The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-11-23
TO Be A GREAT CITY
NEWPORT NEWS. HAMPTON. AND
OLDPOINr COMBINED.

signs OF The Times which Point to the
Formation Of This Vast Municipality =
How the Town Ia Improving. Some CT
the improvements.
You may die and | may die, and the
band may play "Anne Laurie" or any
other melody il wants to, but Newport News
will continue 10 live and grow, and in few
years will be, next to New York, the great
est seaport on the Atlautic coast.
This is the inevitable degree OF pro-
gressiveness, and Newport News has been
singled out for the promotion, but not with
out good cause
Firstly, the port is the natural outlet by
water OF Nirginia's exports, and in the
rapid way the old States resources are be-
ing developed nowadays it isilikely she
will soon need all the points for delivery she
can get.
Further, most OF the exporting from the
West il done over the Chesapeake and Ohio
railroad through Newport News, because
freight can be handled more expeditiOusly,
and because the rates are more reasonable,
il is said.
just take live stock alone. Tuesday last,
for Liverpool, was taking aboard l30 head
Of cattle, brought over The Chesapeake and
Ohio road from Chicago. During the month
Of October six ship loads OF cattle. or ,29l
head, were handled at the port. Daring the
year ending November |, 1890 nearly / 900
head of stock passed over the wharyes.
Live stock is the smallest item of traffic
in Newport News.
Most Of the grain shipped from the West
goes to Newport News, and passes through
It's mammoth grain elevator, which has a
capacity for 100000 bushels.
The Chesapeake and Ohio roads business
is so large that it has seventeen miles of
side track in its yard, and employs there
and upon its five immense piers some seven
hundred or eight hundred hands.
This is not all by any means.
The Newport News Shin Building and
Dry Dock Company have one OF the largest
plants i'm the world on the western suburbs
OF the town.
The buildings cover five acres, the ship
yard sixty acres Of ground, and has 'front.'
age on James river Of ,S2j feet. The build
ings are handsomely constructed in red
brick and iron, and are equipped with the
most modern machinery for ship-building
purposes.
This is not an enterprise that is coming.
IL
has already been begun.
From three TO tive thousand men will be
required TO run these works.
The regular lines transporting 10 and
from Newport News are the Old Dominion
Steamship Company, with five ships a
week; the Merchants and Miners Trans
pOrtatiOn Company, four ships week; the
CLYDE Line connection, line Of barges to
New York and the East, a line to Brazil,
steamship every two weeks, and the Barber
transatlantic Line, two steamships a
month.
1t is only question OF time, and very
little time at that, when Newport News,
Hampton. and Old Point will form one vast
municipality.
Hampton at present has about fOrty-fiye
hundred inhabitants and is six miles from
Newport News. 1t is the seat Of the SOL
ders' Home and the Normal School, where
Indians are educated.
The only crab factory in the world il in
Hampton and is doing an immense BUSH
ness.
The Hampton Manufacturing Company,
which makes plOws, cOttOn-planters. &c., il
now the contractor for an iron bridge seven
hundred feet long to 90 across Hampton
creek.
From Hampton bridge TO Chesapeake
City there is one continuous settlem mt
Just beyond Chesapeake City is Old Point
the famous Southern watering place, with
its garrisoned fort and celebrated Hygeia
Hotel.
Can it be wondered at that place with
such environments as Newport News, such
connections. such advantages as "A port,
and such beauty Of situation should be-
come great seaside metropolis?
The town is laid of prettily into streets
and building lots, and row after row of neat
solid brick houses can be seen.
just now ground is cheap, and lots can
be bought at a surprisingly low figure in
comparison with what they Will command
five years hence.
Unfortunately, like Richmond, Newport
News has an unattractiye depot, and the
from the place, can form but little idea OF
the advancement of the town.
One must stop there for several hours,
and take drive around the place 10 ap-
preciate its importance.
When old Newport landed there in 1901
the place was nothing but wooded bluff
Ten years ago II was little more. There
were four tumble-down farm houses, di-
lapidated wharf, ana few scraggy-lOOking
cOrn-nelds.
To-day it is flourishing seaport, a heal
thy and growing town, with thousands Of
inhabitants, and monument 10 Captain
NewpOrts memory and American enter
prise.
Investments made in the place now are
sure TO bring prolific returns.
Newport News is nOt incorporated, and
therefore its taxable values are difficult to
arrive at correctly. but it is known that il
paws about fOur-ffths Of the taxes Of War
wick county. The value Of property in the
centre OF the town and along the principal
thOrOughfares, where the population is most
dense, has increased very rapidly in the
past two or three years.
In some instances lots which a few
months ago were bought for seven hundred
and fifty dollars are now held for twenty
five hundred and three thousand.
There are four Protestant churches in the
place, and a Roman Catholic church is
under contract.
When was there the other day over one
hundred houses were building.
Within the past few months the Newport
News. Hampton and Old Point Develop
meut Company have acquired control OF
twelve hundred and thirty-seyen acres Of
very valuable land between Newport News
and Hampton, and with the view Of
developing and improving il they are offer
ing investors the greatest inducements %
buy.
The capital stock is divided into shares Of
one hundred dollars each; and it is conf
IDENTITY believed that when sixty dol
lars shall have been paid on each share no
further assessment will be required.
The payments for stock are very easy.
Any man with small income could bus
a lot.
And there is no prospect for loss.
Land won't burn down; but if it is con-
tiguous to a growing city ii will surely in
crease in value.
The average working girl or wife could
easily save enough from her pin-mOney 10
make the payments as they fall due.
Only five dollars cash payment is re-
quired; fifteen dollars in thirty days; ten
dollars in sixty days; ten dollars in six
months; ten dollars in nine months; and ten
dollars in twelve months.
Every three shares of stock will enttle
the holder to one lot free of charge.
To determine the choice Of lots there will
be public drawing in May or June, 1891,
and if the land sells as well as the prOperts
Immediately adjoining il, and there is every
reason 10 believe that it will, the subscriber
will have his stock as a clear gain or bonus.
Moreover, when the subscriber purchases
land from the company at either public or
private sale the company will accept in