Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-10-11
BASIC CITY MOVES TO THE FRONT
Important Manufacturing Enterprises In
Full Blast.

/
so long been quiet that 1t will surpris
many who read the SPECTATOR, a
much, as it did the writer, to find tina
there are three large manufacturin!
plants here now in operation, and tn
buzz of machinery with the whistle O.
steam and the moving of freight, tn,
coming and going of operatives boil
male and female, give the river sec tiOl
of the town an air of busy life that ii
refreshing and inspiring. The Basic
| Furniture Company has been Longest
established and is fully under way ant
doing fine business, the concern con
filming itself to the manufacture o.
chamber suits of oak alone.
This is the former plant of the SchOo
Desk Factory, a building admirably
suited to its present purpose. TIE
officials in charge are Superintendent
Edward E. Rueter, and Mr.. L. II
Keene, secretary and treasurer. G. III
Fauber, of Waynesboro, is the fore
man, and Mr.. T. o. Henkle, of Basic
City, shipping clerk. The system
seems perfect, and with IS or 20 en-
ployees, each busy in his own depart
ment, everything moves like clock
work.
The factory turns out over 800 suits
per month, ranging in price from SIS
to $45 for suit-cOnsisting Of bed,
bureau and wash stand-the work
manship very handsome. the mirrors
of French plate glass, and the work
is sold in every seab0ard State from
Maine to Texas. being pushed by
travelling statesmen who also cover ter
ritOry in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio
and Pennsylvania.
The writer found Mr.. Henkle pack
ing up large order for SO pieces, very
pretty, to go way down the South
American coast to the island of Trina
dad, near the mouth of the Orinoco
River, for furnishing a new hotel
for South America looks like progress
indeed, and orders are a month ahead
of the supply and crowding them so
that the company is compelled to On
large it's capacity or lose business.
They are therefore replacing their old
60 horse power engine and boiler with
a lis horse power engine and $50
boiler, which will enable them to make
500 suits per month, employing con
siderably larger force, making 85 to so
men on the pay roll.
The Shenandoah Wooden Company
has just started in operation a large
and valuable plant for the manufacture
Of blankets, having been delayed
from time to time by the difficulty in
securing expert men to take charge of
the different departments of their
work. Mr.. T. A. Sammis is the treas
urer of this company, and has his
office in the elegant ST., 1000 pressed
brick building which the company has
bought, and during the boom was the
office building of be Basic City Man
afacturing, Mining & Land Co. Mr..
Sammis is son of the president OF the
Did Dominion Steamship Co.. and a
business man. The Gen
,ral Manager is Mr.. John j. BOckte,
we'll known to many business men OF |
stanton, as the gentleman who was |
with the city council OF
Staunton for the establishment of a |
Knitting factory in the Market House,
valuable enterprise which miscarried |
asst winter, much to the disappoint-
nent of many progressively disposed
citizens of Staunton. But MIR. Bockee
s an irrepressible business man, and
,eing impressed with the business ad-
'antages of this section, organized an
'ther strong company. with some OF
be same men and purchased the
-aluable factory upon the river, ada
emit to the Furniture Factory and two
ores of land, added largely to it, a
wo story brick building, and have
quipped it with improved machinery
which with other improvements cost
II 900, in addition to the purchase
rice of the property; with $4,000
uuare feet of floor space in the two
urge buildings. with six sets OF card
1g machines and appliances. ~ broad
)Oms-blanket size, and the most ex-
ert card spinner, weaver and hnlsher
} take charge of and instruct the new
peratives drawn from the town and
eighborhood, they have begun to turn
ut blankets of fine quality. New girls
re daily added to the working force
hich will, when full, number about
ne hundred, with a capacity OF 1000
airs of blankets per week.
Mr.. Bockee has not rellnqulshed his
,heme for having q knitting mill in
ugusta county either. So strongly
as be impressed upon his New York z
lends the advantages of such an en- r
,rprise In this section that they have
'rmed another company and offered
build him factory for the purpose 4
id turn it over to him upon his own q
rms, and the location OF it at Basic ;
,ar the wooden mills is under cOnsld-
alton.
But the largest and most valuable
ant at Basic is the Dawson Manufac-
ring Company, now established on
Id in the property of the old Basic t
ity Car Works. 1t has for its officers
lexander McNabb, president, j. 2.
lapman, secretary and treasurer, with u
os. W. Dawson, superintendent, and i
q. Dawson, director. 1t is West t
irginia corporation and is engaged in 9
re manufacture of new invention, o
field corn shocking machine. This v
achine is drawn over the field strad- v
ing the corn rows. 1t snaps off the Il
De ears of corn and shuckS them
can, when they are thrown into a
agon driven along by the side of the o
acbine. The machine will be sold "
incipally to great corn growers of T
e West at the price of 1925 and will !,
a great labor saver. -
The company has over 1000 orders 1
r the shuckers, and when the COM u
my gets fairly to work, the great v
lildings will hum with business, and !,
this West Virginia company has all -
e financial backing that is necessary {
is expected that its success will n
ing into operation at this place one
the largest and most valuable man
acturing enterprises in the country,
I'd prove factor in building up the
plring young city.
The water of the splendid lithia q
ring at Basic City, which has long q
I'd a local reputation. has been =
ought to popular notice lately by a a
mpany recently organized here with +
r. A. W. Williamson as president
ID manager. Its rare medicinal prop
ties are becoming known abroad as :
remarkable cures of those afflicted Il
th rheumatism, kidney and bladder a
I'd other kindred troubles are estab O
boJ ie aIuarf;coI |