Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-29
By u. II. Thomas.

wen. IL waS about three and half
years ago-a Richmond man. who
was summcring In the woods along
the banks or upper James River, sixty
ar seventy-fvc miles below here. ran
mp with n bunch of Idle fishermen.
inliin. on the banks OF the stream.
waiting for a bite" The Richmond
or, who was an inquisi,iye sort of a
2 iell0w, asked many questions OF the
fishermen. and among others this:
w nat sort OF town Is Covington
that you mentioned "a while axo?r The
h'iel reply was: Jaw, that durn
mace hes spyit our fishin down here"
In reply TO further questions the
isher'ncn let out tho Information
'hat there was big paper mill at
'oNihsion. which used dyes and col
oFings OF many kinds. and various
chemicals, in tho manufacture of vast
Quantities OF pulp and paper and
'inpiiel some OF the wnstc into Jack
son h!Ecr. which Is one Of the streams
That forms the James. and. according
10 IN" !oafcr sitting on the river bank
lhcsc thlnsa "piscned" the fish, and
~" was very much In favor OF "abol-
lShinL' Covlnston and one OF the
largest Industrial plants in the Com
hohwcaith OF Virginia, and one that
pays the state more taxes than any
other plant In the State, and that
gives employment to thousands OF
PfoPic ana aHorus market for the
surplus timbers OF this part of the
state and for various and sundrv
"ihcr products. He referred i'm n
general way To what every visitor to
this to": declare. 20 5a the mos;
widc-hwakc. active and vigorous
Town In Virginia. and in q particular
way |" the enormous plant OF the
"'st Virginia Pulp and Paper Com
p.uy.
nut the Waters Are Not Hurt.
" may be remarked, en- PEASANT
mat ihc fisherman was all Off about
piSen!n the Ash. There is nothing
dumped In Jackson River here that
WI! kiii FISH or that may be detri-
mental to the health OF cattle or
i"ther i've stock. or OF human beings
who may drink of It's waters. The
West Virginia Pulp and Paper Com.
pShy have better uses for the waste.
'hey nave spent vast sums In es,ab-
'IA"!hG by-product plants and in n
snort whiic, IL not now. every inyrcd
inni HAT has been made use OF I'm
80, n!Ahuinctur. OF paper ard pulp
-. nc utilized In the manufacture or
rome hy-product that Will bring In
me money. Many such valuable nv
'Foaucts are now being turned out
hcfr' Bn, more OF this great mann
''cturing plant later on.
'"FIhgton Ii the county seat OF Al
'enahy, ono OF the richest counties
ireihia' IT Is located in the CEN
~, NC county. sixteen miles from
} ,"c west virginia line. on the Chcsa
pca"c ana Ohio Railway. where tho
n'"hch line UP the Hot Springs VAL
~! str!-es of for the famous yIr.
h''ia I!ot Springs. in Bath County.
: Town Full OF Live IndustrIe,.
".ington is some business town.
, me big pulp and paper mills.
;"Ff"hE mentioned. II has many other
"NoFtaht industries giving employ
'"t 70 large numbers OF well paid
NH"Hmen: II has three strong bank
ME institutions; It has splendid ho-
'sis ara a little army OF as live. wide
awake and up-to-datc Wholesale and
ft'ail merchants AS are to be found
J." any community in the United
states.
Tie war and the depression follow
ms nave no, kept Covington from
loving II has been going right
lead ana now the population Of the
Town proper is 5,2S3. while the good
PEOPLE living In the Immediate sub
i'"6s AID doing all kinds of business
~ the town ana holding down paying
obs in the pulp and paper mills and
Otter industrial plants run the real
population UP to near 5000.
Among the Industries other than
the paper mills that keen Covincton
going and make 1t the fourth In the
list Of freight payers on the Chesa-
noakc and Ohio Railway. are the iron
works. a branch of tho famous Low
moor Iron Company's works. tan
ne"!es. enormous machine works
flooring mills. planning and saw mills
and other wood working establish
men,s. silk mills. extensive brick
making plants. big lumber plants, anu
numerous smaller industries OF one
lind and another. All of these enter
priscs. along with the enormous mer-
camille business done, make Coving-
ton, according to the books of the
railway company the fourth largest
freight paying station on the entire
Dhesareakc and Ohio Railway sys-
;.any being exceeded only by Chicago,
Cincinnati and Richmond.
TO SHOW that nothing IS done by
Halves here, q few figures from some
az the indus tries will suffice. The Cow
inEton Brick Company makes $4,000
bricks daily and carries at all times
] 900, 900 ION storage" ready for hurry
orders; tho Covington Machine Com
pany keeps $50 men constantly on its
pay roll: the Southern Textile Com
pany tsilk mill. branch of the
largest SIN IniilS III tlc Woilt)
p!oys regularly 200 girls and pays
them we'll; the two Touring mills. one
tot which was established In 1885. and
for the past llfty-seven years has been
practically in charge Of tho present
general manager, A. w. Bell, work
day and night and their brands OF
-four are known all over Virginia and
West Virginia: the tannery OF the
.~tord Company is known 30 be the
~ sest establishment of it's kind in
e two VirGinias.
The Great Pulp and Paper Mills.
or course. the biggest shop of the
I own is the West Virginia Pulp and
Iaper Conpany's plant. This com
ran?'s main product is paper The
risnt turns out book paper principal
Is, also BLEACH sulphitc. fibre boards
and kraft pulp. Tho by-products are
100 numerous to mention, but one that
las but recently boon started up
should be mentioned here, because 1t
is product that will likely In time
revolutionize automobile manufac-
turing. This new by-product Is moth
ing more or less than panels for auto
mobiles. made from fibre board by a
Ypecal process known only TO this
Already an order is on file