Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-07-06

room III The State. Across lis length yO
may not recognize your friend, unles
perchance you have a field glass. IL
wards this immense building | ono!
saw 10, 900 people streaming. 1t Wa
when the celebrated Sam Jones held hi
wonderful meetings there ten years age
And when the multitude was huddle
Into one end of it and all comfortabl
Seated, they did not occupy third par
of its immense floor space. But tn
space is now occupied, every bit of i
with the operations of the wagol
works. Though at all times conduct
ing large business they are at pres
ent running on light orders, owing t,
the season, and the market for wnict
the goods are made. The articles
manufactured are principally CAM
wagons and carts. log carts, wheel
barrows, and cane leaders. The last
named being an invention of the Bod
ley Co. and is a large, lofty machine fol
loading sugar.cane. These are prin
cipally sold to sugar growers on the
big Louisiana plantations. The cane
wagons and carts are also largely sold
there, though nearly every southern
state purchases more or less of them.
But their demand is not thus circum-
scribed.-Cuba and the West Indies,
Mexico and Central America are also
large purchasers. The log carts find
market throughout the Southern saw
mill country, and tremendous vehicles
they are. The wheels are eight feet in
diameter. have inch tires and weigh
700 lbs each-a big wagon that. Near
ly all the tires are made broad, rang
in e from 4 to inches-a pointer for
our farmer friends and an easy and
inexpensive solution of the bad-roads
question.
In my review OF the works was &C.
companied by Mr.. Chas. F. Bodley,
part owner of the property, and son
of Mr.. James W. Bodley. His time is
mostly spent In New Orleans, where
he is in charge of the company's big
warehouse, the chief distributing
agency for the Southern States.
Crop conditions, he declares are good
this year throughout the South, and he
confidently looks for fine business
with the coming of fall trade in Au-
gust and September. His present force
of sixty-Odd men be expects to double
in the early fall. From August on the
force will be steadily increased. Some
idea of the vast quantity of material
used in the factory may be had by a
walk through the avenues of stacked
lumber in the spacious yards. Two
million feet and more is there awaiting
the workman's S call, and the stock is
being added to constantly; most of it
from Augusta county woodlands and
the product of Augusta saw mills.
From tie wagon works to the lime
kilns is but a few steps-the Fels
worth Lime Kilns, Reeves Gait
manager in charge, is one of those
small, but thrifty, never suspending
industries, that every community
most value. Two large kilns besides
big ware room. The out put is 800
barrels every week, and of all excellent
grade of builders and agricultural
lime. Its market for the most part is
on the Eastern shore of Virginia, Nor
folk, Portsmouth and Newport News.
For share of this business and also
for that of the Bodley Works the b. u
.. road is now fighting. To that end
tley are rebuilding the old belt line
and expect to have cars running over
it in another week. A large force of
hands have been engaged at the work
for some time, and the rails will soon
be laid to a point where they join the
q. & o. track, thus completing the
belt. So much for our East End indus
tries and most credItable business
showing they make.
And how about the rest of Staun-
tOn-why have we never written that
up? This is question often asked
me. First, because our series of in
dustrial articles have been confined to
letters descriptive of the new indus
tries and the new towns that have so
recently sprung intOexistence through
out the mineral section of Vir-
ginia, and second, because Staunton
is all established city, with inter
ests so varied and numerous
that to do justice to them
all would require not a column article,
but many columns; an especial edition,
the publication of which can only be
made at much cost in both money and
labor. In years past we have issued
several such editions. But suppose
we undertook it, the interests demand
ing especial consideration would be
numerous. Besides the industries al
ready mentioned there would be our
big Overall Factory, that is a success
and running on full time and two
months ahead on orders. there is the
White Star Mills, running day and
night with it's 2.700 barrels of flour
every week, there is our new electric
plant and street railway system, our
two gas companies, our wholesale
houses, b. F. StockdOn's machine
shops, the Mary Baldwin Seminary, the
Virginia Female Institute, the Duns-
more Business College, the State School
for the Deaf and Blind, and the West
ern State Hospital, every one of these
spending their tens of thousands of
dollars in the city every year, there is
our excellent public schools, our big
office buildings, our fine stores. our ex-
cellent banking houses, our beautiful
churches, and parks. well paved streets,
water works, beautiful homes, a fine
government building, our large ship