Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-11-30
THE RIDGEwAY PROJECT.

49,. rCncerning the PROPOSED project
Rsrkelev county, about which so
- has been recently printed-and
- ,.h,h A good many persons are
frankly skeptical:
u : Firestone, president Of the
r.....o~. Tire and Rubber Company,
.,,,,..-r.llionaire, and the brother-in-
-. a.. Henry Ford, the famous De-
-, r~sruiacturer, is the principal
e.,-,.4. hacker of the project to build
an. .rerlte an enormous automobile
.,,rr,s..uring plant at Ridgeway,
Bs-k.,s. county, West Virginia.
Information obtained here definite
T.. s...-. shes this fact. Further in
,o-rs,,r with regard to the same sub
go. ais, definitely establishes the fact
hat n, big manufacturing plant is
,. r.. Hgi.t in the very near future
On ;-lct of land situated between
Bunker Hill and the Virginia line and
including the original site at Ridge
uav. This land comprises about q
sn1 acres. Deals have been closed for
The purchase of part of it, and the
oure-. of the remaining parcels have
given ortIons under which they agree
n sell their holdings at specified
prices
Il IS learned today that all the deeds
that convey the land from the owners
10 the purchasers are being made out
N r. { Firestone, and the noted tire
Manufacturers is the only name of
fnanca power that has been so far
mentioned authoritatively in connec-
ton with the vast project.
Z. l. Luttrell and staff of attor-
news at Nartinsburg are now engaged
in the task of examining titles to the
various parcels of land in the vicin-
iv of Riiecway, and as quickly as the
titles are traced and verified, deeds
are being made out in the name of H.
S. FireStone as the purchaser.
II is learned that several cash trans
actions have already taken place in
connection with the purchase Of the
land for the site Of the automobile
factory Nr George Setback has sold
his HOLDINGS of about 200 acres for fine
sum of $4,000, and has received a
check for 100000 cash in part payment
Among others who have either clos
ed deals for their land or given op-
tons for is purchase are DR.. Make
Hoffman, Of Bunker Hill, who will re-
ceiye >l050OO for about 400 acres, and
C. E. RiiGeway, who is to receive $780,
600 for his holdings. John j., Ridge
way, who IS the owner Of smaller
tract, also agreed to sell it to Mr..
FireStOne
Ever since the first news concern
ing the crea; project at Ridgeway was
published in The Star, the question
that has been persistentIy asked is
why financial interests that control
millions Of capital should hit upon an
OBSCURE country village like Ridge
way for an industrial plant that will
require at least S1O,OOO,OOO to build
and launch as a going concern. Why
eidnt they select some big city or
Town that could give them better rail-
road water and power facilities than
those at Riiceway?
An answer to these questions is
round IN the words of William Jordan,
OF Detroit, Michigan, who is the prin-
''PaI representative of Mr.. Firestone
a"a ms associates. Mr.. Jordan said,
III recent conversation with DR..
make Holman, of Bunker Hill, that
INST OF all the question of labor had
% oe cons Tered; that if the plant
"F'e 10 N' established at Detroit or
''Ne o'her great automobile manufac
%''"R center, where jobs are plentiful,
80 successful operation would he ab
'''U'''. .l 'ic m-fcy of labor; that if
man N1~ not satisfied with his ioh
very easy matter for him
''N and ret another across the
~. am mat if other jobs were re-
' ,I''a MIN he would appeal to the
.. .,r UNIONS, and they would step in
1'' demand that he be given employ
ment
me Fra''om of labor, in Mr.. Ior-
49, H." :, opinion, will be largely solved
i, VIZ F.'' Of laying out and build
v,. .." town on the site at Ridge
bo,, '.-r. comfortable homes and
=. y, >.TT'undings will be provided
10 WIG -.-ral thousand workmen to
dr,:. q at the plant, thus re-
..,. '.e abor turnover and the