The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-04-22
IT. HAT Virginia has a great future
there is NOT thu s1irhest quest

|
IT. HAT Virginia has a great future
there is NOT the slightest quest
ion. r And when we speak of Vir
| inia wc&do: not liiean the Virginia OF
Harpers. Ferry fame. the Virginia
where they mmolta]ized John Brown
by hanging him. No, we have refer
e1Ice to the Virginia which is to be the
| county seat OLA new county when St.
Louis county, Minnesota, is divided
when the north half goes by itself
and the, people of that region want a
cent raj locality in which TO meet and
transact their public business.
| In: going to Virginia we take the
Iron Range Railroad. What would the
people do without this railway? AS
We Chamber the hills going north
ward, and meet the heavily laden
trains, coming down, loaded with pine
logs and iron ore we realize what a
great work this railway PERFORMS
1t is clearly evident that the i'm
mense freight business of this road
necessitates as dou ble track and that
the railroad company are fastening
! to make it is Shown in gangs of men
now strung. along its roadbed. 49,
+ The immense freight business before
it in iron ore alone is revealed in the
conditions at Virginia where within
one mile Of that town there are estim-
ated to,ssbe 140,OOO,O0O tons of that
material. ri ~.sr .- 4.
| Some comprehension of the great
work to lbe performed in moving, that
ore from Virginia to Two Harbors,
should it be transported by the Iron
Range Railway, is understood by a
little reckoning. p.,
| 4 freight car carries twenty four
! tons. AT that rate there are over
| $4,000 ear loads of ore in that local
! ity. Give 40 cars to a train and it will
| require over $4,000 trains to carry this
! to the lake. Draw. four trains.a day
and it will require over ten. years to
move the ore. from the single locality
Of Virginia. 5ss Il
! Allowing that he miners receive %
cents ton for getting out this ore
and there will be paid out in Virginia:
il this estimate is correct and this ore
is taken out, the sum of 35,0OO,OOO.
This would give employment to 4,0OC
men at 50 a day for over 35 years. ii
~ >: ): ): -.
But you can't enthuse the people
! Of Virginia with any of. this talk. They
have known for years about all, this
ore lying in the seventeen mines with.
in a mile Of the town. They have
heard the glories of the happy days
to come sung to tenn by every com.
mercial traveller for years and years
They have stocked up their stores
many times on these bright prospects
and got stuck ON the, goods. The com.
mercial traveller there today who plays
the tune Of what the town is to be
is simply listened to- with a smile o1
qerision. P:
The facts are that a large share OF
the buildings that remain in Virginia
are empty. We say remain. because
some twenty or thirty buildings have
lately been removed to Eveleth some
six miles away. .
All in all Virginia is as dead as a
door mail and were it not for the com.
mercial travellers who come in and
jolly yathe merchants. up while they at
tempt to sell goods, there would prob
| ably be a universal epidemic of suicide
The business men of the town actually
owe the prolongation of their lives tc
the travelling statesmen. And the com
mercial travellers, while they sell NO
goods, actually believe all they tell the
people. They stop at the Merchants
Hotel where they have the best pure
spring water and are fed so well and
so abundantly that they are ready to
swear by Virginia anyway.
::
There is very good reason why all
this Dragging is done about Virginia
Though the town of several hundred
homes was completely burned to the
ground by a terrific forest fire that
swept the place in 1898 the rec1perat t.
i've force of the people was so strong
as to Immediately rebuild the city in
a brief time as good as it was before
So much for the inherent strength
of Virginia in ordinarily good times
The town is situated very nicely.
| Two beautiful little lakes nestle on
the edge Of the town. In the imme-
sdiate vicinity of these there are never
failing springs of water which will
supply a population. Of many thous-
and people. Down =he stream, which
forms the outlet Cor the lakes, is
ample opportunity for drainage, and
excellent sewerage.
Two railroads are already MIR