Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-04-06
VACANT HOUSES SCARCE.
The Town Filled With People and
the Merchants Doing a Thrifty
Cash Business---A Handsome
and Commodious Hotel.

ASAS W LIN 81 nuCu Vi llu I'D
try and activity. With Augusta peo-
pie Iron Gate has been much discred-
lted, a feeling no doubt due to the
losses sustained by many of her PEG
pie, who speculated here duriug the
Doom OF ten years ago. But if those
who entertain such views, will stop
OH here for an hour their Impressions
will be changed, just as mine have
been-for l find here, rot a boom, too
be sure; but a busy, thrifty communi-
ty. Here is an Incorporated town
with mayor and council, a public
school, churches, hotel, and many
neat and very attractive homes,
There are also some new buildings
going up. and the houses already
standing are all occupied. The mer-
chants too are satisfied and doing a.
good cash business. There are two in
dustrles here. both running on full
time and paying good ~wages-the tam
merry and the iron furnace.
In charge OF the latter is Superin-
tendent w. w. Taylor, a Michigan
man, and the youngest superintendent
l have yet seen at the head of a fur
mace property in this section, but as
far as experience and competency
goes, he is ahead of many older men.
In proof of this the furnace is running
ahead of it's natural capacity and is
yielding more revenue for the capital
invested than any other furnace
property in the iron belt.
Its output averages nearly a hundred
tons per day. One of the labor saving
devices that attracted my attention is
the way in which the furnace Stag is
disposed of it runs into a trough and
by means of a strong stream of water
is washed into the river near the banks
of which the furnace stands. Some
idea of the business done by this one
industry is obtained by a general
glance at the premises. A shifting en-
CINE is kept busy moving the numerous
ore cars, coke cars, coal cars and cars
Of pig-iron. the incoming and outgo-
ing freight on which has reached the
large sum of S15.0 0 per month. Mr..
e. 4. Meyer, Of Pennsylvania, is sec
rotary and treasurer, and Mr.. J. Z
Bonsack. of Virginia, the Chemist.
The tannery employs about so men
and is operated by Moffatt & Co John
D.. Mohler General Manager; 50 YOU
see that with the furnace and tannery
the town has a handsome pay roll.
The hotel, Iron Gate Inn, is known to
the travelling public and to most of
our readers. 1t has a beautiful loca-
tion and from its long double decked
veranda, a beautiful view OF the town
and valley is obtained. The building
is large, with much show of architec-
ture, and l venture nothing in claim
ing for it every comfort the traveller
needs. In charge of it is Mr.. F. De
Ford Luck and his wife, formerly Miss
Patterson, of Stanton. Mr..
is also in charge of the extensive
properties of the old steel roller mills
here.
From here On into Clifton Forge the
3. & o. is double tracking their line.
and on the side of the mountain. par
alleling is a force of workmen con-
'tructing the new county road. The
busy sight is worth a walk through
he water gap to see, and if one does
care for that, the beautiful scenery
would well repay the effort. There
re few more interesting Or beautiful :,
lights than are here presented, and l =.
topped in the gap for quite a while !.
o take in its beauties. The river :.
to have cleft the mountain. :.
7hich rises above it abruptly on either ,
ide Tor hundreds of feet. Here a
Biological wonder is presented on the '
roken face Of the divided mountain.
is seen in a series of enormous rock
rches that compose the mountain, "
ne overlapping the other. On either q,
of the river these arches face each ;.
her and are exact mates. 1t would
they had been made by some "
eat upheayal in ages past. Beyond -
e gap the scenery varies, but is all -
A. S. M. =