Stevenson.] ^^ [March 18, 



little service. Many routes have been surveyed in these and adjoining 

 counties, and each new survey is an object of much interest. Some addi- 

 tional railroads would be an undoubted convenience, as, except the pike 

 connecting the county towns of the Great valley, the roads are not mac- 

 adamized, and the amount of labor expended on them clearly does not 

 exceed the minimum required by law. 



Those portions of this area which are underlaid by limestone are cleared 

 and for the most part are under cultivation ; but the other portions have 

 comparatively few settlers and are traversed by roads usually not fit for 

 light vehicles. As a rule the people are prosperous, utilizing the advan- 

 tages which are available, while they waste little of their energies in dis- 

 cussing the value of the mineral wealth, which is of no immediate im- 

 portance away from the Great valley. The villages in the valley are 

 thrifty, have good church buildings and are well supplied with schools. 

 The hamlets in Bland and Giles counties are very small and have little to 

 support them. 



Lists of Altitudes. 



Mr. W. W. Coe, of Roanoke, Va., Chief Engineer of the Norfolk and 

 Western railroad, has kindly given me the following list of elevations 

 above tide : 



On main line. 



Crocketts 2327 



Wytheville 2230 



Max Meadows 2015 



Pulaski ! 1904 



Dublin 2058 



New River 1768 



Central 1773 



Christiansburg 2007 



New River Bridge 1760' 



On New River Brancli. 



Belspring or Churchwood 1766 



Summit cut, 2^ miles from New River 1914 



Staytide 164^ 



Ripplemeade 1607 



Wenouah 1559 



On tJie river. 



Mouth of Walker's creek, about 1570 



Mouth of Stony creek, about 1555 



Thorn's ferry 1950 



Mr. Oramel Barrett, Jr., of Abingdon, Washington Co., Ya., has given 



