Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-15
FUTURE OF CAPITAL
Industry and Trade Next Step
in Progress.
RAILWAY TERMIN AL
LARGE PROJECTS IN VIEW FOR
MEETING NEW CONDITIONS.
Building of Repair Shops Likely to
Give Impetus to Production
Start Already Made.

Washington is not now an industrial city
in the sense usually understood by that
term While 1t has many industries and a
large volume of business, the capital is not
devoted to commercial pursuits as cities
GENERALLY are.
VIII Washington in the natural course of
ton and trade?
The answer to this question: if sought in
the traditions of century and the present
trend of public sentiment, would be in the
negative. 1t has been said that, being the
seat of government. Washington should be
forever free from the smell Of smoke and
the rattle of machinery. Residents have
taken pride in the fact that the city is
without the CRIME of industry and the sor-
didness of the trading emporium.
A close analysis however of forces al
ready at work, which in the end must
bring large results, leads at least to a quail
ification of set opinion on this point. Nat
ural energy and enterprise are not lacking.
and 1t would be strange thing If the
Washingtonian should miss for all time
the industrial and commercial spirit of the
American nation. The city will grow much
more rapidly than it has done, and with
that growth new outlets must be found for
effort, and new lines of business must be
developed. Increase in production is likely
to pass the bounds of home supply and eX-
pand into the manufacture of commodities
for general trade. The evidences of this
movement are not difficult to trace.
New Union Station.
The railroad companies are at present en-
gagged in the construction of terminal facil-
tiles in Washington which will cost about
s1IOOO00. These improvements are of a
omit 1Ia wi h9 wonder
those who have become familiar with their
SCOPE The idea has been expressed that
the transportation companies are erecting
a grand union station equal in size and
magnificence with any public building at
the capital. While this may be true, dis
corning people have come to suspect that a
deeper purpose actuateS the corporations
that is to say, preparation Tor hanolns
rapidly growing traffic which naturally
flows through Washington from the South.
Those conversant with transportation prob
lens know that this traffic Is increasing at
an enormous rate-so fast, In fact. as prac-
tically to paralyze existing freight and pas
senger facilities at certain seasons OF the
year.
Freight blockades have been of frequent
occurrence. and with each inauguration,
or unusual event. the streets or the CITY
have been used for loading and unloading
passengers. The union station. therefore.
seems to have been inspired by motives
other than the apparently philanthroplc
purpose of eliminating grade crossings ana
the erection OF structure which should be
a matter of pride in city full of superb
buildings.
The study of a good railroad map for
five minutes will show with startling clear
ness that Washington is the natural gate
way looking to the northeast for the region
lying south of the Ohio and east of the
Mississippi rivers. That region is traversed
by great railroad systems which terminate
on the banks of the Potomac. The sole
avenue by which these systems can reach
Baltimore Philadelphia and New York is
the new steel bridge recently opened TO
trains. The outlet is through the capital
Efforts have been made to find a way 10
the northward around Washington, but the
finger of fate has finally pointed out the
avenue over which southern traffic must
pass to the great consuming centers: rms
city is on the highway of transportation for
the south. and it IL, besides, exactly where
the railroads of the south converge into the
trunk lines leading northward 1t means
big things in the future with the growth
of the city and the expansion of industry
in the south.
Freight Yards and Shops.
In connection with the terminal station
the railroad companies have designed large
repair and construction shops. on the north
for the Baltimore and Ohio road and across
the river In Virginia for the Pennsylvania
and southern roads. These shops will es-
tablish in Washington a new element OF
population and set firmly the beginning of
a laboring class in the accepted meaning of
the term.
Railroads and water transportation are
the feeders of all industrial cities. The
crossing of two railroads tracks has many
times caused cities to spring out of the
ground on arid plains and in the seemingly
trackless forest. The railroads are here,
the river Is here, and that, too, in the
great pathway of traffic between the north
and south The new facilities in process
Int will Washington
the best equipped transportation centers on
the eastern seaboard, and 1t is safe to say
that the smoke of the factory and the din
of hammers and machinery will be even
tualy seen and heard along the shores of
the Potomac.
In the District and across the river in
Virginia great natural advantages for
Industry Miles of level land skirt the
stream unimproved and almost worthless
except for mill sites. The water frontage
is equal to that of Baltimore. Practically
all that has made for the good or that city
or Philadelphia. in the way of natural ad-
yantages exists here. and now that the
transportation problem is reaching a solu-
ton all that remains is the beginning. 1t
requires no gift of prophecy to foresee that
other large Industries may follow the rail-
road shop to the shadow OF the Washing
tho monument
Washington Is already an industrial city
of some pretensions In taking the last
census 2669 enterprises Were placed on
record The capital represented was s24.-
32p 133. OF this amount the sum of $3.50
54s was invested in land, Si,1T.3oi IN
buildings and SS044. S05 in machinery and
tools In the year 1900 there was paid out
In these industries SS,2s6.33I in wages ana
81 3I4,39 in salaries There were 10 -
employees and the value of the finished
product was estimated at S37.TSo.257.
Comparison Of Figures.
Cities half the size of Washington. in
other parts of the country. may make
better numerical showing than this, but
the figures are significant and show that in
dustry has gained a strong foothold. de-
spite the handicap o tradition and a pub
lie sentiment that effects to despise pro-
duction and trade. 1t is to be borne in
mind also. that 6 very large proportion of
the bread-winners of Washington are per-
manently in the employ of the government
as clerks and officeholders while another
large segment of the population consists OF
rich people retired from business or living
at the capital in luxury. Divested of the
offce-holding and non-productive class and
there IL left not more than one-third of the
population TO carry on the citys Industries.
In the light of these facts the exhibit Is
not proportionatey 50 bad.
The Industries OF the District are almost
exclusively those of providing for its own
people. "Neighborhood industries" they are
called as distinguished from industry for
purposes of supplying outside market.
Washington makes its own bread brews
the larger part of its beer. siaughters and