The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-26

| coal had accumulated In the Coat Branch Valley,
| where IL dumped rs rapidly as taken from
| the mines With such rapldity was this branch
| OF tho work carried on. that in few months the
| a premium, and thou eau enforced suspension
| OF the work for short time, awaiting the
COMING OF THE RAILROAD TRACK,
which reached the place ON the 10th day of March,
| 1893 Before VIC had rail facilities. stock which
! had been purchased in Lexington and Mt. Stcr-
ling, Kentucky, was shipped ~ way OF Il c Chcs-
| apcakc and Ohio railroad 10 Hinton, W. Va, and
from there driven cross country 10 its dcstina-
| ton, n distance or - miles.
Mine,s were paid by the car aad yard rccciv-
Ing from 81 To ST per lincal yard. and sometimes
"a high as $3.50 pcryari ,"r craving main entries
and gangways. fhCs- - I iaigcd hy he car
were paid ~ Gems yer car ot , tons saoaeity;
writer has known 10 nc paid Si00 for Il months
stric. attention TO business i e. he made that
much clear of his monthly expenses. received
that much cool cash, ard ali his debts FOR the
month paid up.
Other mesciai Is at venture went into the
mcIcant 10 business, exclusive OF Tho company,
nmong the number being III hrins OF - Clair
composed OF Nir. Alex. st. Ciair and john o.
Moore. Mr.. Moore dcpitcd this life in 1881. Tho
latt rhrr, consisted OF NJ. B'och and j. iIaach.
and ia - i'll doiug thu wing bisiucss under the
firm name o: The Bloch Company" The bus
ness house u; Bloch K Co. WAS situated on Eas;
| Hill, while that of ST Clair n Moore located
on the present site of the brick block of MIR. a.
| Mr. f. j. Kimbal, president of the railroad
! company and w. ". Coo, chief engineer, drove
the spike that fastened the rails ut point. about
800 feet west OF the freight station, the 10th OF
March. 1883. The advent o! the
FIRST WORK TRAIN
was quite event in the lives Of great many of
the Inhabitants of sandy Ridge. They came far
and near to sec their first "inyirc' and ''kccrs,'
| lance from the machine that for the first time
awakened the Sc litudc of the Laurel Valley. and
| disturbed tho slumbcr OF the wild cat and
other varmints that had heretofore been almost
| monarchs ol MI they surveyed.
In very few days succeeding the completion
OF The track to the town, fire brick began to
| rive over the rails from Conncllsvllc, Pa to he
used in the construction of the coke ovens. These
brick delivered undcrsuch circumstances cost the
company about $3i per Thousand.
! Now everything and everybody became active,
we were connected by steel rails with the out
side world, and felt our Importance. We must
| now be Recognized as important factors in the
advancement OF the exterior country. 1t was
that it should receive it rs rs possible Its
salc would bring funds largely ioto our midst;
| supplies would drop in price and every ono could
| live without 90 much expense.
Track for mine engine was soon laid upon the
grade slrcady prepared for its reception. from the
| %, 1888 the first was dumped over the tippe
screens by Mcssrs. o'Kccrc. ia,hrop, Graham,
| tracks now fairly finished, lacking only the
| ballast. Coal from the immense stock pile WA
loaded directly b! hand into the Norfolk at'l
Western ra,lroaf cars. stock and box cara bcin.
only available, the railroad company nj this tiinc
not being the possessor of any number OF coIl
| Eouuolis worth mentioning, Il contract Vas ~.
however, for the manufacture of number.
! The railro I'd ce mpany was low beginning -
appreciate
THE WONDERFUL QUALITIES
of this fuel and adopting it on it, roao rs fast =.
supplied II was then becoming we'll know
that this coal for steam purposes could not nr
surpassed In any country. The analysis % it ~
! Professor McCreath, of Harrisburg iariclttd
| that much
s,ragglerf from tho outside world now began
! the purpose or HscertaiDiun the DrOSDcCts al
| outrageous and substantial Investment.
about, or soon aftSr,ths ting Mr. steele. prcsi
! company, and Mr. j. p. llslcy, of Germantown
Pa, was elected TO I'LL the vacancy. and better
| was IN experienced man in internal improve
mcnts and knew his business in this respect
On the eth of June lSS3, we were honorcl bv n
! visit from the members of the American Instt
tute OF Mining Engineers accompanied by forty
iidics. The party came by special train and was
| banqretcd in the freight depot, tho room bcinr
uniquely decorated with mining paraphanalia in
the form Of picks, shovcls transits level, rods
and chains arranged gcomctrically and coal and
coke IL, pyramidal form. Among the other guest
w er,,, M NE. Graham sannde,s McCreAth,
member OF this institute and under mia espionage
examined the mines and expressed themselves rs
astonishcd vt the immense depth OF the vein ana
the progress that mad been made in such short
time in Its Development. So highly enthusiastic
saw and heard OF him on the departure of the
party was standing on the rear platform OF the
car, waving his hat and yelling at the top OF his
voice
"RAH FOR rocAuoNTAs."
lie Ind partakcn too freely of the liquid re-
freshments. lie will remember the circnm.
no hames on account OF his family ties
The year 1sS3 was marked with progress and
success in all channels of the work. Houses for
business purposes were erected in great numbers
and tenement houses went up rapidly, for the
company and outside parties knew good thing
when they it.
Different lines OF business went into opcra,ion
ana number OF parties made their Jacli.r In
went into operation, the Rudisi!l House. At
tnchcd to II was n bar and billiard saloon. The
house now occupies place at the corner OF
OF the former street. II was erected by j. *.
lsudisi who has, since the "iln5h days Of Poca
hontss, gone over TO the great silent majority
The Clark school house picturesque structure
OF dressed logs, WAS rcctcd for the benefit OF the
town ut the personal expense of Mr.. Clarence II
Clark, a wealthy philadelphia capitalist. Thi.
house Is beautifully flushed and furnished in
ternally, having under lis, roof reading room
which, / hear, is seldom done. This building i.
sitila cd on the north side OF |. .Grcl crccA and
just opposite the Inn
In this year TIL. young ,top feeling the need
or house worship, set t work with their OWL
hands t. erect union church. All unptetcutinus
livery stable belonging 10 the inn IS row stand
ing twas turnishcl with nice organ, ant
the congregation depended upon some -tra,
preacher y drop in and cxponnd the gospel Il
us, when he wa not engaged anywhere cl4e A
Sunday school WAS organized, with c. W BoltoI
~ superintendent, Mr. a. ID ksiill a.terward MI
Ing this position. Mr.. Estill was TaZcwcl boy
but IL now physician with good practic. /,
Lex ngtOn, Va. M,ssr- | y. icighley and NJ
Gibhon in turn succeeded MIR. Estill
The i'rFt ministers TO rcgul ry utilize the pul
PIT OF oar primitive chu CHI were licvs Sen lien
mis-. OF tho Episcopal taith: Wilson. OF the Dap
list, ard Tyler Frazier. OF the Methodist The
ms rrnsnt was generally presided over by ono o
the Wc'sh miners, I'd Know cs being one OF lin
best.
Up to this time there had been but little dis
turbancc among tho men Two or three nj
tcmpts had been made to agitate strike, but th
effort was
| NIPrED IN THE ntrD