The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-24
presses outsiders with the idea CHAT the

Roanoke, is rapidly approaching com
plotion.
was told that an soon as spring
opened, possibly within two or three
weeks, that active operations would be
begun on the rolling mill and horse shoe
works, which is to be built immediately
ABIDING the furnace site.
have purposely left the furnace for
the last; it is assuming very imposing
proportions, and it stands in tho center
Of q tract of thirty acres, lying between
Railroad avenue and Reeds creek, and
1t is hard to imagine a better location
for great furnace plant.
Mr. Maury kindly gave me tho fol-
lowing details:
Tho furnace is seventy-flve feet high,
by seventeen feet in diameter, the cast
house Is sevonty-seven feet in width by
$50 feet in depth. There are fourteen
boilers thirty-four feet long by flfty-four
inches in diameter, with two eighteen
inch fiues The chimney stack is ITS
feet high by ten feot internal diameter
The stock house which is now being
erected will DO very large building,
118 feet in width and $50 feet long.
Mr.. Maury particularly prides him
self upon the two engines, which arc to
BIO erected, boing made by the celebrat-
ed firm of e. p Allis & Co., OF Milwau-
kee, which engines are recognized as
being among tho very best blast engines
in the world. Their steam cylinder is
forty-two inches with blast cylinder
eighty-four inches, and with five feet
stroke. The engine house to hold these
engines is massive brick structure for
ty feet by sixty feet, an arrangement
having been made by which at any time
third engine can BIO added to tho
plant.
The pump house, adjoining tho en-
gine house, is 2Ox4O feet The stoves
are thrco Whitwcll firebrick stoves
caoh 20 feet by 90 feet. Tho iron work
OF the furnace, stoves and stack and
most OF the overhead fues is about done,
the boilers are on the ground ready for
setting, two of tho stoves arc about
two-thirds lined. the other about one
third. The foundations have been
brought up for a fourth stove, which ut
any time in tho future can be added to
tho plant without disturbing anything.
When completed this furnace will not
only be u credit to Virginia, but to the
South, as extraordinary pains have
boon taken to make all the minor de-
tails as such work will admit of. OF
course nobody can look into the future
very far, but am compelled to say
that | was good deal impressed with
what came under my notice at Max
Meadows The location is an ideal
one; while nominally in q valley, it is
practically on mountain, being about
1000 feet above tide. Tho morning l
was there, though cool, WAS dry and
bracing, and made one feel like u colt
A broad fiat running for mile along
the railroad, and half u milo back to a
fino flow of water through Reeds creek,
offers inducements for industries that
struck me as being very marked and
somewhat unusual.
In this connection / was shown n
broad avenue 100 feet wide, which runs
paralleling the creek from 600 to 500
feet through the whole length of the
large flats. This is intended for a
double track railway with street on
each sido of it, so that any ono select
ing site for industrial works can,
without delay, have connection into
any part of his works or yard from tho
railroad tracks through this avenue.
very extensive system of water
works is now under active construction;
reservoir capable of holding 1000, 600
gallons OF water is being put in, on
Ramsey's mountain, giving q pressure
that Will throw water over the tops Of
any houses in the highest part of town.
Along all the principal streets you can
sec the water pipes distributed in the
streets from twelve inches down to four
inches, according to tho requirements
Of the locality. The severe weather
has interfcred somewhat with the laying
of tho pipe, but everything is in readi-
ness with tho opening of the spring, to
have the water works in early and sue
cessful operation.
Tho water supply is soft excellent
water, the analysis of which, by DR..
Cresson. OF Philadelphia, has shown it
to be ono Of the purest waters that can
be found anywhere for town supply
OF course the ubiquitous real estate
agent is at Max Meadows. Necessarily
with the present dullncss, occasioned by
tho late furry. great activity in real
estate could be- expected, but I was in
formed that very considerable num-
Der of lots had changed hands since the
original sale at an advance of from
500 To 1910 per lot
Everybody seemed to be in good
spirits and very hopeful of an active
opened up. Ono OF tho real estate
agents there, representing well-known
Roanoke house, said that he based his
opinion as to an active spring business
there upon the fact that the lots were
put into the hands of the public at
very reasonable price, and unqucstion.
ably left handsome room for profit,
by resale in tho future.
Tho policy of the company seems to
have been not to make great profits at the
outset, but to content themselves with
very reasonable returns, looking 80 the
future for their large returns, when the
steadily increasing population would
create demand for lots and property,
which have not as yet been placed upon
the market
There are rumors of negotiations going
ON for tho location ut this 1anint Of Gov