The Northern Virginia Daily

Article date: September 20, 2005

‘It’s an era coming to an end’

Tears mark implosion of Avtex boiler house

By: Ben Orcutt

Louise Bowers dabbed tears as the Avtex boiler house was imploded on Monday.

“Well I hate to see it go,” said the 83 year old town resident who worked at the rayon plant for 46 years.  “I worked over there half of my life.  I’ll be 84 next month, so it’ll be more than half my life.”

Bowers said her father, the late Noah Martin, hauled sand used in the construction of the American Viscose plant on Kendrick Lane, next to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.  Remembering her father’s contribution to Avtex also brought a measure of sadness.

“I went to work in 1940, Aug. 20,” she said.  “I was one of 19 girls that was hired that day... I was very proud of my job, to have a job really and when I went to work there, I made 32 and a half cents an hour.”

During World War II, she wound motors for the spinning room.  She ended up in the “double deck” or the lower part of the plant, where the syrup-like viscose liquid was poured through platinum “jets” or thimbles, forming tiny filaments of rayon yarn.  Bowers said the men worked upstairs and the women worked downstairs.

“It was a good living at it,” she said. Dabbing her eyes again.  “I was here when we first joined the union.  We had to sneak and sign the card to join the union.”

The Union Hall on Chester Street is where Bowers said she met her husband, John C. Bowers.  The 90-year old worked at Avtex for 39 years.  Much of his work was in the “staple” department, where sheets of fluffy rayon were baled.

Like his wife, he also was saddened to see the boiler house imploded.

Former Avtex employees were easy to spot on Monday.  They were the ones wearing yellow ribbons.

Lloyd W Ebaugh Sr., 92, of Woodstock, was one of them.  He worked for Avtex for 32 years.  He and his wife, Catherine, raised twin daughters during that time.

“It’s an era coming to an end.” Ebaugh said of the implosion of the last major building at the Avtex site.  “It was the lifeblood for Winchester, Woodstock, Edinburg, Luray, across the mountain, and all around here.  The people come in here because this was the lifeblood.  It was about the only major industry in this area.”

“It’s sad,” Mrs. Ebaugh added.  “Sort of the end of a lot of things, wonderful and good things, our living.”

Also on hand for Monday’s implosion was William K Sine, 76, of Front Royal, who earned his living at Avtex for more than 29 years.  His was the next to the last shift worked before the plant closed for goon on Nov. 9, 1989.

“It was a good experience,” Sine said.  “I know a lot of guys I worked with up there, most of them are dead now.”

In its heyday, Avtex employed about 4,200 workers, Sine said.  He earned $1.54 when he started, and his highest wage was $9.50 an hour.  Sine said Avtex was sent a lot of its rayon to tire companies like Goodyear and B.F. Goodrich.  Some of its rayon went to North and South Carolina to be woven, he said.

Sine said his most harrowing experience at Avtex was the time he nearly killed himself by running into a column.  The accident caused him to miss two months of work and resulted in broken ribs, a broken nose and a broken chin.

Like the other former Avtex employees who were on hand for Monday’s ceremony, they cling to the hope that new life will be breathed into their old workplace.

“I hope so,” Mrs. Bowers said.