New-York tribune., 1902-08-24
The NEW PROVIDENCE.
CAPITAL OF RHODE ISLAND
RENEWING ITS YOUTH.
-xrrSsIoN OF COMMERCE EXPECTED
ro OFFSET DECLINE OF MANU-
rsCTVRING INTERESTS-MANY
CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

s i,s merchants whose traffic extended as far as
.s-,ca and Asia Then came a long era Of indus
oI proeress and prosperity. when the commerce
- the port was allowed to dwindle down to small
.s+ trade But at the present time. because or
z~,f+ of capitaI back from manufacturing to
.ercial interests, the trade Of the port is max
ing remarkable strides
80 revival of Rhode Islands commerce has
.r.in been strengthened and reinforced by an ap-
-ss-ion made in the last session of Congress, Of
paonoo *or enlarei1g the anchorage room In Provi-
- r2iver at the head of Narragansett Bay. The
.snal pla- called for appropriation of $4,000.
a -be remaining S6o.o9 II is expected VIII be
,+ed tz- the next Congress The 100000 appro-
SO, was made a result of the active efforts
I-as,ineton of J. T. P. Bucklin. harbor master
" a r-ovtdence backed by the Providence Board Of
Trade , 4,
-be enlargement of the anchorage ground in
providence River. however. is only a part OF what
=, h.,ng done by the citizens Of Providence and OF
go island for the Improvement of their great
.o-u-ar Narragansett Bay Dredgers are now at
- a+ various points in the thirty-five mile chan
sl and with the last appropriation more than
:, o,a an will have been spent in this work
-ba members of the Providence Board Of TRADE
- that with adequate facilities, Providence
~ essilv become the chief port Of Southern New
Fgland and the equal Of Boston They point out
-. .oct that as a port it is more than hundred
-;,es nearer than Boston to the West Indies ana
- tho trade of Central and South America The
80 at Providence is said 10 be almost abso-
,r+elv secure case of storm. and with the COM
,et,ou of the harbor Of refuge at Point judith. al
.,e mouth of bay, much OF the dangers OF thls
.-, of the coast Will be overcome The impetus
r., -be commerce of the port has already ex-
-,encad is best shown in the report OF Haroor
Naster Bucklin for the last year The gain IN
Messengers the previous year is Hi'0o ana III
<-sleht 112 Sic tons. Within the last year new
,,,a of steamships has also been put into operation
ha-ueen Providence and the West Indies. and sew
x-.l of the old established lines have nearly
doubled their fleets. It has always been conceded
tv travellers from Newport, at the lower end OF
EsrraEansett Bay. Providence. at its head that
these le5 square miles of water are unexcelled in
.bs nictresoueness Of the scenery. the islands and
the hills behind the shores But up to recent
tine the bay regarded more from sentimental
ny artistic standpoint than commercial one
Early in the nineteenth century the merchants OF
Providence sent ships TO China which returned
,oaded with tea and silks. Their sailing vessels
came back from the West Indies with heavy car
goes of molasses, and at one time, before puolc
sentiment had revolted against it, an opulent tri-
angular trade il called. between ProVi-
dence the West Indies and Africa was carried on
A shir would thus leave Providence with a load of
rur bound the coast Of Africa On arrival the
captain would barter his for slaves, which he
would carry to the West Indies or some Southern
port of North America. At this point he would bar
ter the slaves for moasses. which upon the return
az the ship 10 Providence would be sold at hand
rorne profit for the manufacture Of rum Thus the
.ound Of commerce complete
But the slave-Inolasses- trade was froWneo
down so darklv that when the broke out be-
tween the Colonies and England ii began to ofsap-
pear. Along with it also vanished the Oriental
trade of Providence. Instead. the merchants of
Rhode Island turned their attention TO manufact-
ures. By the Of the War Of 1872 their world
wide commerce had tapered down to a coastwise
traffic, carried in small sailing ships, but on the
banks Of the Blackstone, the Pawtuxet and the
other streams Of the little State had sprung up
came into the harbor brought for the part
raw products from the South and coal for the fur
Of their factories At the present time there
are 1888 firms located in the city of Providence.
with invested capital OF SIS 5367s The value of
the raw material used in year is s46357.lSo and
the annual value of the manufactured product
reaches the Of SIS. los sg7.
The sharp competition of Southern cotton mills
at the present time. however is having fits
effect Because Of the lower manufacture
IN a NIL in the South situated within easy reach
Of the cotton and coal fields. there has been
thing Of check in the New England cotton indus
Try Providence capitalists looking TO
channels for investment. and have begun to real
iZe that in the bay which stretches up TO their
doors there opportunities for a splendid COM
meroe. Instead Of more capital, therefore, being
almost entirely invested in cotton mills and other
Ike forms Of manufacture the younger Providence
hnaneiers are planning pier improvements and
steamship lines
The Board IF Trade of Providence IS at the pres
ent time deeply in the subject of munich
pal ownership Of docks. and is urging the city to
buy up the wharf property, which ii is believed
can he acquired for about s5cooe90 $4,000, and
improve this shore front with large and modern
piers. Every inducement would then be offered
To steamship companies TO make Providence their
port Of entry. In order 10 give a free outlet Of
freight the interior and to the West rates have
already been secured which pronounced by
many business to be as fair and equitable as
could be expected
At the present time the New York New-Haven
and Hartford company controls all the railroad
lines centring in Providence, but there are
runaors 10 the effect that the New-York Central
is intending build rival line south from
Worcester, Mass, by means OF which con-
nection could be made with its trunk line over
the Boston and Albany In this way the city of
Providence would have communication with New
York City and the South means of the New
YORK, Aew-Haven and Hartford Railroad and di-
1ect conectfon Win the West by way OF The New
York central and its many ramihcations Inc
let to Boston and the rest of New-England
Before the last appropriation by Congress there
Providence River, which is the long necked head
S Rann 1G 20 & OF e snd @ deep p had aa | BEEN
secured up to Sassafras Point, and thence 800 feet
Point Bulkhead Rock was removed and an an
ehoFage area thousand feet wide, with depth
varying from six TO twenty-five feet was dredged
ouI between Fox Point and Fields Point. The last
appropriation calls for conslderapie eniafgeneht
twenty-five and twenty-four feet draught 10 come
A contract made in 1898 for the extension OF
The new channel below Conimicut Lighthouse by
the Western Passage, winch is the for that
part Of the bay between Conanicut Island and the
western shore, which is situated Narragansett
Iier- Dredgers work between Warwick
Aeek the mainland and Patience Island, which
with Prudence Island. divides the bay for some dls-
lance. and which lies about half way between New
Island
Cntil the passage OF the River and Harbor bill
Dy the last Congress OF 81 oSs, 1853 had been
spent on the Improvement OF the river ana pay.
ssScsiye s Of the so2 25o for dredging Green a