Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-01-23
A DESERTED VILLAGE.
Sheep Sleep in tho Hotel and the
Houses Are Decayipg.
Town Was Once Healthy and Happy -
Built by william James, n Wealthy
Philant1ropist-The Iron Ore
Became Exhausted.

One cannot look with anything
like regret upon the ruin and desc
lation that Is making itself manifest
every year in the beautiful city of
Knotwell, says the st. Louis Globe
Democrat. One hundred and twen-
ty-four miles from St. Louis, on
sunny southern slope Of the
Ozarks, overlooking the picturesque
valley where the Beaver and Little
Piny ripple TRANQUILITY through rich
farming lands, this decaying town
stands. Twenty-Five neat little cot
tages, five pretentious dwellings, a
hotel, mammoth storehouse, with
public hall; splendid smelling
works, with ore sheds, Office build
ing, coal houses, q pretty little
church-all stand silent and tenant
less. The Frisco trains no longer
stop there; they do not even
stir the solitude with whistle as
they rush past.
About twenty years ago William
James, wealthy and philanthropic
gentleman, for whom ST. James,
Mo-, is named, in company with
James Lunn, conceived the idea of
building a smelter and surrounding
it with a little town, with all mod
ern conveniences, for the benefit of
their works. The work was pushed
and the smelter built at a large
outlay. The storehouse, public hall,
cottages and every building erected
were substantially done. These res
licences were supplied with clear,
cold water, brought from a spring
one and q half miles up the noun
tain into a brick and cement reser
voir, from which pipes were run into
every house and regular hydrants
supplied. Charcoal ranges were
placed in the kitchens of the cot
tages and everything done that could
be devised for the comfort Of en-
ployes' families, not emitting
church and schoolhouse, large store
house, public hall and free library.
The works started up in 1875 with
two hundred men employed In
smelling, mining ore and cutting
wood and making it into charcoal
for the works. Theore was taken from
the Crimmons' ore bank, ON Beaver
creek, and for time things went on
swimmingly. The town was in a
healthy, happy and prosperous con-
dition and was named Ozark. The
smelter was known as the Ozark
Iron works. Fully fifteen thousand
acres of timber land were bought for
the plant and for nearly two miles
in three directions one can see where
the oaks were cut away and find rel
les of the coal pits in which the wood
was charred as fuel for the smelter
and cabins of the workmen.
When two years had passed and
Ozark began to be known in the
world and envied, the ore gave out
where an exhaustless deposit was
supposed to exist. This was q calam-
ity unexpected by the proprietors,
but they went ahead prospecting and
finding small deposits within rea
sonable distance from the works,
but were soon compelled to 90 to
remote points for ore. Most of it
was brought from mine on the
Cuba branch, q distance of fortysix
miles by rail, which added to the
cost of production of pig iron to
such an extent that profits became
infnitesimal for time and then dis
appeared, leaving the works run
ming at loss. During all this
time the proprietors of the
Ozark Iron works had experts
prospecting for ore in the locality of
their plant, but without success.
After working and hoping for years,
sinking money all the time, the seal
of doom was set upon the little city
on the mountain side that started
out under promise Of perpetual
prosperity, peace and plenty. Mr..
James was forced into bankruptcy,
compelled to sacrifice his magnificent
home and immense hay farms at st.
James and begin to look around to
save the remnants of his fortune,
while James Dunn struggled little
longer with Ozark. Finally the fires
were put out, the works closed and
nothing was left to show for the
million expended except the plant,
which finally passed into the hands
of rich Hebrew in New York for a
mere song.
This was ten years ago; and there
1t remains, deserted and decaying,
mark for the vandal, who has done
his best to leave his impress upon
the property. Every window is
broken In the building and most OF
the sashcs are smashed in. The
steps have been torn away from the
cottages, while brush and scrub oak
almost hide them and the church
from view. Sheep make their winter
quarters In the hotel and the little
ground-squirrels scamper through
the empty houses. The water still
passes into the reservoir; but the
cement has crumbled away and it