The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-20
HEAVY vIcIssITUDEs.

In 1851 IL promised to be the CONNER
cial emporium of the Atlantic coast. But
the embargo proclamation of that date.
the war of 1872 10 1915, and the naviga-
tion act OF 1920. were successive ana al
most crushing blows 20 it, prosperity,
from which, however. 1t rallied during
the forties, only TO be scOurged Ia 1870
by yellow fever Then followed the al
most finishing blow of the civil war. The
cause OF its decline during that period
was not hard 10 find Its natural adyan-
taaes were OF no avail against the su-
periOr success of its great Northern rival.
From the yicisstudes of war and scourse
Of disease has risen. phoenix-like, a new
spirit Of enterprise among her business
people.
Norfolk with It's thirty lines Of regular
TRANSPORTATION by water and rail- in d.
rect communication with all points ~
the compass. has bright outlook for the
future.
To Col. William Lamb Norfolk q more
Indebted for it's present prosp 'fity an~
commercial standing abroad than any OF
its citizens. Soon after his return from
the war In 1866, he foresaw the great adj
vantages this city afforded as a future
commercial and business point for capi-
tai and enterprise. During that summer
he went dlngently TO work 10 secure d.
rect trade between Norfolk and Europe,
as we'll as to divert the lines Of traffic
from the Mississippi and Ohio rivers 10
this place. He never relaxed his effort
until large export trade was estab-
lshed with the cotton from the South and
the grain from the West seeking a mar
ket and outlet at Norfolk. The first steam
shin ever loaded with cotton for export
here was through the exertion of this
enterprising gentleman from Norfolk. In
1874 he organized the first system OF Civ
ing through bills OF lading from interior
Southern and Western points by rail and
ocean steamer to foreign ports. By this
arrangement cotton was shipped from
Memphis, Little Rock. and VYcksburg
to Liverpool on through bills OF ladng
issued from the starting point. In $3.50
NOT folk received only forty thousand
bales OF cotton; IN 1885 one million bales
landed on her wharves, valued at
S41, 10000, which was either sold here or
shipped 70 other points IL ranks to-day
as the fourth cotton market on the At
lantic coast. With its subordinate mar
kets one-sevelth OF the cotton exported
from the United States passes through
this port Its peanut, oyster, FISH, and
lumber trade amounts annually TO TWEEN
ty-three million of dollars.
INV COAL PIERS.
One mile inside OF the head OF the
Eliz Lbeth river the long trestles or the
Lamberts' Point coal piers appear. These
piers are forty-eight feet high, sixty feet
wide, so feet long. and are said 70 be
the largest OF their class In the world.
The largest ships afloat can load from
them They accommodate eight vessels
at a time. and have a loading capacity OF
800 tons IN ten hours. They are sup
Piled with coal from the famous coal
fields OF Virginia and West Virginia. and
are owned by the Norfolk and Western
Railroad, which has It's maritime ter
minal at Norfolk In lSy5 more than
f.s30 vessels and steamers coaled here.
taking !. So 900 tons Of Virginia coal. More
than / DO men get employment In this
service. This line Is Norfolk's mainstay.
being the greatest coal carrier In the