The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-02-17
TO EXTEND THE
NORFOLK YARD.
One Hundred Acres to be Added to
the Navy Establishment at
Portsmouth, Va.
Portsmouth, Va.

Among the items in the naval appTO-
priation bill just passed by Congress is
one that will prove of great benefit to
Portsmouth and this section. The item
referred to carries an appropriation o.
S2jOGoO for the purchase Of additional
land for the extension of the Portsmouth
Navy Yard. This means that the present
limits of the navy yard will be enlarged
by about 100 acres. This enlargement IS
made necessary because of The present
crowded condition of the yard. bio.2ht
about by the large number Of me-" b.'ld-
ings recently erected there and the need
for more land for the new dry dock.
The plans for this dock call for a
length of 100 feet. On the only available
site for this dock, COO feet is the best
that can be secured With this purchase
contaminated, there will be ample room
for the construction of the dock on the
approved plans.
The land to be purchased is known as
the Collins tract. and now belongs to
q Philadelphia syndicate, known as the
Portsmouth Company. It is south of
what is called the old Key Road, just
beyond the city limits, and. extends from
the west wall of the navy yard at it's
southern end near Third Street, west to
Sixth Street, with a water frontage on
the Southern Branch and Back creek of
nearly a quarter of a mile.
AS soon as the purchase is consum-
mated a portion of this land VIII be used
for the new dry dock. Work will COM
mence on that Improvement Immediately,
as the appropriation for starting it was
made available at the last session of
Congress. The new torpedo shed, for.
which 100000 has been appropriated by
the present Congress, will also be slocat-s
ed on the newly-acQuired waterfront.
1t is rumOred that this purchase will
enable the opening of q new entrance to,
the yard, to be known as the transporta.
ton gate, through which will pass all
railroad cars, both loaded and unloaded.
One of the main objects of the building
of the River Front Railroad was to give
the Norfolk and Western a connection
with the navy yard, and thus enable
them to place all coal shipments in
the yard direct on cars, and thus save
the expense OF barging from Iambert's
Point.
The Government in turn has long felt
the need of transportation facilities be-
tween the navy yard and powder maya
Zine,ss some three miles up the Southern
Branch. and in order to maintain con
slant freight and passenger service be-
tween these two points, it has, 1t is
said. given a valuable concession to the
River Front Railroad in allowing that
road to place all cars in the navy
yard. thus doing away with the pas
sage of cars through the First Street
or main entrance, which will be used ex-
clusively for persons on foot, and what
is known as the west gate will be open
daily for the passage of vehicles in
stead of only at morning, noon and
night as at present. The new entrance
Will be located at the southern end of
the yard.
The sale of this land to the Govern
1nent will enable the Portsmouth Com
pany-which owns nearly 2,0G0 acres of
land. extending from the yard to Gill
merton-in connection with the River
Front Railroad, to push to a successful
consummation several industrial enter
prises it has projected for the develop
ment of its land
It will be. no surprise If, within five
years hence, numerous manufacturing
concerns nre located on the west bank Of
the. Southern Branch with a tllick1y set
tiled suburb extending from Portsmouth
to Gilnnerton. where at present 400 hands
are employed, and to Nlillvine, a mile be-.
yond, where 200 hands are employed in
the hax MISUNDERSTANDING Star.