The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-09-28

If any evidence were needed that Roam.
oke is again on the hi gh-road to prosper
ity all anyone would have to do would
be to investigate our present condition
and compare it with that of n year or
two years ago. Roanoke is in better con-
dition SO far as work is concerned and
in better condition financially than for
years
This is not due to any political move
ment, nor can it be ascribed to dollar
wheat of which we have recently heard
so much. but is due solely to the policy
pursued by the new management of the
Norfolk and Western Railway Company
within the past three or four months.
A reporter yesterday learned from Mr..
Lewis, the new superintendent of motive
power, that the shops are now doing
more work than Mt any time within
many months.
Cover 200 men are ut work, nsnid Mr..
Lewis, ''and all the departments are work
ed full time with full force Of hands
and many of them overtime"
1t was also learned that the policy of
the road will be in the future TO concen-
trate all the heavy work in Roanoke Of
course this will prove vastly beneficial to
our.city, while it may be detrimental to
other towns along the line Of the road.
All the heavy work now comes to Roa-
noke and beside the road is building cars
here.
The policy pursued by Mr.. Barr, it is
stated, is not to reduce the wages of their
men, but to reduce expenses in other
ways. 1t is claimed by officials that the
Norfolk and Western is paying as good
wages all around as any road in the
country.
A visit to the shops yesterday by re-
porter only confirmed the statements
made by Mr.. Lewis. The entire Office
force has been sent back to the shops re.
Gently. The east end roundhouse, which
was recently closed, is now being utilized
as shop for engine repairs.
OF the various departments of the
shops, full time IS observed in the black
smith shop, tool shop, pattern shop,
wheel foundry, tin and copper shops
freight car shop, passenger car shop
upholstering department, cabinet shop,
planning mill, paint shop and car repair
shop.
The erecting shops, boiler shop and
machine shop are working thirteen hours
-.
iron and brass foundry is the only de-
partment of the shops not working full
time, and this is regulated largely by the
orders received.
They are now building fifty stock cars
and fifteen poultry cars, and orders have
been placed for the construction of all
vacant numbers of cars which have been
destroyed, by wrecks or otherwise, since
the new organization took charge last
year. These orders include about 112
cars of various kinds, such as stock, box.
Hat, drop bottom gondolas, side dump
cars, hopper bottom oondolas, main
tenance of way flats, cabin cars ami pas.
scnger equipments.
There is said to be more work going on
in the shops than at any time since 1890,
when high water mark was reached dur
ing Jim McConnell's administration rs
general foreman, when they had 1.409
men at work and made an effort to Sc
cure another to round off the number. 1t
was then that the highest pay roll in the
history of,the shops was reached amount
ing to $67 500.
More men are now steadily employed
than have been since 1891, with the posi-
be. exception of the months 'of March
and September in 1895, when the increased
work was only temporary and caused by
orders received for building cars. Now
over 200 men are at work not including
those employed at the West End round
house, and the work seems to be per-
manent thing.
The pay Icll for August was nearly
$4,000 and including the West End
round house reached over $4,000. The
indications are that the September pay
roll will be $50, 600 and that taken with
the West End round house will pile it up
to about $4,000. The October pay roll
will be still further increased, as l25 men
have been taken on in the shops so far
this month Sixteen new men were put
to work yesterday
There is more freight coming to Roa-
noke at present chan for five years past
and there was, perhaps, more goods un-