Rohrer Mines

[NW Mailing List]

Thank you Gordon. Your thoughts agree with the postcard view supplied by Mr.
Warren. Thanks for sharing the image.    John Garner

 

From: NW Mailing List [mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 2:55 PM
To: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: Rohrer Mines

 

John,

 

I believe that it is looking upstream.  Looking upstream, today's Wasena
Park would be on the left at a lower elevation than today's Ferdinand Ave.
on the right, and that is consistent with the slope of the bridge, which is
upward to the right.

 

Gordon

 

On 1/20/2019 10:29 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

Gordon,  Do you happen to know if this view is looking up or down stream?
Thanks,   John Garner

 

From: NW Mailing List [mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org] 
Sent: Sunday, January 20, 2019 3:02 PM
To: NW Mailing List  <mailto:nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Subject: Re: Rohrer Mines

 

Peter,

 

I have been interesed in the Rorer NG for some time, and NWHS member Stephen
Warren has done extensive research on it.  Briefly it extended some 9 miles
from ore mines in Roanoke County (now in the City of Roanoke) to a washing
facility in what is now Wasena Park and then continued to a transfer
facility at the south side of the N&W's yard.  The principal in the company
was Ferdinand Rorer who has two streets in Roanoke named for him (Ferdinand
Ave. and Rorer Ave).  It has been recorded that Rorer delighted in giving
rides on the NG to influential friends.

 

I'm attaching a scan showing the NG bridge over the Roanoke River that you
referred to.  This shows the bridge after being converted to a pedestrian
walkway and after the short span to the right in this image had collapsed.

 

Gordon Hamilton

 

On 1/18/2019 6:16 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:

In May of 1887, while R.P.C. Sanderson was the assistant to the
superintendent of motive power for the Norfolk and Western, he was the court
appointed receiver for the Rohrer mine property. This included the oversite
of the erection of two steel bridges over the Roanoke River with 120 foot
spans. Since he was a full time employee of the N&W he had to squeeze the
bridge work into the early morning and evenings. 

 

Two questions: where were the Rohrer mines? and does anyone know if those
bridges still exist? I have found references to the mine in engineering
journals but they simply say the Rohrer mine was in Roanoke County. 

 

There is a little irony in R.P.C. taking charge of the building of bridges.
Just before he went to work for the N&W he was hired by the City of New York
as one of three engineers for a bridge to be built across the Harlem River.
He didn't last a week before he quit because of the politics involved. He
wouldn't comprise what he thought was morally correct.

 

Peter Getz

 






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