Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-09-28
THERE is AMPLE REASON
WHY NEW YORK AND BALTIMORE
SHOULD FEEL SCARED.
Enormous Grain Exports from Newport
NEWS Cause Excitement In the
North. Comments Thereon.

The ports Of New York and Baltimore
are alarmed at the phenomenal growth
OF Newport News a commercial city
Monday and Tuesday four news,;;-
Ners, published in different States. com
mcnted on the ac,ivisy in exports ard
imports at this point in their editorial
columns From time TO time the great
newspapers of the country have called
attention to the rapid growth os the
Golden Gate Of the Atlantic" as this
cay is most appropriately termed. and
warmed the great points of New York
and Baltimore that they must look to
their laurcls if they desired to keep
their long established business rela-
ions With foreign countries. The pa
pcrs seem TO be eager to publish the re-
sCrd o. the SGuth'S new seaport ana to
compare the increase here With the de-
crease at other ports. Nothing too
good can be said about Newport News
at seast, that seems To be the position
taK2n by many of the big papers.
To the newspaper corr spcnderts in
The city IS largely l,.c the Widespread
attention given this port. Not a day
passes that some interesting items Of
news are not wired out by the core
ssrondcEts here. This city IS by far the
0cSt news center in this section and
the papers must have the news of New
port News. \ great deal Of matter that
IS ,elcSraphcd out from this city night
!S rcla ties 70 the phenomenal business
of the port the news of the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Com
l'anNS big plant and the chesapeake
u Ohio railroad. These industrial and
commercial items about the port at
tract attention everywhere and they
nv, rl,f
country which are not represented here
by special correspondents.
AS an illustration Of what items Of
news can do for the port is cited the
story which was sent out 10y telegraph
sunday night. giving the record break
ing figures in grain shipments here last
week and the prospect of unusually
heavy business for the balance of the
year. Papers in New York. Washing
ton. Baltimore and Richmond COM
mcnted on the excellent record and
these comments will be copied far and
wide
NOT AMAZING. But COLOSSAL
Following is an editorial published in
Tuesdays New York Trisune. under
the heading. New York and Newport
Ncws:''
The export figures Of Newport News
are said by a correspondent TO be
amazing" They are not. They show
that shipments OF all kinds are rapidly
increasing. Last week nearly a million
bushels of grain We're shipped and s \
more big steamship We're being loaded.
About $50 car loads of grain for export
are received daily from the West. TWO
new cargo shirs of 1900 tons each are
being built FOR that port. and the pres
cil grain elevator. Of l,1l0.o00 bushels
is H..
another of about equal size. such fig
ures are magnificent. prodigious. colos-
sal, If you Will; but they are not amaz-
ing. On the contrary. they are just
what We're to be expected.
THE Shipping World Year Book
explains the situation. 1t tells us that
the harbor of Newport News is the
finest on the atlantic coast of the Uni
Ted States and has one of the most
complete shipyarGs in the world More
over. it is controlled by a great railroad
corporation which eNerts all energy for
lis development. Why should not its
shipments rapidly increase? 1t woul
be amazing if they did not. Commerce
moves on lines Of least resistance ara
best facilities. Therefore. much Of it
goes to Newport News instead of New
York 1t is perfectly natural And ii
is all New York's fault. for this harbnr
was once far better than that Of New
port News now is. and might have been
kept so, and might have been provided
with far better artificial fieiities than
Newport News has.
Does New York console itself with
The notion that it Will at any rate re-
tain the import trade That is falla-
cious The same dispatch which we
have quoted adds that imports a New-
port News are increasing at an enor-
nous rate. OF course they are and
they Will continue to do so. For inn
ports and exports will in the end seek
the same port. and that will be the
port chosen by the export trade I'M
PORTS must follow exports. ii New
York wants to retain the former, she
must retain the latter Ana if she is
going to do that she needs TO bes1ir
herself. 1t is not worthy of her that
any other place on the Atlantic coast
should be rated as having a better hat.
hoi or better shipping facilities. The
best harbor, the biggest and best docks,
the most complete shipyard, the quick
est and cheapest elevator and either
transfer service. and the finest steam
Ships in the world. and they under the
American tiag-thoSe are the things
New York ought to have. and could
have, and must have
BALTIMORE rs sCARED.'
Tuesdays Richmond Evening Lead
or commented on an editorial published
in the Baltimore American, urging tile
building of a canal from that porr d-
rrctly to the ocean and warning the
city authorities that if something was
not done immediately TO siren either,