The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-03-23
The Virginia Steamship and Packet
Company.

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Company.
Not only have the enterprising gentle
men who engaged in organizing this COM
pany and getting its stock subscribed sue
ceeded in their prime object and done
what they undertook to do, but, animated
by sincere desire to promote the pros
perity of this State and city, they have de-
tcrmined to have their vessels built in
Richmond. They inform liz that they
have the assurance Of General JOSEPH K.
ANDERSON, the president of the Tredegar
Iron Works Company, Of this city. that
tina. company will undertake the building
OF the steamers for the Virginia Steam
ship and Packet Company.
We have repeatedly tried recently to i'm
press upon our readers that manufacturing
establishments build up city ten times as
rapidly as merely commercial houses. A
capital Of million of dollars in the latter
will give employment to perhaps dozen
men and produce an annual profit of twenty
ncr cent. But million of dollars invested
in manufacturing establishment will JUS
tify the employment of perhaps two or
three hundred hands, and the labor Of each
one OF these hands will produce thousand
dollars per annuln, of which the most goes
first into his own pocket and afterwards
into those of his grocer, shoemaker, tailor,
&c, and n small profit into the pocket Oh
the employer, dM all Of it enr'ches INC
Gig. Holding these views, we cannot out
rejoice that these vessels are to be built
here. 1t is not only important IN itself,
but this contract may result in establishing
here great and growing ship-yard, wherein
thousands of men will some dizzy be en-
riovcd, and whence the most beneficial
results will follow to the prosperity and
growth Of this city.
This is no visionary expectation. The
city of Glasgow is now the most important
of the ship-building points in Great
Britain, although it is situated upon
tho Clyde, which is a small stream com
pared with the James. 4 gentleman ia
niliar with the history of that city tells us
that in l775 there was depth of only FIVE
feet Of water for vessels going to and from
Glasgow. BY the liberal expenditure Of
money the depth of the channel WIS con-
tinually increased until in 1855 it was
eighteen feet. The finest steamers that
traverse the ocean are now built at Glas-
gov. and in every quarter Of the world the
fame of her ship-builders is sounded.
Richmond has even now water enough to
float out to sea the largest vessels az they
are when just completed, and even in this
respect starts out with greater advantages
than Glasgow had when she commenced
her career in this line.
We have the iron, the coal, the tim
Der, needed in ship-yard. The Chesa-
peake and Ohio railroad will soon furnish
us with any quantity of these. The build
ing of these steamers will draw hither in
dustrious mechanics and their families
The increase of our city population will
benefit the farmer as well as all classes Of
our urban population. The money ex-
pended here in the construction of these
vessels will thus contribute to create bust
moss for the new line when it shall have
gone into operation. For every reason,
therefore, the new company has acted
wisely in determining to have their vessels
constructed in Richmond.