The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-03
IS IT AN ARM0R PLANT?
A RIG INDUSTRY APPEARS MrSTE-
RIoCSLF At WEST PORTAL, N. j.

Que or the Promoter says That an Armor-
Plate Factory Wi he Built Inside the wall. !
VALLEY, n. j., Sept. 2.-Three weeks ago 400
Italians were brought here by n New York con-
tractor. They werc set to work building roads
on the mountain near the Lehigh tunnel at
West Portal. All that was known about them
WI, that they were hired by New York people.
Who have lately obtained control of the noun
tain md Of u GOOD deal of the village. A week
after the first installment of Italians a second
csmo along. They started to build u heavy
.tono wall around a lve-acre tract near
West Portal station. The number Of laborors
was finally increased to 1850 on Sunday. Tho
folks hercaLouts could not lind out what was
being done. Tho whole affair has como to DO
known among them as the West Portal mystery.
Tho only explanation of the work ia that made
to-day by Stcfano Goliath. the padrone of tho
Iaborers. Hc said that the place was to be an
iron. working plant, and that 1t was the purpose
Of the owners to sell It to tho United States
Government for an armor plato factory.
f. l.. Richardson, the general manager Of the
enterprise. afterwsrd said that Goliath had
told the truth.
The most definite statement made to anybody
before to-day was that made by Contractor w.
A.. Jackson to an inquisitive citizen OF Easton,
Pa, last Sunday. The inquisitive one had como
over in a farm wagon. His wife and family wero
with him. He looked at the hve-acro tract which
the Italians have been surrounding with q great
stone wall. He looked at the macadamized
roads which wind with easy slopes up the noun
tain side in three or four different directions.
He saw q procession Of 700 Italians, headed by
q band OF music, march from West Portal to
Valley station, on tho Central Railroad. and
welcome 500 others who had just come
from New York. Seeing all these things. his
brow was corrugated with wonder and his eyes
bulged. He drove over to the front Of the West
Portal Hotel, of which the genial Mr.. Ent is the
lessee. There he found jabbering Italians lean
ing on tho steps. Countrymen no less bewil
dered than himself stood about in groups OF
three or four.
jackson, 90 the tale goes, was pointed out to
the Easton man a. the one who would explain
It al. Tho inquisitive one hemmed and hawed
and removed his stifi-brimmed felt hat and
mopped his aiming bald head with . bandanna.
mr. jackson, I make bold to presume" he
nid.
The contractor nodded curtly.
well" said he Of Easton. "Wen. stranger.
what do you calculate to do hereaboutsF
dor drawled jackson; "doi We arc
building . Wig factory, friend. We are going to
make wigs for bald-headed baboons."
In all the crowd Of JerDeymen that Uttered
and jecred a. the Pennsylvania drove away.
iasr eO %as rot up . % To ask ThG sh nsG same 's Question ME5a'n q
ielss that the ~ Ess.sn st ]; : 9ss i ss : mad mad the a5ss
spread Ear and wide over the country. 1t didn't
lessen speculation, gossip and argument. D. w.
I I9ss ed Ir 20 So ss sasin sSarp sna Win snisq his rs sSSes;
There IL . story Of how he had disoharged eigh-
%So w MS s.npioyed When the WurS arss bsTan,,
= month. ago. These men went to. Losee and
, asss.s T 70 fno NIX * T name G Uf she co lST. T anS
"Thsis where your pay, comes FROM" was
Vow gel s out. You talk too much"
Folks didn't like to ask questions after that.
eai topic Of conversation than the price Of
S starars.,s Gse .se..5 ~ h,, Sa 81 b. 1 s9ers q 70 Inc me m Two
beard and struggling. straw-colored mustache.
came TO be regarded with awe and suspicion. He
the company on their trips up into the property
they had bought on the mountain. Case was the
when he reached valley station.
Honest, now. mister" said each man that
S Gss 1 asSa' Won rI don't Ssrs t GSsS o Wish E FL s1 SSsHl !
But Lord, he won't say nothin'."
Not twenty PAGES from the West Portal sta
The wall itself was a beautiful example Of dry
masonry. 1t was 6 feet high. and was perhaps4
wide at the top. On only one aide has It been
completed. A Jerseyman stood on the inside
giILt Wgi orse r TO 20 the ts q assss rzr sux man
The teamster said that the boss was In town.
There was more than one. he said. But was the
thing about themi This was asked eagerly.
1t was quite apparent that the man didn't know
reporter wasn't in q position to help him, and
said 30.
with some embarrassment
h, tGsSTFs 4, SAID sIiS one sS q them n: tigpin as, his bread ss,l.
Y issa Whae Is al, ii this shH uk sfsG e Be r's'
ee leS 'e Ho smiled sis q S@iIe on OF e eai9 1' ss s9sy eGRpiA,
svsrySoay.hs saia. "rve Just concluded to
Paul's companion twisted his long. walrus-
like mustaches together into q rope under his
Shln and spat through the loop with ornate
"Gooree," no said. as If he didn't care much
anyway. is Il G9y,ment Is 1t State, il it public
oracle, with conscious cruelty Of tone. its gol
Paul and his friend ambled away. orestfallen.
70 the Post ONCE steps. whero q crowd OF their
that company. in half an hour. THE Sun man
noted these several and distinct arguments:
lowest u; The srI @sp Tor T Iaaor 81 sis si.s 6os a d.S q t dSSy; tSs
1t is a Government establishment. 2. 1t IL a
private Insane asylum; tho walls are to
~ NiOICuI iuuNliCo. ~ "oSouhihizcu
mountain roads arc for the recreation OF
the HARMLESS 8. II is n distillory. The proprie-
tors are keeping 1t dark for fear of competition.
The roads are merely for the purpose Of hauling
tory, ,The man who brought this for
she said something onght to be, done
to stop 1t, and he thought. bjudas. she wat
darn near ter being. right bit 70 a patent
medicine plant; q. 1t 10 a branch OF the Edison
up the old Turkey Hill and swayze iror
mines. 2. 1t is a cement factory. There ID
Limestone in these mountains. At Northampton
Pa, twenty-four miles from here, there Is q
cement factory. where armed men warn of
trespassers from the top OF a wall like this one
,Stcfano Colletu. tho pAdrone, was found on
The station platform. Ho had spent most OF hi
time there for two days. he said. waiting for Mr.
Richardson, Mr.. Jackson. or Mr.. Losce to corn,
ny from New York with tho money TO pay tht
men OF. They were to have come on Tuesday
and the men were impatient AMI ugly.
twenty OF thirty OF them stood around the
padrone and said hard things in Italian until h.
was al! unnervcd, and gladly sliced an opportu
nifty to go apart with anybody who wouldn'
worry bin for money.
What IL TO be the principal building inside
Tho foundry" he said. promptly, 18th,
foundry fret and next the wire works"
Is there enough good iron in these mountain