Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1915-03-12
COVE is GETTING
MUCH GOOD road
A Section of the County That is
Benelitting From the Bond
Issue Fund - Automobiles
Have Easy Sailing.

By invitation l had trip to the
Cove in the west end of the county on
wednesday afternoon. Road engi-
neer Martin, his assistant, Mr. Meade,
Road Superintendent McNulty and
myself made up the party-McNulty
at the wheel, and he can run 'er as
we'll as make roads. And he did on
this occasion because time was limit
ed. He run 'er on high gear, and low
gear, and sometimes, 1t appeared, on
both gears at once. But on such roads
almost any kinds of machine would
run, gear or no gear, Just for the
pleasure of running.
1t is almost inconceivable what
changes have been made in all the
west end, within less than two years
in the matter of road building. Think
of doctor now making a trip from
town to the Cove in less than thirty
minutes! 1t used to take two hours
hard driving. But right here | am
reminded of the miserable, insight
ly, bad-word provoking gap from VIM.
Leece's to and beyond John C. st.
Clair's, which is the "hy in the oint-
ment," the plague spot, the dread Of
automobiles, buggy and wagon driv-
ers-it's awful and spoils the whole
thing. There is only about a mile Of
it. and MI. Martin says it will be
fixed up this sspring and summer
But for this splash and smash and
tug, the trip to the Cove and back
would be delight. However, after
you get over it you forget it, as you
swing around graceful curves, over
smoothe roads, as smoothe as a plank
floor, and climb grades on law gear,
Il don't know which, but l mean the
gear that requires the least power),
where strong team could harly pull
buggy heretofore. It's wonderful
The Cove is getting to be "well fixed"
in the matter of roads, as has always
been otherwise, and there is no kick
now on bond issues, not even by men
who kickd at first. Within few years
there will be splendid Macadam
road from Bristol clear through to
Bluefield and beyond.
We met Mr.. Patterson, the new su-
perintendent of the convict road force
and drove by the camp and down by
Whites store and to the end of the
road work near Jeff Gillespi's home.
Returning, we came from Whites
store to town in one hour by the
watch, and pulled through the John
st. Clair bog and slush, too. On the
down trip we stopped at the home of
S. j. Thompson, "The Cattle King"
and spent pleasant hour. There are
no cleverer people on earth, (or any
where else), than Sam Thompson and
his wife. She is Bowen, you know,
the daughter of her mother, and that's
all that need be said. Sam said he
finds that he is not too late to learn.
This year he has learned how to win
ter cattle without feed" His 24O
head of big cattle and his crowd of
yearlings have lived and done we'll,
too, on shorter rations than usual,
and will come through all right. He
says that Stocking uup" this spring
is going to be a problem, owing to the
foot and mouth disease and .quaran-
tines, but there will be a way out and
way in. too.
MIR. and Mrs. Thompson now live
in the old Bowen home On the walls
of their home are the pictures of
Mrs. Thompson's great-great grand
father, the father Of General Bowen,
the father of Capt. Rees Bowen and
Capt. Henry Bowen. Nearby, Reese
T. Bowen lives, another ancestral
home, now owned by Capt. Rees Bow
en-, of this town. His fine old home
stands on promontory, overlooking
the famous Maiden Spring, whose
clear, blue, beautiful water bushes,
(Matrin says), when kissed by the
sun, but-this gossip must stop right
here. I'll save some of the best
things for another article. But, lest
we forget, one word more should be
said. If the Board of Supervisors do
not make some arrangements about
maintaining and keeping up the splen-
did roads of the county, and not allow
them to go to wreck, said Board ought
to be-well, election day is coming!
j. A. L.