Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-06-30
Correspondence of the STAUNToN VINDIcAToRl
NEWPORT NEWS. VA,
lime 23rd 1882 {

| that the great Chesapeake " OHIO trunk
| line has really earned the right to the
name it BEARS Now indeed, does it brine
the wealth of the great West from the
| valley of the Ohio, and without break I'D
! its iron track, dumps 1t into the vessels
| that rest upon the deep waters of the blue
| Chesapeake. This place, named Nr"pof'
| News, because long i,efore the days Of the
Revolution, Capt ia Newport sailed MP {
this point bearing the good news Of sucrn
and salvation to ia mishing colony. ma.
| as the terminus of this important through
| line, become place of note in thu coun
try, and the wealthy and enterprising cor
poration of the Chesapeake Il Ono are
| sparing neither money nor pains +" help
what nature and circumstances have done
| so much for.
WHAT 81 ,00O,O1 IS TO DO.
AS the company will finally spend we'll
on to 600, 900 of dollars before it has COM
pleted it's improvements here, it will utter
est the public to know what is done and
doing on this old camping ground of Ben.
! Butler. Two immense piers have been
built so far; the first the freight dock, now
also used for passengers is 1874 feet wide,
| and runs out into the water 700 feet where
| it is 40 feet deep. The railroad track runs
| through the centre, and there are wide and
spacious elevated floors on each side hav-
ing twenty Is feet wide doors on the sides
for the discharge and reception OF freight
and passengers. This pier IS under co yer.
Another, the Coal Dock, is 800 feet long
and runs out into go feet water. It has
two tracks in the centre and one raised on
| each side, which are so arranged that the
cars coming on or going off are run by
gravity. From this pier which is a double
decker, and 80 feet high, the vessels are
loaded by coal shutes from the cars with
great expedition from the upper deck, and
coal is kept on hand below for the
local demand. A third dock, the Old Do
minion. is now in process of construction.
1t will be 1872 feet wide and 800 feet long,
| and will be the passenger pier when finish
ed. 1t will be two stories and covered and
| and connected with the six story grain
elevator, 17e 1856 feet, with a capacity for
| d million and a half bushels of grain the
| upper story will be appropriated to the
betting and machinery for handling the
grain, and shutes will discharge the coal
| and grain too, when it IS desired,
| from the cars into the vessels along side.
| The greater part of the piles have been
| driven and large part of the pier is floor
| ed. MIR. Eugene White, an experienced
wharf builder OF New York City, has
| charge of the whole wharfage work, and
| says he will have this done in time for the
| fall wheat trade. He, and others, who
have had opportunities to observe, say that
| there are no wharves in New York or Bal
timore superior, If equal to these. In the
deepest water at the ends of the pier they
are driving down into the mud immense
| pine trees 95 feet long, and the expedition
with which it is done with the huge ham,
mer coming down with a force of ten tons
at blow, is really astonishing. The beach
| for mile or more is covered with pine
| trees which have been RATED here from the
surrounding, and sOme distant points,
and several forces of hands are constantly
| busy charring them for better protection
from water and para -ites. The lumAer
used is all the best Georgia heart pine, and
| is brought here at great trouble and ex'
| pense One hundred hands are now at
| work on the Old Dominion pier, and sew
enty-fve others are connected with the
I work which is being pushed rapidly for
ward.
| OTHER WORK IN CONTEMPLATION.
Three other piers are contracted for, one
for lumber and two others for coal. Sew
eral large forces of hands are engaged in
excavating and grading for sidlngs, which
will aggregate IS miles on the yard. The
work on the extension to Hampton and
| Old Point is also going forward with en-
srgy, and it is expected that IN 40 days the
| trains will run to Hampton and soon after
| to Old Point. Col. NJ. q. Braxton, so wei
| known as one Of the most capable and en-
ergetic railroad men in the country has,
as engineer in charge, the supervision Of
all the work here, and is ably seconded by
/ his first assistant Mr.. T. G.. Powell.
A BUSY SCENE,
even at this early stage OF operations may
be witnessed here any day. There is now
anchored at the coal pier, one of the larg.
est three mastad Schooners, the Thomas
from Taunton, Mass chartered by the
company to carry cargo of steam coal to
Boston. 1t will carry 1850 tons, and i.
nearly loaded, taking from Is to IS hours
to load, and carrying about 60 large Cal
loads. Another schooner With capacity
of $50 tons is just loaded for Northamp
ton, N. H., and still another loaded Nth
pine lumber from Brunswick, Ga, is dis
charging it's cumbrous freight at the pres
ent lumber pier which is as easily hand
led by the immense steam derricks. though
many of the pieces of timber will wsgl
$500 pounds, as so many barrels OF flon
or sugar. This great derrick will handl,
weight of 40 tons, lifting a heavy loco
motive bodily from the deck OF the vesse
to the wharf. Not long since, 35 frrigh
cars manufactured at the Tired egar Work.
in Richmond for the Eliaabe til City
Norfolk railroad were sXpeditiously trans
ferred by this arrangement from the tract
on this wharf to the barges. aud conveyed
six at load to Norfolk. Long trains OF
freight and passenger cars. the latter nov
always we'll filled are constantly arriving
and steamers and smaller vessels coming
and going, and everything working smooth
ly and systematically under the general
supervision of Mr.. l.. Bremand, Superin
tendent of Transportation, one the mos
capable and obliging officials. of the many
good ones, in the employ of the c. & o
Company.
| CARRYING GOALS TO NEWCASTLE.
Not long since the steamship Merca
from Charleston, S. G. bound TO Newcas
tie, England. with $500 tons of Phosptat,
Rock, put in here, the captain saying HI
wanted about 100 tons of coal to take hin
to Newcastle where he could get his full
supply. Mr.. Bremord suggested that ht
lay in all he needed here, but the Captain
demurred, saying that he had no idea tina
he could get coal here equal to the New
castle coal, but Mr.. B. insisting. he exper
imented satisfactorily, and then called il
the advice of an English expert who hap
pened to be aboard, who gave his verdict
in favor of the New River coal, and thu
vessel was to the satisfaction of all partie
then loaded with her full supply of 40
tons for return voyage. So. however
much truth there may have been hereto
fore in the old provarb as to the folly OF
"carrying Goals to Newcastle" Superln
tendent Brsmond has exploded it for all
time to come.
THE NEW CITY OF NEWPORT NEWS
begins to assume pre'entious proportions
The land upon which the coming town il
laid off, is the property of the Old Domin
ion Land Company, they only disposlng o
so much to the railroad company as thai
corporation from time to time finds it ne
cessities demand. A year ago there wal
| On1v hOusa here and there. now there is