N&W and VGN in 1911--Narrows

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Bluefield Daily Telegraph
June 14, 1911

NARROWS IS EXPECTING AN INDUSTRIAL BOOM
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Outlook for Prosperity in and About Giles County Town is Said to be Very Bright
    The outlook for prosperity in and about Narrows, Va., was never more favorable than at present.  Capitalists are looking in that direction.  A number of enterprises are opening up and bid fair to make the town one of the most flourishing along the Norfolk and Western and Virginian railways.
    To start with the town has many natural resources, and the wonder is that enterprising men have not been attracted to the point before this time.  The water power about the place cannot be surpassed at any other point in Virginia.  Steps are now being taken to utilize this power.
    A large part of the land about the town is being taken up by capitalists or is under option for sale at a high price.  The large sand beds located on the French farm which have been supplying large quantities of sand to the Norfolk and Western and Virginian railroads have recently changed hands and will now be operated on a larger scale than ever before.  Another part of the farming land along New River has been rented by men engaged in the canning business.  This no doubt will be helpful to those in the town engaged in raising fruits and vegetables for canning purposes.
    But that which promises the greatest income to the town are the rich iron mines just being opened up by the Graham Iron Company.  This iron is said to be very rich in quality and of great abundance.  The vein is twenty feet thick, with the width and length unknown at present but the indications are that there is abundance to justify the building of furnaces on a large scale.
    It is also rumored that the Virginian Railway will locate a good depot at Narrows and will probably locate shops there in the near future.
    The iron bridge that spans New River at Narrows is just reaching completion, and will be ready for use within the next few days.  This will be of great advantage.  It opens up the town to the rich farming district across the river and brings it into connection with the Virginian Railway, making this one of the most convenient points along the road for a transfer to the Norfolk and Western Railway.
    The people of Narrows are much elated over the outlook for the success of their town and extend a cordial invitation to all public enterprises.
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[By 1911 the cheaper iron ore from the Mesabi Range, and other large deposits, was beginning to make most small local iron ore deposits uneconomical to mine and small local furnaces uneconomical to operate.  The Virginian never located shops there, but some fourteen years later it did construct a power plant there for its electrification.]

Gordon Hamilton
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