The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-06
CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO.
THE GROWTH OF AN INDUSTRY.
me Business or the Company ss Seen at
Tseir whsrves-SoiI from the Four Corners
OF The Earth-HOw Coal and Lumber Are
Hasdied-The Past and the Present.

Wharyes aad the character thereof. Nine
ty-nine cases out OF every hundred in
which an estimate Of this sort Is formed by
those who are unacquanted with the facts
are erroneous. To clearly understand the
nature Of the traffic carried on bv the
Chesapeake and Ohio railroad-as shown
IN the work at the cOmpany's wharYes- il
Is necessary 10 visit the same. and under
the guidance OF the company's agent. Mr..
Walter Upshur, make 4 tour OF investiga-
ton.
\ Dispatch reporter did this yesterday,
and 10 give the scope Of hi. observations will
be imperfectly attempted in this article
The history OF the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railway Company up 20 the time that
Richmond was It's eastern terminus will
not be noticed. About ten years ago the
company conceived the idea oi
ESTABLISHING wHARyEs.
and this was soon put in practice. The re-
suit was the present site Of the wharyes
WAS purchased. including about ! hundred
acres Of land, the price paid being II, 900
per acre. The wharves are about two
miles from the centIe % the city. some dis
tance below Rockets and the james River
Brewery, and Immediately in a neighbor-
hood Oi
RICH HISTORIC REC0LLECTIONs.
On the hill overlooking the wharves l.
" Powhatan." =" the old family residence Of
the MayOs. and nsmed in memory 0i King
Pow Whatan, the dusky aboriginal poteutate
who many years ago ruled the red owners
Of the land hereabOut, with rod les, So
we're than that with which the diminutivc
specimen Of humanity known 70 Nirgin-
ians now as the Republican B0s, regulates
Affairs in the Coalition camp.
The MsyO family must have come into
possession % the ancestral acres 10y direct
trade with the Indian owners. Certain il
is that tradition. written and unwriticn
history, all combine 10 connect their pro-
pri.t4ry rights with the very earliest CO..
loni2l recolections.
The grounds as now preserved bear
marks OF English ideas and regulations.
The old mansion spread, out in imitation
Of royal amplitude, and the bricks show
on their dusky. age-begrimcd faces the
stamp Of foreign manufacture. TIE
grounds are ample, even now when The
CovTBic TIC HtyD or r0VEerV
and priyation has been 50 long abroad In
The land. The out-hOuses are fashioned
after the old English style, with a lodge
Tor the hostler, and an old brick stable
that could furnish from IL massive walls
enough bricks to build house according
10 modern architecture five times rs large.
Acres oi garden-land are vet left. and the
gardeners lodge .till stands in portion u
the enclosed lot. All goes to show that
whoever lived here in the brave days Of
old had right royal notions Of life. and
right literally carried them into practice.
The railroad company set 10 work and
established its wharves. When this enter
prise was first undertaken no vessel draw
ing more than ten feet Of water or carry
ing over
FIVE HUNDRED Tons
could come up to the wharyeS. In fact.
the first boat Of this capacity which did ar
rive was viewed by hundreds Of Richmond
people 4, regular curiosity. Now yes-
-els drawing sixteen feet Of water, and car
rYing
ELEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY TONS,
make regular trips. load and unload with
ease and facility, and nothing i thought Of
II. When the company nr.t set 10 Work
only small business wa. done. and hui
Few men were required 10 attend 10 II.
Now nearly four hundred men are kept
bu,ily at work sometimes night and day,
and the amount Of traffic l. almost incredi-
1e
The stevcdorcs and trimmerS throng The
wharyes and the holds - the vessel~. The
mast. ~ bries and schooncrS make forest
on the water. and an army q coal-car- can
be seen on every hand. As matter Of or
dluary occurrence, il can be mentioned thai
Yesterday 500 tons Oi coal alone were sem
of on vessels. This article comes doWi
from the great coal region, Ot hanaWhi
and New river in ears specially made iol
its transportation. These car, are run ui
on elevated tracks at the cOal-dock. anC
when safely lodged here the engine i De
tached, and BY the force OF gravity alon'
and the use Of brakes the coaches arr
brought opposite vessels, and shoot 4
fixed through which the coal l. sent Whirl
ina into the hold % the vessel, the bottom
OF the coaches having a trap-door arrange
ment which allows the escape OF the coal
In the vessel the trimmers are kept busll.
Al work slowing away the coal. and IN eX
tremelv hot weather they are compelled 4
WORK FOR LIFE,
nc the coal. IL not removed, will cut of al
air. The company transports large quan
titles Of camel coal. When this was com
rnenced camel coal from England Va
worth 400 per ton. This coal l. indispen
Gallo in the manufacture Oi gas, giving. q
il does. that brilliant glare To light. Ih
CbcSaDeake and Ohio sold il n first FOR q
ner ton. and now can furnish il for SlI.
sTAvEs AND LUMBER
abound in endless quantities, and the me
thod Of handling these l. similar 10 that q
coal. The cars are run into the lumbei
dock. and "shoots are here arranged 10
sending the slaves into the DOtlom oi u
ships mOored alongside.
The dsrkles throw four slaves at tim
into the "shoot," and chant mouTniI
announcement Of the fact each tipe in o.
der To guide the mate Of the ship ana u
compsny's clerk III Their worA OF keepin
the tally Of the number handled.
TSese stsyes are all dressed and read
for use. insuring the purchaser again
freight charges for worthless mA'eila
They come from West Virginia IN emo
nous quantities, and side by SIDE Win lhe'
is seen thousands OF feet OF the most exec
lent walnut, poplar, curl-maple, ana oth'
lumber. much Of which is shipped aero
the water.
: THE OIL SHEDS
: Of the company are another feature OF int
est They are 80 feet long by 175 ie
wide. and are capable Of holding any qua
: tity Of oil. Every month thousands
barrels are shipped TO distant points. Ye
,erday morning vessel was unlOadll
phosphate rock, petrifed bone, broug
. from y. Johns river, South Carolina, an
unloaded here by means OF a der1ck II
, py steam. The company has branch roi
running out 10 g'iano man uiactory, al
as soon as the ears are loaded they a
taken hence.
{ Fifty tons OF
4 VIRGINIA MARBLE