Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-08-20
Communicated.
Some Lost Opportunities.

Some Lost Opportunities.
What we are about to tell is partly
tradition. but it is true and reliable
In the early days. of our coutury-
when Vienna on the Nanticoke was a
port of entry and had her merchant
princes in the Billings q Steeles of
that day and her ships and barges.
Annapolis and her feet of square rigs
aud ocean goers (among them the
Peggy Stewart, the Lively Nancy and
the Good Inlent) and her Stewards
and Williamses-w ide-awake capital
lists and inventors saw the advantages
and possibilities OF Annapolis, they
proposed TO buy water fronts. and
lands for docks. wharves, warehouses
and factories, but the CAROLS, Chases,
Ogles, Lloyds and others who owned
nearly everything in sight, lsaid no.
They would not have their comfort.
quiet aud elegance disturbed by the
rude jostlings of commerce and the
clangOr and noise of factories. All
the commerce they wanted was ships
TO take the tobacco and wheat of their
farms and plantations TO the markets
OF London and Liverpool, and bring
back the Injuries and necessities re-
quired for their style of living, as to
manufacturing all of that needed was
done by their slaves on their own es-
tates, and they would have none of 1t
in the city.
Then those projectors cast about for
another location They went to the
head of navigation on the Patapsco
and Baltimore is the result. Soon
Annapolis lost most of the trade she
had and settled herself down for "a
long winters nap, &" from which she
did not awaken until early in the
thirties, when a spirit of progress
moved the commonwealth. Millions
were appropriated by the Legislature
for works of internal improvement.
Annapolis allotted share of this ex-
penditure was to be the terminus of
the chesapeake & Ohio Canal, project
ed by Washington and built by the
general government, the states of
Maryland and Virginia and others,
but the canal stopped short at George
town, and Annapolis was placated by
state subscription TO the little bob
tail Annapolis q Elkridge Railroad.
Perhaps this change was fortunate,
otherwise we might not have had the
Naval Academy, which is doing so
much for us, but still it was another
Oh bIlOS6 1OSt W Abi Nnl1h
the history of the old town is dotted.
Still another of them was when the
Pennsylvania Railroad bargained for
and had almost concluded the purchase
of the A. e. r. r., when she was
overreached or headed off by the
Drum Point Railroad Company and
the treachery of the man to whom the
Pensy had confided her end of the
deal. The Drum Point Company got
the road, but her plans were thwarted
and frustrated by the pigheadedness
and narrowmifdedness of certain citi-
zens of Anne Arundel and Calvert
counties and the failure of the COM
missioners of the former county TO
subscribe to the stock of that COM
pany, although the proposition was
endorsed by an immenes majority of
the popular vote to which it had been
submitted for approval or rejection
by the Legislature. These obstruc-
tions delayed, hampered and finally
defeated the building of the road.
This was another lost opportunity.
These lessons, we hope will induce
us to deal practically and sensibly
with opportunities as they are offered
and carefully weigh and examine them
as they present themselves. The cleo
trio railroad seems to be an assured
thing. To an extent our City Fathers
are committed, but we hope they will
see that the rights and interests of
our city are fully protected, while do
ing all they can TO promote the enter
prise Corporations are very grasping
and overreaching in their dealings
with the public. If you "give them
an inch" they try TO taRe an ell -
What there was or is in the talked of
hosiery mills we are not prepared to
say but the whole scheme has rather
fishy odor in view of conditions
disclosed, it appearing that the man
prominent in the project was only a
salesman for concern, which had no
idea of changing it's location and even
he was too busy to come and see for
himself. 1t looks now as if it was all
talk and we suspect that is the view
our Business Mems Association
took of the matter. Doubtless that
practical and business organization
will be on the alert where Annapolis
interests are involved. Probably we
shall, in the near future, be again con-
fronted with the. Drum Point Railroad
question. 1t is hoped that we will
deal with it in a fair and liberal
spirit. Its building would be boon
and boom for us and our county. 1t
is just what is wanting to develop
lower Anne Arundel and Calvert coun-
ties. We ought to and would have
had this road years ago. but for the
obstacles and impedinents thrown in
the way of its construction by narrow
minded selfishness, want of public
spirit and the ignoring of the peoples
instructions by the Board of County
Commissioners. Nj,