The sun., 1902-10-19

boats stockton, Shuhrick and Thornton
and the torpedo boat dos,royers Dale and
Decatur.
Tho first big ship built hv the concern
FOR the Government was the projected
cruiser Galveston the keel Of which was
laid IN January. 1899 The Galveston H.
a 3,ep-ton war vessel over sos feet long.
10 foot beam. of IL feet inches draft.
equipped with .iN boilers and two four
cylinder, tripl.-"xpan-ion engines and haN
ing maximum speed of i6' knots
The company has also built several
United States rev.nu" cutters ard fiy"
passenger aud freight steamers for III"
Old Dominion and other lines. The out
look Tor the concern il Of tie brightest.
and it clearly has come to ay and become
one Of the great bulwarkS uf Rlchmond's
prosperity.
II Is surprising how little l. known iu the
outside world. except IN shipping circles.
of what Richmond has don" and i doing
in this great shjp-huilding industry. Even
Admiral Hicnburn when he came here
a year ar 50 ago wa> am,zed at what he
saw and at the brilliant possibilities hat
were ahead here in the ship-bnilding line.
PRAISE FROM ApnIEAr " rRoEH.
in every sensc Of the word aud Was to me
most gratifying. Although the reports
thai have been made TO the Department
from time To time through i.ie naval iu,pec-
tors have been entirely oatisfaco orv aud
most encouraging, vet was not Al all pre-
pared for the advanced condition which
| found confronting me herr"
-1h" works are much more advanced
/ 1ugl ,,.t, Il. /
equipped with the most modern machinery
10 he found. thus enabling the company
To do it, own work instead of -uhlottiuE il.
! relcat hat il was most surprising aud
gratifying 70 find such work being done
in Richmond, and 10y l'Siuuors in the ar
of shiphuildiug
"'ih" location of In" plant 7 found To- bn
ideal in every particular. Af,'r the ships
have been launched they rest upon the
water in tn" basin steadily and quietly
a. if upon the ways and supported by stay.
They are wholly undirturnod 10y tides and
waves and breakers. which l. "a great point
pending construction and tn" installation
of machinery.
Il was delighted with the plans shown
me-, and with he site proposed for euli"c-
ing the shipyard- and for the cons ruction
of the larg" basins for the dccOmmOda-
tion of battlcship-. cruisers and the like.
Such fresh water basin a. J. hcr" oun-
teInplated, coupled with the Trigc shop,
afording facilities for repair, would bc of
great service TO the Gov.rrmrut and would
save mach expense in docking.
Aud, again. not only tho ste, but Rich
mond itself, j. an ideal place for ship
yards, Being inland and it, Strategic
vau" well established. there could b., no
interruption to works in tia" Of war.
But more, a city of ia" IN" or Rich-
mond has many advanta crs over smaller
places, in that there can always l-. found
laborers to rely upon. The citv i NOT only
iarG" enough 10 supply all rh" ahorcr-
nee, ssarv. but il affords th"m 4 parma
neut homA. whore supplies ar" cheap and
churches and schools abound. together with
all The necessary places of amuecmo.'.
In the future there will W" no.hing to
prevent the construction hrr" At Rich-
mond Of the largest type Of hatte-hip- that
now floats. The depth If the channel of
the river ~ high It'd" below IN" falls l.
now 20 feet and this i.'o bc Increased under
the scheme of Improvement being prose
cuted 10y the city and Government to
depth Of - feet
RlCHNoNp'S RAILROADS
The real secret %. RicGmord'- growth,
like hat of all great cities lies m tho q, vel
opmeu' of her -ror'ajlui Indeed il
may he said that a." great ioawaNculug
throughout all the South iy dgr 10 the
splendid work that has been don" ln push
ing forward railroad "rj"rpri,"', ard the
con version of disioiut"d, Ineffective, aud.
in fact, almost meaningless small l,,,"~ into
consolidated Trunk lines great arteries
reaching our tn all parts of tl" country ard
bringing into ~taguau' places th" warn
vigorous life blood of ,rad,
An Interesting outline of Ei,,muud's
railroad development was given 10y Col.
T. NJ. Il. lalco'' of the Seahuard All Line.
Col. Talco't said
The first railway built from the city ~
Richmond wa~ tho Richmond. Fyodcrick--
burg and Potomac. the northern terminus
of which was a Acuula Greek. where it
CONNECTED With a lin" Of steamer, ON the
Potomac River, making through pas, go
line 10 Washington, LG' Il Wa, MANY years
before it, pr.s"n' rail connect ion North
vas cumpl,'"d an' that road hccamo =
carrier Of through freight - well a, through
passenger.
"Th" Richmond and Peter. burg road
was the next dcv"opmci In R,,hmrnd'-
railway system. which, w.'h ira Peters
burg railroad. gave II "A through Irlc >ouh
10 Weldon, wherr It ccruocird with two
railroads in the State of Nor'h Carol.'l
Tie Louisa Railroad, or Virginia Ccrfr;l.
now a part of IN" Chesapeake AVID OHIO.
thc Richmond ard Diuy'o. and m" Yor,,
River. now included in THO S"g'hcrn Rail