Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-08-15

the SHENANDOAH valley arc not what
they should be, but with adequate
electric linetransportation facilities
between the Virginia valley and
Washington the people of this sec
ton will not be thrown at the mercy
of railroad companies, which arc
continually fighting each other,
and there is nothing likely to pro
duce more traffic, both passenger
and freight, than the excellent
commercial attractions proposed
for Washington and vicinity"
General Manager Hoover then
gave the reporter some interesting
facts and figures concerning the
Winchester and Washington City
Railway Company, calculated to
show that the concerns not merely
a "paperenterpriSe, "butone which
means business.
The president of the company is
Mr.. ). II. Hansbrough, who is also
president of the old Shenandoah
Valley National Bank of Winches-
ter, and who last month retired as
president of the Virginia State
Bankers Association. He is one
of the most progressive financiers
in Virginia and has been successful
in engineering financial enterprises
of great scope. Mr.. Shirley Car
ter, also of Winchester, is secretary
of the company, and Mr.. Hoover
Is general manager. Others ex-
tensively interested in It's affairs are
MesSrs. W. IL. Baker, the wealthy
chocolate manufacturer; +. V.
Weems, Lewis +. Cooper, all of
Winchester, Charles Mullikin of
Clarke county, who owns a large
part of the St. Louis water-wOrks
system; \. Moore, ir., of Ber-
ryville, Va; William w. Rruss
of Jefferson county w. Va; Mai.
Holmes Conrad Of Winchester:
Frank q. Carpenter, the noted
traveller and correspondent; George
Rumsey, jr; Of Philadelphia, and
others.
The company was chartered IN
der the Virginia laws with an
authorized capital of 100000, OF
which S125,OOO has been sold and
paid up in full. As soon as an
organization was effected the com
pany bought the property of the
Millville Milling Company, along
the Shenandoahrivcr near MillviIle.
Jefferson county, w. Va, four
miles east of Charles Town. the
county seat. The first mill on that
site was built in I74O, together
with a dam of timbers across the
river, while the construction of {
raceway was accomplished by
throwing pine and oak logs on the
rocks, setting the wood afire, and
after the rocks were cracked DIV
heating they were Clipped off layer
after layer, until finally a race way
was made.
That was years before such {
thing as dynamite or blasting pow.
der was used for such purposes
When theWinchester and Wash.
ington City Railway Company com.
menced operations on the site they
found many evidences Of the first
settlers, who had seen and devel
oped in their primitive way the
water power Of the Shenandoah
river at that point. The old bricl
mill, which was was erected in 1886
with capacity of 125 barrels q
flour a day, was torn down, as wa.
also the old dam, or what was lef
of it, and in sixty days time Their,
was constructed of stone and the
finest Portland cement a dam 9S7l
feet long, with spillway, exclusive
of headgates and abutments, hav
ing an extreme length of ISL feet
The dam is 10 feet high at wateI
level, although if measured from
the river bottom it extends from /:
to Is feet in height. At the foun
dation or river bottom it is 10 fee
thick, tapering to top thickness.
of A feet. Between 5000 anC
5000 barrels of cement were useC
in its construction.
On the west side of the river /.
a raceway-the source of the power
which marks the eIectricity-wit!
great headgates, through which tn,
water is carried 1000 feet down t.
the power station, the total fall at
tanned at this plant being 24a feet
Tho racawoU ic On Foot ,,,;Jo -.