The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-05-05

| been living here fifty years or more, be-
ing one of the first settlers of the town
| He is now in his seventy eighth year and
the father of large family His chill
| dren are all married off and are among
| the country's most useful and successful
| citizens. Three of his sons are prominent
| merchants of Winston, one, J, Spot Tay-
| lor is Danburys largest merchant and
| one of the most influential men in the
| county. His daughters grace the homes
! of the most worthy citizens of Stokes
| county The walls of his parlCr are deco
rated with pictures of his noble children
| and beautiful grand children. His man
| ties and tables are filled with all kinds
| of ores and gems found on these ore
| pregnant mountains. The captain has
\ great faith in the undeveloped resources
| of his county. His faithful partner has
! preceded him TO the better land and he is
| left alone But here surrounded by these
| things dear to him, he spends his time
| entertaining his friends and reading The
News and Observer which he says he can
not possibly get along without.
The captain is an ideal host and be-
lieves in feeding the Inner man" In
the eapacious dining room a very long
table is set. At one end sits the judge,
at the other sits the house keeper. On
each side, on long rows of stools sit the
lawyers and such other guests as are
SO fortunate to get to the first table
The table will accommodate possibly
twenty or twenty-five at time. The
back country mountain dinner is far
famed. but one has to dine at Captain
Taylor's table court week to see it in
it's old time splendor. For a description
80 IL. s.Ft AM H.,
Legend of Sleepy Hollow and read the
description of Van Tassel's famous spread
to which the voracious Ichabod Crane bent
himself. Everybody helps himself aided
by a coterie of servants who keep the
dishes going the rounds of the table in a
ceaseless stream. AS the guest helps
himself to great slices of turkey fringed
with rolls of fat he hears the "gobbling"
and 'squawking' of more turkeys in the
back yard that have been there for weeks
fattening for this occasion, and he knows
this feast will not cease as long as court
lasts.
The supper. with slight variations, is
like unto the dinner.
After supper MIR. Watson draws his
cigar, Col. Morehead his long stem pipe,
the captain his qud of tobacco and they
facing the mountains. No man in North
Carolina can tell story so well as "Cy,-
Watson, and there are no stories in all
the category he loves so we'll TO tell as
war stories-stories of the days of
Dixie" and THE Bonnie Blue Flag"
when The sage Lee planned, the intre-
pd Jackson marched, and the rollicking
Stuart rode. The Colonel fairly lives
IL,
news his allegiance TO THE Lost Cause"
every day of his life, while the Captain
still boasts that he is an unreconstructed
"Reb. II is needless to say that under
the inspiration of their surroundings.
their conversation turns back to the
times that tried mems souls" and far
into the night as the weary guest turns
on his sIeepless couch wrestling with that
prodgious supper, yet undisgested, he
hears the murmur of voices and the hearty
laugh on the Miranda outside his door
and he knows that these veteran COM
rades are tenting tonight on the old
camp ground.
The one absorbing topic OF interest in
Danbury just now is the coming of the
railroad. Mr.. R. e. Lyon, a native Tar
Heel" formerly of Durham, hut now of
baltimore. IS treasurer Oh the 0nltSu
States Coal Iron and Steel Company"
The president is Daniel Crook vice pres
ident J. s Carr. secretary, j. H. Foss
Mr. Lyon is a promoter. has long known
of the rich iron deposit four miles from
Danbury and through his efforts the
company has been formed. He has spent
weeks and months prospecting these iron
fields sinking shafts. tunnelling and locat-
ing the leads. The company has now
leased two thousand acres OF land in
Stokes and four thousand acres in Ashe
This territory is said to be full of as
rich magnetic iron ore as is TO be found
anywhere. Eleven different mineralog-
lists have assayed specimens taken from
all parts of the territory and from their
reports the average purity of the ore is
IS per cent while much of it ranges as
high as 70 to 80 per cent A specimen
of this ore looks almost like a fragment
of pig iron.
To successfully mine this ore, it is alb
solutely necessary TO build a railroad,
and this is going to be done at once 10
some point on the Norfolk and Western
Railroad. Ii is not known definitely
whether it will go to Walnut Cove or
Madison. Mr.. Lyon is here now securing
WV lSiiA u "ay 10 DOln. points ana VIII
not tell TO which point the road will
go Surveys have been made from both
places and they are both available Ii
is however generally believed it will be
built from Madison though a greater
distance, because the Southern has agreed
to finish the road from Leaksvine to
Madison which has already been graded
half way
Danbury was once a good tobacco mar
ket, being in the center of the rich ma
hogany section, and, once owned three
factories. There is no reason now why
il should not have them save the lack
of railroad facilities If the road is built
from Walnut Cove II viii pass through
the town. II ii is built from Madison
it will likely be continued from the mines
which lie to the northeast. toADanbury.
Piedmont Springs, two miles from Dam
bury. has for fifty years been one of the
most popular summer resorts in the
State. 1t has recently changed hands.
1t is now owned by parties in Greensboro
and will open this season with increased
patronage
Six or seven miles away new spring
has recently been found. 1t is owned and
is being developed by parties in Winston
It's name is The Nademecum Spring