The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-11
A City In The Heart of the
Mountains.
THE GREAT TRAIN YARDS
Long Lines Of Coal Cars Cover Many
Acres of Ground, Where Peo-
Pile Are Begged to Do
Work.
(staff Correspondence


BLUEF1ELD, MERCER COUNTY, w.
VA, Oct e.-Although four miles across
the line, Blucfeld Is n thoroughly Vlr-
ginla town. A large proportion or the
leading business men Of the place are
Virginians, many of them Richmond fneh,
who have come out here and helped make
n rich city in tho most mountainous part
of tho most mountainous State III the
Union.
BlueAeld Is rich. l have never seen
money 80 plentiful as 1t Is here Every
body has got It, and everybody spends.
SO far are condition removed from those
which cause idleness of large numbers
of working people that there Is a
greater demand for labor than sup
ply. Men do not beg for work here
men are begged to work gentleman
told me to-day he had heard contractors
plead with negroes to work on the streets
Tor $3.50 day. And his pleading was
in vain.
Bluefeld Is typical coal and railroad
town. 1t Is at the entrance to the coal
fields OF Virginia and Southwestern West
Virginia. 1t is the capital Of the great
Flat Top coal region, made famous by
Pocahontas coal. Coal Is the staple Just
as peanuts Is the staple IN certain east
ern counties OF Virginia.
The towns newness and not It's tough
ness impresses the visitor most. Stoiies
of the wickedness of Bluefield have gone
abroad until Is Is looked upon as
veritahle Sodom, with Pocahontas as
Gomorrah It has been said that Blue
field Is next door to he'll. Pocahontas Is
next door. There are eleven saloons IN
Bluefleld.
THE BANKS.
There are four banks in Bluefiald. The
Flat Top National opened It's doors for
business April 15 1903. 1t had $1,000 in
deposits in It's vaults in one month and
to-day the deposits amount to more than
$4,000 The First National. established
when the town was brand new IN 1851.
has deposits now aggregating nearly
$4,000. Ali the other banks are in fine
condition and nearly everybody appears
to have bank account. l went 10 one
bank this week to have q check cashed
and had to wait until the cashier had
waited on several negroes each OF them
in very rough garb. but all OF them taking
away or dcpositing money.
Everybo body who lives here does so be-
cause he can make money here. Men
choose other towns as places OF resi-
dence because OF pleasant conditions, but
there are no such conditions at Bluefeld.
The sole attraction the place possesses
from the viewpoint of tho homcseeker Is
the opportunities to get rich. The people
make great deal Of money and spend a
great deal. Every form OF amusement
the town knows Is most literally patron
lied. There Is beautiful opera house in
the town and the reputation Of the peo-
pie as theatre goers has gone abroad for
the companies come often and nvar1auiy
play to crowded houses and this without
reference TO the merits of the play.
a merchant who did business In Lynch
burg for number Of years told me yester-
day he had to carry moro costly stock
here than In that city.
furniture dealer showed me samples
of beautiful oak sideboards which cost
800 apiece and said he had sold five in
the past few months. he remarked that
his stock Of cut glass was much depicted
owing to heavy purchases having been