Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-18

10 affS his mark t 8 an ina :. mary deadi
OF transfer. When the $Gilliams sailed
back England the big chiefs wore
moccasins tina: were run down ~ the
heel for many months.
Coming back to late years. il is q
notable fact that the land along the
waterfront. which cannot be bous hit to-
day at n Price. sold in 1851 for from
w 70 say an acre. 1t was the property
Of the WilburnS. Burkes,
Lees and Fitcaetts. The present CasInn
grounds We're 4 part of the Wilburn
estates. Hel's Half Acre was owned
by Mr.. George +. West. who for many
Years conducted the principal merchan-
disc store OF tn" county there.
The Wilburn and Burke estates were
purchased by Mr.. Colts p. Huntington
and the shipNard now extends over n
part of each CT these farms.
The building OF the dry dock. which
was begun in 1887 and finished before
the close of the following year, marked
the beginning of q new and great era
Of prosperity. The growth of the town
tom that time WAS phenomenal.
THE FIRST NEWSPAPER.
N 1870 the population numbered over
1000 souls. Newport News took on q
city-like air ard boasted of II news
paper. Il number of stores. several
churches. and more than one school
fouse. The FIRST newspaper was APPLY
cnristencu til" Wedge. 1t opened the
way for other and more pretentious
news publication. The name of the
editor Il proprietor of the Wedge was
Cash Thomas. His subsc RIDERS. how
ever, never took his name seriously, for
Cash. who could WELD the scythe more
nightly than the pen. hired himself
out on the side to the Old Dominion
Land Company as q Landscape
gardener" Between editori alshe laid out
plots fer flower beds and slew the
GenredatinE caterpillar and other para
sitical onlnisectiSora that invaded the
Horticultural domains over which he
held sway. Evidences of his excellent
taste and skill! as a gardener may be
seen today in old photographs of the
Fiotel Warwick. showing Warwick Park
in the foreground. The Wedge was
published weekly for seven months. af-
ter which il was purchased by Mr.. John
Whey. who changed its title to the
Commercial. The Press and Telegram,
which followed in the order named.
gave the city the first morning and
afternoon news service worthy of the
nune. both papers presenting in their
columns daily the telegraphic and cable
news reports OF the~4world's greatest
rewsGathering organization, the Asso-
ciated Press.
The completion of the great s%hipbuild-
ing plant, With the extensive work OF
shipbGilding carried on since the works
We're made ready FOR operation. put mil
lions of dollars in circulation ana made
these works the most important factor
in producing the hustiing. progressive,
cosmopolitan city OF Newport News as
it stands today @NM# "
FUTURE MAYORS ADVENT.
Another mar who came along at that
epoch was named Post. He arrived
here in q conveyance en- tho Goth day of
November, 1850. driven by Il sable-hued
Hank Monk, Enoln he had picked up in
Old Point. The driver bore the apos-
tolic name Of Peter. He had another
part to his name at one time, he said,
but it had been broken off and lost in
his infancy. Mr.. Post was accompa-
MED by Mr.. l. Eugene White. the con-
tractor who had engaged to construct
the terminal improvements at Newport
News.
When the charter. making Newport
News a city. vas obtained, Mr.. Post.
who a from the time of his arrival
enjoyed the esteem and confidence of
the community and who was eyer to