Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-05-04
THE GREENBRIER RAILROAD.

1t viii Put Staunton in Touch With
Rich Country.
(No. 3.)
This county and Augusta and Staur
ton are very intimately connected, b
ties of relationship. rs we'll as business
For many years, in fact ever since thi
county began to be settled Staunto
has been their trading point until i
recent years when railroads have push
ed to the Hot Springs and Huttons
vile. But there is no reason VIII
Staunton should lose hope of holding
as much or more trade than it ever hat
before. There will soon be so mucf
more trade, and il Staunton merchants
are wide awake they can secure much
of it, One thing I would suggest a,
once is, that they see to establishing
telephone communication at with this
point. There is communication now
| by Rock Alum and the Warm Springs
but this service can be improved il
the line were established by Monterey
and to Frost. Goods ordered in the
afternoon from Staunton could then
be shipped west that evening and
reach here next morning. The init
mate association of these people with
Staunton merchants in the past as
wall as the many ties of relationship
existing between people in this county
and Augusta, make it pleasant for
them to visit in that quarter, and for
this reason they prefer dealing with
Staunton everything else being equal.
Many farmers in Augusta have grazing
farms here and Augusta cattle buyers
have for years purchased largely in
this county. Should the railroad from
the Hot Springs Branch be extended
here Staunton will be by for the near
est commercial point. This county is
a large consumer of flour, it uses much
hardware it's generally grocery ac-
count is large, it buys occasionally
some spirits; in fact it is a good GUS
toner in most every line, hence the
increase in population and business
which this new railroad will bring
about, makes this portion of the
world no thrifty city like Staunton can
be unmindful of. There must be fac
tories and furnaces here in the near fu-
ture. The visible wealth of this coun-
ty is in it's timber of course, and this
industry will be the first to take shape,
but Browns mountain has long been
known to be mass of iron ore. This
is the only large body within my
which no syndicate has, to
use common but expressive term,
gobbled up. The reason is that the
iron world has not known of this field
and until recently there has been no
prospect of it's early development.
However, the keen eye of Senator Hy.
g. Davis has been attracted by it, and
he has bought Thousand OF SO acres
Of it. The great wealth of this coun-
ty as we have said lies Immediately
west of this point on the heads of Gauly
river. There lies the most wonderful
ly rich coal field in the State. This is
what is generally known as New River
for all purposes known. This coal
will supply traffic for this road
for the next five centuries, and
when the ease with which it will reach
the seaboard is contemplated it's value
is beyond computation. We have call
ed attention to the fact that cool, iron
and limestone lie as close here almost
as at Birmingham. and this section
should become a veritable Birming-
ham and not only its rival but it's su
perior because it is nearer tide water. |
There are several strong companies
which will operate largely in lumber
here during the coming summer e:
The Greenbrier River Lumber Co.,
which owns about 100000 acres, the
St. Lawrence Boom & Manuf. Co.,
whose mills are now at Ronceverte,
the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Go.
which will not only cut its spruce
wood but will also saw into lumber
Ill timber on each tract it undertakes |
to cut over. Then there will be a host |
of smaller operators, the mills OF whom
are constantly arriving and being put |
in place. The August Bros. sons of |
'Jol. T. A. August, of Hot Springs, will |
have five mills in operation in short |
time. This is also a wonderful tie |
as well as abounding in pile |
timber. 1t holds the only white pine
in any state south of Mason and |
Dixon's line. 1t has more spruce than |
any other county, and as for tan bark |
it has possibly no equal. This would |
be an attractive point for a tannery, |
and doubtless one will be established
here in the near future. This county |
is about rs miles long by 20 wide the
railroad halves it and gives it about |
IS or 80 miles of road which is caused by |
the bends in the river. When we recall |
that this distance is as great as from
Staunton to Gordonsville we can form |
some conception of the work now going |
on, and the size of the country to be
drained by the improvement. As soon
as the w. Va. Central & Pittsburg
connects with this road at or near
Durbin there will be over 40 more
miles of new road which will in part |
be in this county. No sooner will this |
road he hui1t than Roaring Craak