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<DIV>That's a euphuism for tuberculosis sanatorium, I believe.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dave Phelps</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 1/26/2010 8:16:49 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>Anyone
know what a "home for consumptives" is?<BR> <BR>Thanks,<BR>Dave
Willis<BR>(blt 1962, c/n 4)<BR> <BR>
<HR id=stopSpelling>
To: nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org<BR>Subject: N&W in 1910--Office
building<BR>Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:34:48 -0500<BR>From:
nw-mailing-list@nwhs.org<BR><BR>
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</STYLE>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>August 13,
1910</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>BLUEFIELD IS LOSING ONE OF ITS
LANDMARKS</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Terminal Trainmaster Relates History of Old Division
Office Now Being Torn Down</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> Bluefield is losing one of its oldest
landmarks, the old division office, which is being torn down. A nice
lawn will take its place. The building has been standing since July,
1888, and is almost a part of the town. Within its walls the preliminary
plans of the great Pocahontas Division were carried out and each room has such
a history connected with it that old railroad men stand and watch it coming
apart without even daring to walk inside of it, so great is their respect for
the old site of their former battles to make the road a success.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> J. M. MeIlhaney, terminal trainmaster, gave
the Daily Telegraph a short history of the building last night. He
easily remembers it from the days when this most wealthy division of the
Norfolk and Western was only the Pocahontas branch.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Mr. McIlhaney says the first offices were
maintained in the present freight depot. This was in July, 1888.
About this time twenty-two years ago the offices were moved in the building
that is now being torn down. The division at that time was called the
Radford and Pocahontas division and John A. Hardy was superintendent.
The road at that time went to Powhatan, while branches ran to Pocahontas,
Goodwill and Simmons. The Clinch Valley division was not in operation at
that time.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The official family at that time was John
A. Hardy, superintendent, Captain D. H. Barger, trainmaster, R. E. Winters,
chief dispatcher.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The yard office was located in the
northwest room on the first floor while the trainmaster's office was overhead
on the second floor. The dispatcher's office was in the north bay
station. The waiting room for trainmen was on the first floor in the
northeast room, while the timekeeper occupied the room above.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The supervisor, or roadmaster, as he is
known occupied the southwest room on the second floor while the reading room
for trainmen, out of which grew the Railroad Y. M. C. A., which now has a
large building of its own, recently erected on Pulaski street, occupied the
southeast room in the old building now being torn down. The yard master,
who was either a man named Wright or Joe Collins, occupied the other room on
the south side. The attic at that time was used as a bed room by the
trainmaster and other men, the dispatchers many times turning in to sleep
there at that time, which was long before the present regulations as to hours
of work went into effect.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> It was hard at that time to get a house in
this city and the first house completed by the railroad was the building on
Princeton avenue, recently owned by Weslie Wilkes, which was first occupied by
J. M. McIlhaney, who was at that time a train dispatcher.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> Since July, 1888, many changes have taken
place in the Norfolk and Western but the old building was occupied as an
office until about a year ago when the offices were moved to the old Bluefield
Inn building, which was remodeled for office purposes. This building is
one of the most imposing structures in the city and at one time Thomas F. Ryan
wanted to purchase it as a home for consumptives. The Norfolk and
Western, however, would not consent to the bringing to this city of a home for
consumptives.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The destruction of the building removes
another of this city's landmarks and for years to come the few men who are
left on the road who were here in 1888 will look to where the building now is
and feel that something is lacking.</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>I wonder if the wooden building in the attached
picture from Neg. 21413 in the Virginia Tech image database isn't the division
office described in the article. It has a bay on the north side as
described for the location of the dispatcher's office. Also, the
article states that the building will be replaced by a "nice lawn," and
vintage photos show a lawn east of the passenger depot where the
parking lot was in later years and about where the building in question is in
this picture.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon Hamilton</FONT></DIV><BR>
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