The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-11-24

0k0WTH in MANVFAcfbnSo IMP
or ixDUsrRIAr. DEvELoPMENT--sr STEALING A
MARCH on BALTIMORE.
Especial correspondence Of the Baltimore Aner''
can.l
RICHMOND. VA, November % =" Dam
vour river and blast your rocks 1.-THE citi-
zeus OF Richmond, 10 whom this shockingIy
Drofane advice Is said to have been given
by consulting engineer, have damned the
James river to very large extent, but the
rocks are still here. What they are now
most anxious 10 see accomplished is the
of the liver chaDuel 50 as 10
secure water enough at the wharves 10
fioat larger class OF sfn-going vessels.
At present. craft drawing from four
teen to sixteen feet OF water can load az
this port, and year hence II Is expected
that eighteen feet OF water will be obtained
BY the present system OF ietties. The APP
proach TO Richmond by way OF the james IS
quite picturesque, and really charming, II,
as was my fortune, the traveller sees the
city through the mellow sunset light OF a
crisp winter afternoon. Church Hill STANDS
out In bold relief. aud In the distance 1t
seems to be studded with diamonds, so daZ-
cling Is the reflection from IT. window
pancs. / had left Norfolk just as the sun
was rising over the harbor and tercely at
tacking the boar frost that whitened the
decks OF the steamer Qbe Ariel, OF the Vir-
gina Transportation Company and snngly
stored away In the wbeeI-hou,e with Cap
tain Clifford, had spent the entire day
10 studying, 1t short range. the history
Of the famous waterway. No one, dare
say, knows so much about the river rs the
Captain. His more than threescore-t ears
aud-ten sit tightly on bis shoulders, and the
red still struggles with the brerze In bis
cheeks; but be is, for all that, veteran,
learned in the lore OF hooks as well as the
sea, and rs shrewd an observer OF man as OF
river channels. He not only knew, as |
soon found out. every historic spot along
the river, but could tell Just where were to
be found the most valuable colonial records
1t. He had much TO say about
the London collection OF pnpers and manu-
scripts, and be was az pains 10 point out the
errors into which travellers before me
had fallen. Thu, Just as we were pass
ing Jamestown Island, with the ruins OF
the old church full In view. be told with
evident relish how, at The same point, be
had once seen an Englisbman point TO the
chimney Of the old saw -mil-nOw in ruins
and heard him inquire Of bis comrade ::
+" WHAT'S that, you know?" and the latter
replied, with great gravity: 4" Han! why
that's the monument 10 john SmitD, you
know !" As we steamed up the river, fit
tng from one bank to the other, as the land
ings made it necessary. the Captain enter
tanned me with stories Of the early settlers
and the present tccupants, discoursing with
great fuency Of Pocabontas and General
Malone, OF Fort Darling and Of Dutch Gap,
where General Butler began his famous
canal, which the city of Richmond after
wards flushed, and which shortened the
river passage some miles. What de-
lighted me most was the magnificent
OF the colonial mansions.
Their very size is suggestive OF hos
pitality, and could not but contrast them
in my mind with the buildings OF our day
and generation. But all OF this should have
been written en- uoydge. 1t is Of Richmond,
where for a week past have been "study-
ing human nature"-as one jolly, fre-eat
ing friend OF mine avOws-eXploring the
labyrintbs OF Virginia politics, skurrying
through the dirt Of factories, boarding rail-
road lions in their dens and dueliists in their
lairs, sounding the depths of social life at
The clubs, and, I'm general. trying TO get nj
the real springs OF southern feeling, habit,
md opinlon-it is OF Richmond set out to
write.
RICHMoND's NATURAL ADVANTAGES.
As the site OF the town was picked ont In
he seventeenth century. when the Rich
mond and Allegheny railroad was really not
ga large share OF public atten-
IioD," and the place got its name from the
similarity OF its location TO that Of its Eng
ish names,ke, it perhaps would be a waste
Of ink to tell what nature has done for Rich
nOnd. SO far as have observed, nature
never did much OF anything for the city till
mn began to pool his issues with her. This
pooling arrangement now promises to con-
vert kicbmond into thriving minufactur.
Dg centre at no distant day. 1t Is almost
entirely in this direction that her fu.
tire lies. She has water-power SUI
iciept 10 drive mills inpumerable; IN
abundance Of cheap labor; direct rail
and water communication with the leading
markets every access to the cotton, coal,
md timber regions; and, lsstly, no very
near rival. Up 10 the present time she has
displavtd no special nc ivIty in stimulating
manufacturing, and yet the statistics show
a really remarkable growth in this depart
ment Of busiae,s. The product OF her lc-
tories last year amounted to the sum OF
S23 1856 $40. an increase OF $685., 590-or
over ~ per ceIt.-over The previous year,
aud The number OF hands employed was
a. 193-an increase If 2 1853 over the pre-
ceding season. NorfoIk's cotton trade VIII
doubtless pretty closely approximate these
figures but there is this difference to be
noted, that it requires but o small fraction
OF the number Of employees whose la
Dor entered into the product OF Rich
mond's factors 10 handle NOrf0lk's
couon; and, consequently. the ben.
etit to the former city through the distribu-
ION Of wages was much greater than In tue
case of The latter city. TO show at a glance
In just what branches OF INDUSTRY bere
business Is growing most it may be Of ser.
wee 10 reproduce the exact figures. la
value Of product the tobacco, cigar, and
cigarette factories Of course come first, their
,utpnt (oi every VARIETY being 80, 800. 900;
$3.50 406; iron orks, 81, 249,.
$40; pork-packing, sl,750 500; drugs,
1855 900; fertilizers. $3.50. 900; agricultural
implements, $525,000. The total number
II establishments Of all kinds last year was
,85; the value Of their plant was 81, $685.
l8i, aud their real estate S4,429,921. 1t will
DC seen that iron ranks third In im poitance,
he famous Tredegar Works turning out
he tulk OF the produc but considered
n respect TO the number OF hands
o which it gives employment. il
ta3ds second in ibe list. The manu.
acture OF tobacco engages the labor OF
bout 1000 persons, or one half the entire
'umber employed In industrial pursuits,
While the Touring interest, although 3ext
n value OF product, requires the labor OF
'ut 243 persons, as against over 1000 EN-
,loyed in ibe working up OF iron. This !
lisproportion of labor'to product Is notice |
BILE in many other instances, and In none |
0 greater degree perhaps than the TWO |
ottop.factories,. which employ 100 more !
lands than the 1ourIng.milIs while their |
'roduzt Is only about one seventh of the |