Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-07-17
FORWARD.
LOCAL..

4 BIG MEETING HELD TO ADTrANCE
.STAUNTONjS MATERIAL INTER-
ESTS.
The most important meeting, both as to
numbers and character, that ever assem-
bled to consider the progress Of the city.
gathered at the Opera House Friday night.
There were fully five hundred persons
present, and among them the men of the
largest interests in the community. They
were called to consider two questions:
One, taking some steps to building short
line of road to connect Staunton with the
Norfolk & Western system at Stuart S
Draft, and the other, the building of q
modern and luXuriously equipped hote
such as the capitalists and others of the
Northern and Eastern cities are accustom-
ed to, in order that they may be induced to
make temporary stays here long enough to
look into the advantages of Staunton as a
place to invest OF live III. Mr.. Edward
Echols presided, and Mr. J. N. Mcfarland
acted as Secretary.
A number of well known gentlemen made
and each dwelt on some practical point.
Mr.. A. G.. Gordon cited the fact that the
splendid Battery Park Hotel at Aslleville,
n. c., had actually built up that place,
and it is now the residence of many mil
lionaires from the North. With reference
to the railroad, he said that he was inform
ed by a person in position to know, that
the Norfolk & Western already had a sur
vey and estimates made Of a road from
near Stuart's Draft to Staunton. Such Il
branch would give Staunton coal from
Southwestern Virginia, and make her I'M
surpassed as manufacturing site.
Hon. Jacob Yost, President OF the Iron
Gate Company and the founder of that
thriving manufacturing town, said it had
always been a surprise to the builders of the
new towns who well understood the advanta-
ges of modern hotels and built them in their
towns, that Staunton had not built one.
Those who had built them in the develop
ing towns knew when they did so that
they would not pay for two OF three years
OF more, but they also knew and had realized
that they were Invaluable in the matter OF
bringing people to the town. And yet
here was Staunton with the patronage al
ready at hand which would make q hotel
pay, and yet had not built modern one.
AS to the railroad branch, MI. Yost said
the Norfolk & Western had built a branch
to mine at Stuart's Draft and an extern
sion of that branch only nine miles would
Star
her iron ore about as cheap as Low-Moor
and could have furnace. The Norfolk &
Western would gain a big passenger traffic.
He believed if liberal terminal facilities
were offered the n. & W., it would come.
Capt. E. L. Edmondson said the need of
Staunton was a modern hotel which would
make man stop here long enough to eX-
anime interests that he had Travelled a
thousand miles to look into. A large mod
ern, well kept hotel would retain people
here and be benefit in the matter of retail
trade to every merchant here. AS to the
locality he believed the site of the pro-
jccted Hotel Altemonte would be preferred
to one down in the town-a man could go
there on the street car after his days work
and be quiet.
Maj. Jed. Hotchkiss, President and Gen
eral Manager of the new town Of Shendun,
spoke of the benefit the good hotel there had
been to that town. Forty years ago Staun-
ton had three famous hotels kept by Nc
Chung, Hartman and Garber-it was a
hotel centre. But with the war that had
passed away, and now we have no modern
hotel such as the traveller of this day de-
mands. The man from the North who has
done most for your Staunton Development
Company, only came here when promised
to take him to my home. Is it not so MI.
Miller?
MI. NJ. E. Miller-Yes. And besides
that he has put half million dollars into
Virginia.
Maj. Hotchkiss said the people ought to
start right in and build the Hotel Alte-
monte, $50, 900 of the amount was already
subscribed. In the matter of the railroad,
was always on the look out to build branch
es where they would pay. The Shenandoah
Valley road had once been surveyed right up
to Staunton and nobody in that day had
shown the slightest interest in getting it to
come in, and it had gone off another way.
There is only $50 foot fall in the seventeen
miles between Staunton and the junction
of the rivers at Port Republic. Ii an
effort is made by Staunton, President Kim
ball will bring his road here. But first we
want hotel. He was Oh his way to the
National Editorial Convention at st. Paul.
and was the bearer Of an invitation from
Roanoke for the convention to meet there
next year, because Roanoke had plenty OF
good and new hotels. If StauntOn had
them he would invite the Association here.
With reference to the character of termi-
nal facilities the Norfolk & Western would
require here, Maj. Hotchlliss said that at
Shendun they had strip 400 feet wide and
two miles long.
Rev. DIR. Jas. Nelson said he always felt
All interest in the material prosperity of the
city in which his lot was cast, and he re-
galded a modern hotel here as q supreme
necessity.
MI. M. E. Miller, President of the
Staunton Development Co., said that for
the Hotel Altemonte there was already
$4,000 subscribed (another 81 900 was sub
scribed before he closed his spsech) and
the plans had been made. The location
was unrivaled for beauty of view and was
convenient to the town. The absence of a
modern hotel had been felt by his company.
Men who would otherwise come to invest
remain away. One gentleman, capitalist
who had an appointment to come here
made it so that he could stop at the hotel
at the White Sulphur Springs and then run
down here and go back. The Stalnton