The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-03-05
THE TIMES KODAK.
items of News Gathered About
Town.

yesterday was the regular meeting
day for tho supervisors of Roanoke
county, and 1T was their intention to
have again taken up the considerat ton
roads, but as one of tho board was un-
able to be present the matter was again
deferred until next meeting.
Capt. L. G. Morton, of Stanton, sec
rotary, and DR.. John 5. Appcrson, of
Marion, business commissioner OF tho
board Of Worlds Fair managers OF Vir-
GINA, were present to ask that an ap.
preparation be mado so athat the re.
source es of Roanoke county might be
represented at Chicago.
At the invitation of the board, DR..
Apperson made quite an interesting talk
upon the subject. lie gavo detailed
account of the plan Of organization since
it's inception, and said that when tho
legislature made it's small grant of
$685. 900 it did so because the cities and
counties were expected to give as much
more. lie then alluded to the vast and
varied resources of this State, and
showed that whilst up to 1890 Virginia
was the most populous Of the States,
she was now the fourteenth in the list
of population; other States have out
stripped her; she has Jagged from some
cause, certainly not from want OF re-
sources, soil, climate or accessibility,
for in these no State can excel her.
The first iron made in the United
States was made in Virginia: it was
then sent to England to be made up into
implements OF husbandry to he returned
here, and this state of things with other
raw materials has existed ever since,
though the day is coming when Virginia
will control the iron trade. The speaker
said that he had been told that there
was more iron ore in Botetourt county
than in all Alabama. He then spoka OF
the products Of Southwest Virginia, rich
in marble, iron, coal, lead, zinc, onyx,
copper, manganese and barytes, des-
cribing at some length bed of gypsum
in Smythe county, perhaps the largest
in the world, Is miles long, 1,5OO yards
wide and GOO feet deep.
Reverting to the boom" period, the
doctor stated that no section ever woke
up from dreamy existence to become
an industrial centre without passing
through boom PERIOD it was natural,
and though individuals have suffered
the section will be benefited and will
grow. A few years ago there was but
one small furnace in all Southwest
Virginia; now there are eleven, turning
out thousand tons day, representing
many thousands Of dollars.
Tho speaker, probably unintention-
ally, in speaking about the bad roads
all through this section, gave the super.
visors hit or two which they we'll de-
serve and told them 1.-The heaviest
taxes your citizens pay are being com
pelled to travel over the bad roads. ~
The mineral waters Of Virginia DR.. Ap-
person considered as second only in
value to those of California and showed
as the results pushing" these waters
how Mr. Goode, OF Me cklenburg county,
made annually from $4,000 to S?l 900
by the sale of the Buffalo lithia
The doctor regretted that whilst some
twenty or twenty i've counties have
made appropriations for exhibits at tho
Worlds Fair, in the Southwest where
tho resources are the largest the fewest
counties have responded, and those he
named we're Montgomery, Giles and
Smythe, $3.50 each, and Allegheny 5000,
whilst Pulaski will send carload Of
her products.
The speaker then told about the
buildings at the Worlds Fair, which
cover 1000 acres of ground, and how, in
October, he saw ten acres of people in a
bunch. "Virginia,' said he, sis at a
disadvantage compared with other
States whose legislatures have made
large appropriations: she is like poor
boy at frolic. She needs ten thousand
dollars more to make even respecta BILE
display; and then we want to 20 there
with the best we have" In concluding
the doctor made stirring appeal to the
supervisors TO let Roanoke county be
we'll presented.
Dr. Apperson was followed by Ca pit
II. c. Morton, who commenced by de.
scribing the Virginia building at the
Worlds Fair, which as the readers of
THE TINES know is an exact represen.
tation OF Mt. Vernon, and cost complete
only $1,000 The furniture has peen
gathered from all over the State and
consists OF just such bedsteads, tables,
chairs, bureaus and pianos as were used
by Washington, Jefferson, Monroe and
Lafayette. He thought that large num-
bers OF people would be drawn to this
house Just TO see these antique curios,
and after they have seen these they will
pass through the wings Of the house
where Virginia's material exhibits will
he displayed.
Capt. Morton said that it had been
estimated by those bcst calculated to
Judge that fifty nations would he repre-
scented at the Fair, that there would be
'0O,0OU strangers in Chicago every day,
and that at least four hundred millions
Of dollars would he spentin the country
He believed this was going to be year
of solid prosperity, the best we have
seen for some time. The speaker then
read the act Of the legislature relative
to supervisors making appropriations
for county exhibits at the Worlds Fair
and suggested that if the population of
Roanoke county were between 10000
and $4,000 people a sufficient amount
could be appropriated 20 make good
exhibit by donating sum equal TO
cents head
In conclusion ne stated that the Vir.