Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-10-26
The Great Virginia Seaport.

mercial advantages Of Virginia result
ing from her fortunate geographical
position and the possession OF one OF
the finest seaports in the world. In a
late number Of the Washington Chroni-
Gle we fnd an able paper 10y Colonel
Worrall of Pennsylvania, an engineer
of national reputation, in which these
advantages are strikingly presented.
An extract will be read with interest,
After survey of the whole conii-
nens the report goes on to say
A mere glance at the map is sufficient
TO show that Norfolk is the proper
ocean terminus of both the southern
and the middle lines of railway to the
Pacific, and it is certain as fate that
that grand harbor will of necessity be-
come 80. Goods must reach water
transportation as quickly as possibls.
Ocean to railway transportation in cost
has been estimated as ! to 7.349.
Goods, then, from our interior bound
to the foreign coasts of the Atlantic
will hardly continue on to New York
for the mere pleasure of being exported
from the East river, seeing that every
extra mile of railway transportation
would cost more than seven times as
much as mile upon the bosom of old
ocean.
The Northern Pacific railroad will
most probably debouch its trade by the
way OF the great lakes-down the St.
Lawrence, or across lots by the Erie
canal to New Y FORK. But both the other
great lines must gravitate to Norfolk.
And now as to Norfolk. AS bar
Dor it may shortly DO described as hav-
ing capacity for the moorage Of thou
sand ships like the Great Eastern, al
Of which can leave their wharves and
be at sea On the main open ocean in an
hour and half. 1t is probably the
finest, most convenient, and safest ocean
harbor in the world. But now that |
have shown that it is the harbor into
which two of the three grand thorough
fares from the Pacific must deliver their
burdens. let us see her Importance To-
cally. Between Hampton Roads and
Florida the outside coast navigation is
probably the most dangerous in the
world Tint very pames of the capes
indicate this fearful distinction. Cape
Lookout, Cape Fear. The commercial
losses, if we had Lloyds to record
them here, which occur annually along
these shores, would foot up frightful
amount Of dollars-alas, lives ! But
all along this dangerous coast there is
an internal quiet, safe means of water
conn unicatlon, as safe as the internal
canals Of Holland. This is the navi-
CATION existing along the sounds pro-
Jectsu rom the cutslde by me SAND
.piis, as they ave called. Sleeps draw
2n4 njno feet may move up and down
;nose b1yous in perfect security for the
whole distance. May receive their
ladine isr up the interior, on the bosom
OF tbs tide>water streams, the Roanoke,
the Cape Fear, the Neuse, the Pedce,
the Sanlee and many others. Here the
produces Of that sunny region, cotton,
rice, tobacco, turpentine, Carolina pine;
live oak. &C., may be shipped in i'm
mense quantities in hoys and smacks,
summarized by colored sailors, living
On corn meal and bacon, and roast ears,
and the infinite and delicious fish and
wild game, and move backward and
forward from post to post In perfect
safety fom all meteoric vicissitudes ex.
cept, perhaps, the thunderbolt along
which must strike them point blank to
inlure them, whilst the very storm in
which these last are general ted would
ovsrw helm the tallest admiral" on the
cut side. This immense trade, destined
for foreign ports, might thus in perpet-
aal calm, under the cheap command OF
colored seamen, be delivered at Nor
10 k, and thence sent out on the briny
deep in vessels, as has been said, Of
commensurate tonnage with that
Of the Great Eastern $4,000
tons believe and with only the dan
gers Of the open ocean to face. The
sounds and baycus were long ago looked
10 as a means of coast navigation. Gen.
Washington himself was one Of the orig
inal projectors of the Dismal Swamp
canal, which would have fulfilled its
benefcent mission, only that it was the
will of God slavery haa to fulfil its mis-
sion first This Dismal Swamp canal
connects two of these sounds now. The
Albermarle canal, parallel work, only
Just coming into operation, is beginning
10 show how much mole economical it is
to hug the bayous and sounds than to
tenpt the dangerous deep outside.
81 am not sure as to the exact length
of coast which is tributary to Norfolk
by the means to which / allude, but
measuring along shore and up and
down on both sides of the Underwater
tributary streams | should not consider
1t out OF the way to estimate it at / 500
miles. We have Norfolk now the inev-
table terminus of two of the three
grand trunk Pacific railways. The FL
Paso, entirely southern: the Central and
Union Pacific, central and partly nor
thsrn; and we have 1900 miles of quiet
rice, cotton, tobacco and corn fields, all
delivering their annual production to
this glorious harbor, never closed by ice,
never harassed by storms, and row
what next? The James river heads in
the Allegheny mountains of Virginia,
and wandering through that empire for
about three hundred miles, debouches
exactly into the harbor of Norfolk. Its
head waters interlock with those of Ka-
nawha, which, for say two hundred
miles xAoandera west and falls into the