Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-05-04
And How 1t Is Being Ae.
| conplished.
PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY.
A Large Plant To Be Made Larger.
Some Fine Residences and Many
hewlmprovements Contemplated.
Personal Mention, Etc.
tst.n Correspondence of The Spectator,

70 Craigsville, Va, May 2-''The visit'
who once comes here is sure to repe;
or the visit" a saying which cannot trutl
oS fully be applied of all towns But hel
there is genial hospitality and Co
c. diality, thst makes the stranger feel 9
It. home and welcome. Perhaps, th
genial smile and hearty manner
in born of well to do thrift that for som
,e months has marked this community
At any rate Craigsvlllians are please
j. with their town and are ever ready t,
: sing its praises. Nor is their gratula
ton without merit, for the people ar
prosperous and the town forging aheat
u as few others are doing. On severa
= occasions have written of the indus
tries here, but at each chance stoI
}, off, l find the changes so marked, anG
so much going on that deem further
mention of them matter of interest
, to the thousands of SPECTATOR read
ers. There is no boom here; that is
there is no land company and there are
no lots for sale. but the Virginia Port
land Cement Company ia building a
, town of its own, for Itself and for its
operatives. Every advantage of a
| well regulated community is to be CIV
en- them; water works, pleasure grounds,
a splendid commissary, etc. General
Manager Lewis assured me there were
A completed buildings on the property
and 10 more under construction, and
they are good substantial buildings.
Some are small tenant houses, but
th ose now building are nice double
tenements, that would do credit to any
place. On these, swarms of workmen
are hammeriDg throughout the day.
| The old settlement of Marketable has
become the new town of Portland. 1
never sawa town go up faster. Today
the foundations are laid, next week
the buildings are ready for the paint
er and the plasterer. On the high |
lands across the railroad, are being |
built the officers houses, the locations
of which are beautiful. From their
porticos an excellent view of the works
is had and still finer sweep of the
Valley, for miles. Here General Man.
ager Lewis residence is building. The
plans show eleven rooms, besides pan.
try, bath rooms, etc., heated by fur
mace and water carried throughout
the building. A large portico faces
three sides of the structure and there
are other external architectural adorn-
ments that go to make up very hand
some home. A handsome stable is
also being erected. On either side Of
the Lewis house are being erected a
number of pretty cottages, modern in
design and appointment. These with :
the general managers house may very !
be styled officers row" for
in one Of them will be the family of :
The head machinist, r. V. Parr; Drafts
man Wood. is to have another. E.
J. Going, bookkeeper and family in
another and the company's Chemist
b. l.. Shock and Mrs. Shock in anoth- g
IT. The laboratory for Mr.. Shock, in T
he company's Office building across Il
he river, is being completed, and is
Intended to be complete in every de- z
all. As chemist Mr.. Shock enjoys
IN enviable reputation and in the .
course of his experience has had the
distinction of serving under the electric h
wizard and inventor Thomas A. Edi-
or in his great laboratories at Orange, =
7. j.
To illustrate the rapidity with which b,
'uilding is going on here Mr.. J. T.
roberts, general foreman for the With a,
ow Lumber Co. informed me that his re
zen had worked 100, 600 feet of lumber
nto the construction Of the big stock
ouse, during the past ten days. And 30
is; everything is being rushed. The
is receiving its finishing u
FORK, the engines are being tested and ~
very thing preparing for the opening
+ the plant, which it is hoped will be pc
y the 18th instant. Six hundred bar
els of Portland Cement per day is the Ia
stimated output, but the company is Is
, we'll pleased with it's prospects here La
nat the management has about de- pl
ded to increase the plants capacity. Pc
bis will, of course, necessitate addi-
Onal building, which it is thought liz
i'll begin in the near fntura Ant;o;- th
ating this course from the first Su- IN
W. Vredenburgh has con- II
'ructed accordingly and has erected 10
lie engines, the machinery, and the
with that end in view, so
lat when the contemplated additions
re made great saving to the COM no
any will have been made To him n,
SO is due much credit for the plans
nd mechanical execution of SO largel mr.
Id important aplant. Though a man 80
ut in his twenties Mr.. Vredenburgh is ~
q experienced and efficient engineer 90
mixing well in his profession, and o.
raduate from the Columbia Univer-
ty of New York. He is the youngest
lperintendent l have yet seen among W,
II large industries, and is a fair exam a.
e of the young men who are every Is.
here taking such prominent part in ch
he industrial development of Virgin w
e de
A much needed convenience for the
sw town OF Portland is depot for
8 fast growing freight and passenger
1siness. To that end effort is being
ade, and | understand that the G.. ~
o. people are favorably considering =.
e matter. If the depot is allowed it -.