The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-21
The Rich Trucking Section Along
the Chesapeake.
cULTIVATlOn VERY SCIENTIFIC
The Farms are Big Gardens-The Wa
ter Transportation Makes DoublY
Valuable Land Sights and Scenes
and Customs Of the Section.
,specia, Dispatch 70 he 1sne..l

dertul corn. the hin lands are plunied
With splendid tobacco: but after all. the
real garden spot of Virginia is that
Tidewater trucking section of which the
Western Branch neighbornood is the
heart.
Western Branch Is q little stream
which has its mouth in Elizabeth river
ct West Norfolk. and its source. IL sucn
streams, which are merely arms OF the
sea, can be said to have sources. back
in the edge of the Dismal Swamp. 1t
is navtgable by all sorts OF light craft
including small steamers and tugs. l's
bosom Is white with the sails OF schooh-
ers. sloops. canoes. cat-boats. On either
shore lie the finest garden lands in the
world-thousands Of acres. every men
under scientific cultivation.
In this section a plot Of land OF tWen-
" acres is considered farm: aoTty
or fifty acres constitute n large farm.
The man who owns hundfeo acres
nossesses land that puts him on par
with the rnountaineer who pays taxes on
several thousand This. OF course, Is
on the river or some OF Its estuaries.
Back in the interior, OF the water
FARMS of several hundred acres are as
common es elsewhere The land along
the water is immensely valuable because
sc owner finds s. extraordinarily conTe-
rient for his purposes.
WATER TRANSPORTATION.
The .1ruck" Is carted down to tho
Ever or Greek loaded into sail boats
and startcd for Norfolk. There is little
or no expense All along the Western
Branch during the seasons between the
hours OF 10 o'clock and noon, may be
heard the creaking OF sailing gear as
sails are hoisted and myriad small craft
L. rI, az
sctooners that como out Of the creeks
have been pushed or scuiled into deeper
water. From every creek they glide
and presently Western Branch is alive
with vessels piled high with barrels and
crates and boxes each boat with its
crew Of three or four. generally negroes
It IS a pretty sight and not altogether
lacking in poetry. AS the boats get
under way on the river. the tension is
relaxed. and there is song and laughter
mingled with the strains OF music that
comes from banjo and accordion and
steals across the water with droWsy
sweetness.
Between the old Western Branch draw
bridge on the Churchland road and the
Hodges Ferry Bridge, five or six miles
up the river, a fleet of little sail yes
sells has formed into a procession that
IS almost unbroken. Their cargoes are
presently to be stored In the holds of
the big boats that ply between Nor
folk, Baltimore, Washington. Phtladel-
phia, New York. Boston and Providence
These boats all sail In the evenings ana
the truck" must be gotten to the huge
vtarves in good time. Below the old
drawbridge, in the busy seasons. traffic
becomes jambed and congested; naNga-
ton Is slow and uncertain, in some
III, 1QrIf Sn-
come down from above. the situation Is
relieved.
A GREAT PROCESSION.
4 trim little tug puts in appearance
about II o'clock and blows for the draw.
In 3iffy she has come through and Is
picking up the truck boats. Vessel after
vessel is attached to the tug hawser
after hawseT slips over stern ana DOW.
until one wonders how on earth-or on
the water, rather-that dininutive little
craft Is going 10 tow such an endless
procession It is no uncommon thing
to see one of these little tugs towing
Etring of twenty-five or thirty schooners
and sIoops. These she will conduct in
tortuous ana circuitous fashion through
the maze Of unattached craft to the
wha1ves in Norfolk, after which she viii
return for another tow. At times 1t re-
CURES several of these tugs, working
overtime, to handle the traffic, and even
then they merely relieve the congestion
Scores OF other craft are compelled at
the last TO worm their way into harbor
under their own sail. or propelled by the
ever-ready sculiing oar.
A t'RIGITFUII JAM.
At the warves the Jam is Hightful.
asowsprits interlock, there are numerous
collisions that generally cause little dam
age, there are scrapings and cravings
and bumpings and picturesque language
but after while the thousands OF
boxes. barrels, crates and baskets are
ho,ete5 ~, the wharves or over the sides
OF waiting vessels to be stored IN the
holds bv armies Of brawny stevedores.
The crews of the small boats Idle around
a btt. visit nearby bars, perhaps, Tor
refreshments get together what sup
plies they may have been commissioner
TO bring home, and while the sun Is stu
nigh in the heavens. hundreds Of sails
are beating back up the river. This
time there is no friendly tug to lend
assistance. Each boat makes her way
~ her haven as best She can, and ar
irving there IS tied up" and made
ready for the next days work. which
is repetition.
The 'rarrns.-they are nothing but big
Eardens-are cultivated by men regularly
employed by the owners, but the truck
Is garnered. If the word may be used
by truck hands" On some OF the
places there are as many as 800 OF
these; the number runs from fifteen on
up, varying IN proportion TO the size OF
the farms" These hands" live pro-
,niscuously 81 truck houses" which
are nearer like an East Side New York
tenement house than anything In Ameri-
ca outside Of Gotham. There IS moth
ing beautiful about these truck houses. !"
Except from the sordid standpoint Of
economy. they are absolutely objection
able.
TRUCK HOUSES
Great barn-like structures Of two and
three stories they are empty during the
off-seasons. but when ti7lck-picking time
comes around. they are Killed., like hives,
with swarrning sweltering, ill-smellinS
humanity. They are unfurnished. Eac h
truck hand" brings his equipment with
him. It consists OF e. blanket, a FRYING
pan. a tin-plate. knife and fork. tin
bucket. lineup. cofee-pot, spoon an
extra necl1ue and a Sunday suit OF
clothes. Men. women and children are
nived in these truck houses" often in