Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-07-06
Letter from WiIminst0 Del.

| w UMlNGItN, ou!S A.-1u LOU itidS'
making in Wilmington consisted of three small
sbopS: ike our friends, S, + anil =. Of our
town. Most of the work done at these shops
was repairing; occasionally new carriage was
mt M About that time Mr. Mcrrick Que
of the three, moved to large building former
" used as cotton mill and started an extern
sive factory and employed forty hands; the un-
derraking was too great for Mr.. NJ, and III
IS47 he suspended, when "a cooperative com
nauy was formed By some OF the old hands.
! Not more than half dozen had the courage to
rn Into it at first. but gradually Others Joined
and started a co operative company on good
foundation, and FROM that time the carriage
business continued to grow from year 10 yeal
! until there are now Is carriage manufactures,
turning out about $500 carriages annually. and
worth over 81 .OOd 400 and giving employment
to between 800 and 400 hands. Most OF Tie
establishments are branches from the oopcla
tive company. members having withdrawn and
started on their own account. The business still
continues to grow, and 1t Is thought IN Ten
wears from this date 10000 carriages Will be
annually turned out and shipped to different
parts OF the L. s. from this place will here
remark that large amount OF the timber used
come, from our State The next on the list is
hip-buiIding, but this branch has declined
here. as it has in almost every place stree the
war. Wilmington, like Alexandria, was at one
time great commercial port. About the year
1893 every wharf was occupied by ships dis
charging cargocs, aud every warehouse was
used for storage the shores rescundcd with
the cries of the sailors heaYing the anuhor and
in loading and unloading the vessels and ship
yards were busy At this time Wilmington had
a pnpuaton of only $500, and is said to have
had larger commerce than At any period OF
her history up to the present time. This trade
began to decline after the close OF the last war
with Great Britain until she lost entirely all
her commercial trade with the West ludic> and
other foreign countries, and Shlp-bulidlng de-
clined until 1913, when new era opened in
this branch of mechanics. There are at present
five ship yards as follows = Mendcnhal Nor
rcll 4 CO; they make swift sailing tug heats
specially they own large marine railway and
work truln I0u to 2uO hands, the markets nr
their ships arc New. York and Boston; next
T. 4 G. Moore commenced in. 1894, and is
the Oldest firm DOW doing business in this line
in the city: they build all kinds of sailing aud
steam vessels, and when not engaged in build.
ing ships, work their hand- ON boats to keep
them togcthe. they work s. hands next. W.
& \. Thatcher; they build sail and steam ships
either wood or iron; they have built d ship #
!, 100 tons, which is the largest wood ship that
. has been constructed in this city; nu'nf,r Of
| hands employed about 60; next, Purscy J mes
IL Co.: they build iron ship, of any siZ". tran
prol clicr to IA grand floating pa'aca, and do
all the work by thor own hands. engine ana
machinery aS we'll as the hull AID work from
300 u ,I0G hands; they started in 1919. Tn"
largest in the city, and they have, a great aud
extended reputation, i Harlan, Ito lmgSwor;h
G. g. Il, MI,
cahinc, akcr and H"ng>worth machimSt,
plain and unprcl ending mechanics; united their
! skill, with very limited means and commenced
, to build cars and engines, iIst before the crisis
5 of 1897. which caused them 10 struggle To
keep ah at against the universities which took
J them, in common with others; they surnouhtcd
them and have gained al enviable reputation;
their cars and engines are now on almost every
railroad. In 1910 they added to their business
, ship building Of iron, and which is now their
leading branch; they build as many a> seven
and eight ships year; the largest built by
them was 500 tons they require the aid OF
from 100 to 500 mechanics All the work of
wood and iron is done in their own establish
ment. The success of this firm beginning with
mt capital, is beacon light to others. IN cx
ample and strong incentive to our young
men to make an effort to do, and to conquer
, success Such an example as this is worth
more to the world. to encourage others. than
that of p. It. Barnum and all others like him,
who have been successful by humbugging the
people In addition TO the above, there arc
other manufactures in successful operation.
70 give you Il history Of all would be taxing
YOUR space, | only wish to show what has been
done at Wilmington and then compare the nd
vantages of our own city with that of Whining
ton, and let us decide what ought to be douc
and what must be done to make Us, too, a pros
, porous city, Instead of two railroads, and one
a through line, situated like Wilmington, be
tween two large and prosperous cities and two
small rivers (more like runs passing by us; so
narrow that boy can throw stone across
, them and winding like serpent we have the
o. & A Il K. giving usa connecting link South,
East and West, and penetrating the interior OF
the cotton Statcs-the source OF all the wealth
Of the North; the Manassas Gap. terminating
f in one of the best agricultural portions Of this
| continent; the Pennsylvania Central, now the
most stupendous OF all the railroad corporations.
with her branch running from Alexandria to
Richmond by which we can reach any portion
of the United States or Canada; the great
Chcsapeake & Ohio, which will soon reach the
Ohio river, and when she completes her branch
to Alexandria, will pour into our laps the pro-
ducts Of the Western country; the several con.
pectons we have with Washington city by rail
and river and last, but not the least of our rail
roads, the Washington & Ohio which it is Of
vast and vital Importance to Alexandria to have
completed to the Ohio as soon as possible. This
road will, in my opinion, open up to Alexandria
sufficient trade. properly fostered to sustain a
city with population OF 100 600. passlne,as | t
does. through one Of the richest agricultural
and mineral sections of the United States,
and opening up one Of the finest bodies of
timber land as now exists, which, in adj
dition to the trade from the Ohio and the
Lakes, must give US great advantages bringing
the products OF the Ohio 223 miles nearer to tide
water by Alexandria than it can be reached now
by way of New York. Besides the above, we
have the noble Potomac with all her tributaries,
beautiful river; her equal | have never seen
in any part of this county; with sufficient
depth of water for ships of the largest class,
"a .r;,.;nn an outlnt FIR the nrnlncts of nur