The Washington herald., 1912-06-21
BY NJ. +. LEWIS.
stan Correspondent.
Roanoke, va, June q


Roanoke, Va, June %, 1872
At last after years spent travelling
over this glorious United States, have
found the ideal city Of my dreams.
wish that I were in a position to stay
here forever. Being newly married, with
our honeymoon days still young and
Loves sweet dreams Of a bungalow for
two, situated in a garden spot, such as
only Loves dream can conjure up, al
ways present, find it a hard task to
tear myself away from this beautiful, de-
Iightful city. The little girl whom prom
ised to comfort and protect and VINO
chose me for better or worse, Joined
me in making plans for the future, and
like all sweethearts since the world be-
gan, We INDUCED our fancy to its Ut
most, making dreams OF Loves cottage
in a garden fair with romance all around.
OF course, since then have come to
a realization Of the fact that life is
real and full of woe; that romance beats
It out the back door when the landlord
knocks on the front one, but, in tell
ing all this, it is my desire to impress
my readers with the charm Of Roanoke
it is the nearest approach to the city OF
my dreams that have yet visited Roa-
noke with its delightful surroundings and
healthy climate is a veritable fairy
land; its many advantages are alluring
and I repeat that could stay here for
ever Content is in the air.
Viewed from every angle Of what an
ideal city should be Roanoke is one
hundred per cent good.
Situated in the Roanoke Valley Of Vir-
ginia.. the city is at its junction with the
famous Shenandoah Valley, the Roanoke
River flowing along its southern border.
On the northwest are the Alleghenies,
and TO the southeast are the Blue Ridge
Mountains. During the summer the hu-
midity is always below the average, and
in the winter the cold winds are tenn
pered From the northwest hills, in
yariably comes a cool breeze at night
fall, bringing an assurance Of night
rest
At an altitude of nearly 1000 feet, the
average mean temperature is about fifty
FIVE degrees, and the average rainfall
about forty-four inches per year. The
environments Of the city are exception
ally beautiful, the rolling nature of the
country and the adjacent mountains af-
fording a pleasing scene for the eye TO
rest upon in whichever direction the trav-
eler may journey. Epidemics are abso-
lutely unknown, and the locality is espe-
Cially free from sickness. The death rate
during recent years, according TO NOR
tuary statistics furnished by the city
authorities, has been only fourteen to
the one thousand inhabitants.
Roanoke is in close proximity TO a num-
Der Of noted mineral springs OF Virginia,
whose curative properties are renowned
throughout the whole country.
The various secret orders are well rep
resented, possessing a large membership
that includes the city's foremost citizens.
-F-T .TrV he
among which are the Shenandoah, EIks
Club. Eagles. Roanoke Country Club,
Blue Ridge Gun Club, and the Roanoke
German Club. In short, I can find moth
ing lacking here. It is the most cityfied
little city I have ever visited
While the manufacturing interests of
Roanoke have not yet assumed the pro-
portions hey are destined TO reach att
no remote time there has been a grad
ual increase from year to year. especial
ly during the past decade, as transpor-
tation facilities and the building of new
lines Of railway have attracted the at
tention Of manufacturers to Roanoke as
a distributing point for all classes OF
merchandise and manufactured articles,
as well as a place where cheap power
and efficient labor could be obtained.
The Roanoke Machine Works where the
heavy. repairs are made to engines and
cars of the Norfolk and Western Rail-
way, and where a portion Of the com
pany's rolling stock is built. is the larg-
est industry in the city.
There are also two bridge companies
several large planning mills, Touring mills,
two ice plants, a large brewery, several
bottling works, two blast furnaces. two
overall factories, one iron works. three
marble works. a fertilizer factory. a
metal culvert factory, a cotton mill,
box factory, one packing house. several
large printing houses and book binderies, |
a barrel and stave factory, one extract
and proprietary remedy mandatory, an
enamel-ware factory, an aerial tramway
mandatory, several sash. door, and
blind factories, a sheet metal manufac-