The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-08
ROANOKE s last
TOBACCO FACTORY.
a Remarkable Enterprise and the.
Oldest One il the
City. @
LAST ACCOUNT COLLECTED :. c E
Entcrprising Citizens to Build a
New Market-IIousc Near
tic Old One.
tspeoial 10 rho 1,imcs-Dispatch)

I u
ROANOKE. VA, April 7.---l)nrng the
past week the last account Of lsoailo .
last tobaccoS enterprise was closed ''c' up.
1,hc last enterprise was the r. ]. Fish fs \
burnc Tobacco Company. .mahufact'ircrs
or smoking tobacco. Tt was y 5rcnlarR-
nblc enterprise and its ending l'nd 'n'' also 50
an remarkable feature The Z renlarKaipAe
feature was that of collecting the last ia "
account. Mr.. Blair lTishburne' tne
treasurer. and son OF r. IL. F'lsh houriic,
collected tho last account and clossco
the books. $3tt 55l ~
The factory was not only the last 70.
Ebacco enterprise but It was the oldese
manufacturing plant in the city. IL was was
started In 1855 by 1sham Ferguson, VINO w'
was succeeded in 1870 by Fishmurne
Brothers One Of the brothers beca30N becai' nc
n successful banker, and IN the mean
while tile son or the other brother pc
came a man, and fine business man az
that ana eight years ago rl'e pusihess
was made u joint stock COMPANY. Win
r. IT. T-ishburnc. as president, ana us
son as as treasurer Mr.. T. j. Phelps,
who had grown&up In the business be
came secretary, and looked after tne
interests ofSSthe company on x II roaa.. rilSl.
Tie was an able second to the splendid
business management at home. He be-
came one OF the best travelling men on
tho road. lie was a match for the
Trust people and tho Flshburne Yellow
Rose and Natural Leaf smoking tobaccos
held their own. The business became
u thorn in the flesh Of the trust, and
Mi. II. Fl. Tishburnc, having a plenttude
( OF the worlds goods and having, been y
hard worker, decided that he. would rs: re-
the from business when an Q ffer came. ne,
s39tI was one of the coldest: days GOf ne
winter that tho Times-DlspatcllSc corr',-
spondentS climbed the hill Ato tho Fish
Sburnc factory. and attended the funeral
Eof the last tobacco enterprise of the
lty, Sobod y Il. \; liayus said
sthat$the& last gol l'ar5$y;ls 'ss
left unsaid. NYhcntlA lie elloW Rosc 5,y'ls
8trnnsplunted "a to Danville, ssNs$rot
known, but there 1t can @be found.
&3 &3FBefore Big Lick became Rounoke thei'e
we're a half dozen tobacco factories ana
ID
they Disappeared, but for twenty year.
uftcrwurl :Ethc FIshburne factory was
in full blast, and in that@it was q re-
lnarkablc enterprise.
h Shortly after tho sale of the business,
Nlr. r. II. Fshburne left for California,
and for Two months has been on a pleas
5lre trip. He was last hess hrf-;. from I'll,
Honolulu. H.
IIe is /; fine old gentleman, us plain
Al q, md t11.En
Ills, factory was In operation no laboror
worked harder. 1Ieais going i'll to enjoy
life now. Hy55li 7
Tho city OF Roanoke having shown no
disposition to improve the present mark
{ ct-ho,lsc, private citizens have organized
Il company to build an up-tO-dutc mark
et-houso near the present orc. AS wired
the Times-Dlspatch several days ago,
the contract was awarded to +. latter
son, OF Norfolk 1t will cost $4,000.
DR.. Joseph Gale, tho chief surgeon OF
the Norfolk t& Western, who owns n large
amount OF valuable city property, has
lately caught the spirit OF Improvement.
lie has rcmodeled several buildings
owned BY him, and in one OF which he
has his offices. IIe has also spent sew
cral thousand dollars, fixing up his Of
ifccs. He lately boughta large build
ing on Commerce Street, and will erect
a Handsome business house OH the site.
On3 tho opposite corner the Roanoke
street Railway will erect an office build
ing, and tho Telephone Company will
shortly award II contract for tho erec-
ton Of an office building on the same
street This is the street over which
&IIon. IIcnry Trout saw slaves driven
when he was q boy.
@ The new City National Bank expects
oEbcEin business about May lst ,#
The cocution class Of Virginia Col
1cgc presented "Ingomnr' at the coll
lego Tonight All The roles were taken
by young girls. and tho plny was peaut,-
f,illy. staged and splcn.,idly Interpreted,