The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-10-30
Petersburg, with $4,000 Souls,
a Vast Trade Center.
DOMINATESTHE WORLDS MARKETS
Rich in Historical Interest, This Progress.
i've Virginia CITY Does Not Live in the
Past-Exporfs Foar-hsths Of Americas
EaIire Tobacco shipments. Control. the
Peanut Markets at Home and Abroad,
Baiids ships, and Has Other Industries.

Special Correspondence Of The Washington Post
Petersburg, Va, Oct. 27.-There are few
cities in fne South which can point "a
more substantial Improvement in the last
| decade than Petersburg. II is true that II
has not been afflicted by a BOOM" but
| Virginia conservatism is opposed 10 mush-
room gT0wths. with the inevitable reac-
| ton. The ostentatious hustle, the deafsE-
I ing fanfare Of trade. that in a Northern
| or Western city is regarded as the neces-
/ sary accompaniment of commercial activ-
| ity. is here modified into a quiet hum,
] which speaks volumes for the energy and
/ thrift of the people of the "Cockade City. p"
| Rich as the city Is in historical interest,
the residents OF Petersburg do not make
| the mistake OF living in the past. Ii Is
| true that the visitor will probably be
| shown the great stone which, according 20
| tradition. POcahontas used as a wash
basin. He will probably be taken TO the
| scene Of the battle Of the Crater" where
! Burnside exploded the mine which was 10
! break the line of the Confederate breast
| works, and where the grim clash OF the
| blue and the gray covered the ground with
CHASTITY heaps OF dead Along the country
] roads may be seen a ridge, now half lev
eled by the plough. which tells one more
eloquently than words how the fields were
| intrenched by long lines of Notifications.
for the possession Of which embattled
hosts contended in the heat of civil strife.
The reminiscent vein being thus salts
| fed, the public spirited citizen of Peters
burg is prepared to astound the unsus-
pecting stranger with an array of facts
and figures calculated 10 take ones breath
away. This quiet little city of $500 in
habitants Is the greatest center for the
exporting of American tobacco; that it
has the largest trunk factory in the
world; that il controls the Spanish peanut
market for the world; that it builds ships
and manufactures heavy projectiles for
the United States government
These enterprises are merely features of
Petersburg's commercial and Industrial
activity, and they are backed UP by others
which show that the business interests
of the city are large and well diversified
The output of the various factories finds
ready market. noS only in this country,
but abroad. The lumber shipped from Pc
tersburg aggregates % 900, 900 feet per year
and is valued at about 100000 There are
four planning mills in the city, doing a
business of about $2500OO. There is also
one barrel head factory, whose entire
product is eagerly sought by New York,
and fruit package factory, whose an
nual output is placed at $4,000
Here are located four large trunk fac
tories, one of them the largest in the
world. Their daily output is 100 trunks
and l,5OO travelling bags. They make ali
grades, from the common wood packers
to the finest leather articles put on the
market. They shin their product all over
the United States and to Central America
and the West Indies.
Dominates Worlds Peanut Markets.
Petersburg's annual receipts Of Spanish
peanuts aggregate $4,000 sacks, worth
S2O0'oO0 Here they are cleaned, picked
over by hand, and shipped to all parts of
the world, whose markets are dominated
by this city.
Here are located five cotton factories
using the greater part Of the 10 900 bales
received in this city. They make drills
ducking, sheeting, and similar goods. and
export largely to China and Central Amer
lea.
There are also four corn mills. with an
output OF 100000 bushels of meal and
one Hour mill. producing 10000 barrels of
nour yearly. There are also two extensive
hIeNOTks factories, whose business every
year runs TITO the hundreds of thousands
oil dollars, and whose product is used nv
the small Dogs and at pyrotechnic displays
from Iexas 20 Maine. The plants own
Variable patents, and produce MANY nov.
elites peculiarly their own.
Inc Tobacco received in this port annu-
any amounts to 15,000OOO hounds Pa
sizes manufacturing very largely for do
Ihesuc consumption, Petersburg produces
for export 100000 pounds of the total 10
-OOt,OO0 pounds exported from the IJnitad
States. dozen factories, some of them
the largest in the country, are located in
this city They employ thousands of
hands, and their product is valued AT 80
OO,U0 to SOOO,0O0. The shipping tobacco
raised In this section differs from that
raised elsewhere, and meets a demand
that nothing else can satisfy.
IL Will be a surprise to many to learn
that in Petersburg were made thousands
of the shot and shell used in the Spanish
war, including some Of the largest and
most destructive projectiles During the
late unpleasantness with the Dons the
United States government placed some of
its largest emergency orders in this city.
because the officials had learned that the
capacity Ct the plant permitted them TO
De hlled with accuracy and dispatch
An Inland City shipyard.
Among the new Industries in this civ 10
shipyard, where a lightship for the
United States government Is now being
built. This vessel is 125 feet long and 20
feet beam. The company building the
vessel viii also make her engines and
boilers, as they are fully equipped with
foundry and machine shops for turning
out the highest grade OF work. IL is
probable that this same firm will take or
ders for similar vessels as soon as the
one in process of construction is gotten off
the ways. The climate here is so uni
form that such outdoor work can be car
ried on the year around
As an example Of the extent 10 which
labor is employed In this city, the silk
factory might be cited. Although ac-
counted ore of the minor industries here.
it employs about Lees hands Its product
is taken entirely in New York City. and
amounts TO several hundred thousand dol
lars annually.
number OF ma7ufa ,tr-'7g en- .Crrrises
Of less magnitude might be cited Prom
nent among these is 2 fertilizer factOrg
which uriOads from 100 10 80 vessels PER
year. Its capacity is % 90 tons. and the
Na4uc OF the dAlAa output = o. ct A3Dylrj1.
There is also a pants factory. which turns
Out 5000 pairs a week, the value Of the
annual output being Sl50.00l The annual
output Of the hosiery factory is 50 600 doz-
en-. valued al $56,e0o. There are a NUMBER
Of other factories for the manufacture OF
hats, soap, candles. candy, saun. canned
goods. cigars, harness. paper boxes, silk
goods, and wagons. These sell their
products from Baltimore 10 Savannah IL
a fair profit There are also two ice fac
tories. with daily capacity of forty tons.
While Petersburg is pre-emlnently a
manufacturing town, its jobbing trade is
also very large. The wholesale houses
handle cry goods. groceries. and shoes.
with a territory extending from the Po-
tomac to Florida The j0bbing trade OF
the city is estimated az trife more than
sl0oo.ee annually. the shoe trade alone
amounting 10 more than $4,000
Large Market for Raw Produet.