Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-01-03
ALEXANDRIA.

Alexan dria is widely known, for
many of the visitors to Washington city
take in, as part of The itinerary to the
nations capital, the historic city, seven
miles down the Potomac river, on the
Southern Railway.
While Alexandria is extensively
known, too few are fully informed in
regard to the advantages this place
offers for business including commercial
and manufacturing enterprises. 1t has
undoubtedly great future before it,
iuasmuch as it is the port of Washing
ton city. Large ships now come to its
wharves, and il is only a question of
time when ships drawing twenty. four
feet Of water can come there. Congress
will be asked TO make an appropriation
for the dredging oft "Kettle Bottoms"
near the mouth of the Potomac river.
The deepening of that channel would
permit ships of the largest drsught to
come to the city.
Cheap cosl, splendid transportation
facilities by rail and SEQ, an abundance
sap raw material and nearby
OF cn 40 some Of the advantages
MARKETS ai3 sha a. ,,a 10 offers. Alexandria
was in her early day .eaa'bs Nnd bsr snp ,nep
ping and mercantile city, "a ~snnto
chants have well preserved her. -.
ton, for to-day some of her wholesa
houses sell goods as far west as the Mis-
sissippi river, while Alexandria crack
ers, cakes and candy are known ard
used over wide extent of territory.
Among the manufacturing industries
of the city may be mentioned the fol
lowing:
One cracker, cake and candy mar
ufactory, one brick works, two machine
shops and foundry, one glass works,
one shoefactory, three fertilizer plants,
four planning mills, one spoke factory,
one broom factory, one brewery, one
ice plant, one shipyard and a number OF
minor industries. Here are located the
Southern Railway shops, employing
many hands.
The Alexandria wholesale grocery
trade exceeds S4,000,000 annually.
Twenty million feet of lumber are sent
out from its yards; while in coal, fer
tilizers, salt and plaster lis merchants
command Il large part of the trade OF
Virginia and the Carolinas Three
banks conduct the financial business.
The city owns its own gas plant. Wa.
ter is supplied by a water company,
the supply feing received from Came
ron run, al the analysis of the water
shows it TO be pure.
Alexandria is we'll supplied with
churches, as follows: Three Episcopal,
one Roman Catholic, one Presbyterian,
one Lutheran, one Methodist Episcopal
South, one Methodist Episcopal, one
Methodist Protestant, one Baptist and
one Hebrew Synagogue.
One of the first free schools in the
United States was here founded by
George Washington, who endowed it.
The public schools of Alexandria are
excellent. There are forty public
schools The last report showed there
were 2,0S9 pupils enrolled and ,6o5 10
daily attendance. The annual ex-
penditure for schools is about $50, 800.
The population is estimated to be
$4,000. There is to be noted at pre-
sent an unusual briskness in the build
ing trade of the city. Several fine res
ideoces on Washington street have just
been completed. -,
The Business Mems League of Alex
andria is an organization founded TO
promote the business interests OF the
community. 1t comprises among Its
members the enterprising merchants
and manufacturers of the city. Mr..
NJ. B. Harlow is PRESIDENT southern
Eield