investment Co, be-
| sides a number of choice lots in that
growing town. He is also at the head OF
the famous firm of Eakle, August & Don
! oVan. which has the homer of being gen
erai manager of the Chesapeake d Ohio
Development Co at Clifton Forge In
deed. Mr.. Eallle is among the largest in
dividual holders of the stock in that
company, and is also owner of many val
liable lots in West Clifton Forge He is
also Il member of the board of directors
Of the company which is improving the
new town of Bessemer, Va, at the con-
fiuence of Craigs creek and the river
James,
E1.,I- l.,>a, I
came to Covington and inaugurated this
series of articles on three of the best
towns on the Chesapeake & Ohio Rail-
road and on the banks of the Jackson
and James rivers.
Speaking of Covington, Mr.. Eakle said
II was induced to come to Coyington TO
take the management OF this company
from the simple fact that as a natural To-
cation for industrial plants it had no sus
perior, having an abundance of the finest
high grade iron ore, and being nearer to
the coking fields of New River than any
point on the Chesapeake & Ohio Road
Again, was convinced that another
railroad would certainly come in at this
point from Pittsburg The men who are
most prominent in this enterprise had no
other object in view but to promote the
interest of the town. This company was
not gotten up to secure q promoters
fund. but on the contrary, whenever nee
essary, the directors 90 down into their
pockefs and put up their money to Sc
cure worthy enterprises
The board of directors he went on
to remark, ''are all business men, and
secured the lands Of the Improvement
company at reasonable prices.
They have paid in full for all their
lands, and have done business on bust
1n, f1,n Oh, ,.t r
put in Covington will surely pay hand
some profit to the INVESTOR
Nor do think Mr. Eakle at all in
error, for the future of Coyington is in
my honest judgment. as safe and certain
as that OF any town in America. Mr.
Decatur Axtell, who has recently been
made vice president of the Chesapeake
& Ohio Railroad, is the president of this
Covington Improvement CO.
And right here word concerning the
powerful impetus that railroad compan>
les have in their power to give to towns
to which they have an interest. Every>
body knows what the Norfolk & Western
people have done for Southwest Virgins
ia Roanoke was the creation of the
Norfolk & Western Ga. The Chesapeake
u Ohio crowd is just as strong as the
Norfolk Il Western, and the new vice
president of the former railroad is not
oTlv 4 lnaa Of infinite disegrnnlent and
discretion, but a far seeing man who
best of all, is dead in love with Virginia.
About the middle of November last it
was decided by prominent people heres
about to establish national bank, and
! Mr.. j. Il. Rollins. Il well known financial
man, was invited to visit Covington and
canvass the conditions. After careful
investigation he concluded that this was
the most avai liable location within the
pan.a OF his knowledge for IA successful
bank. Accordingly there eat once
subscribed. mainly by Covingtol's citi-
| zens. the capital agreed upon, to-wit,
$50, 900 Mr.. Rollins has had 20 years
/ experience in the hanki Ing business, hay
ing been connected with the National
+ Valley bank OF Stanton, Va, ~ assists
ant cashier for a number of years, and
more recently with the Citizens Bank OF
| Charleston, W. Va, Of wirial he was
/ cashier. Speaking of Covingtou's advan>
tages he said: Il have q decided and fixed
/ conviction that Covingion has IA great
| future before it, Aside from the outcome
of industrial development. IL large local
/ trade will follow the completion of the
| Warm Spring branch of the Chesapeake
& Ohio Railroad, which is now under
contract from Covington TO y region Of
which Coylngton will then, for first time,
| become the natural distributing point.
namely the counties of Pocallontas, Bath
and Highland" This bank opened its
doors in February, and at this writing
| (March ~ its deposits exceed ninety
/ thousand dollars