The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-01
8NORF'!O,'L
Many Evidenc IS Of y nexampled
Business Progress. q;
(Special to The .NrGes.Dispat cl

(Special to The Tines. Dtspa tcll:) -
NORFOLK, VA. Decembe "a 81 The
year 1904 has Witnessed greater strides
;insth way OF progre ssS on the pa rttof this
city and section than any prey Gus year
In histoFy (. IA 4 5s ~
In every Z line OF bu slness there l,n 8 been
g. steady develop ard forward move
ment. Big buildings re now standing
upon what we're vacant 10 tsj one year ago |
new banks are doing a prosperous bust
ness large firms have sprung up and are
prospecting, and the city everyWh here
shows signs OF healt ny prospe ri
81 Tho volume Of ad vertising carried In
the newspapers this year far xceelss,
that of last year, and this fact III itself
Is evidence Of the city s growth.
Several very Important. matters have
been taken up by the psiness @organ iza-Ii
tons Of the city. and are & now being
pushed toward "a successful consumli1a-
ton. heyswill ghaVe the erect Of Innate
rally increasing the simportanceFof5 N Or
folk as a IN ercantile center and in giving
greater facilities to- the general \ trade
rs One Of the most import ant among these
IS tic movement to have the Norfolk and
Portsmouth Belt Line I; 8ext tend it's tracks (,
Into the city and form what It's name;
defines 1t 4 q, DO. at. present this 8"bet,
line only skirts the suburbs of N lnner's,
Point. II West Norfolk, Portsmouth and
Berkeley, and does not come to Nor
folk except over the trestle and tracks
OF the Norfolk and Western r ilway, at
IA charge Of g per car. ID. n nc M M
"a The real estate business in the city has
been great ly doomed during the b past
year bit THIS has not been e by forced
sale Or inflated prices Ills hesnatural5
increase due increa Is q. emand.
Propertyyyalues arc enhancing St eadily.t
and the \ city Is now confronted with Aal
proposition A q pay ten thousand dollars
a foot for four ron feet at the corner
OF Main and Atlantic Streets, needed "A to
widen the latter horoughf
On this corner tho National Bank Of
Commerce N Is erecting a8flre-proof four
teen story banking and office 8building,!
which, when co nplete ted n year3 henc
Re one OF the most modern 5stru llres N.
the South. One block away the Board Of
Trad q ana Business Men s AssocIa tlon has
almost completed n seven story uilding,3
occupy ling nearly hal a squares, Between
these two structures two folir-story bust
Sress blocks have been erected within the
past few months, and dag lly ross
the street, opposite the y post office, 1T two
modern stores and Office buildings are.
lust completed. Tenants have bespoKen,
all the avail liable space In these buildings
already. 35fs } 81 ~ n #
f4 Inc FSallc dCI4VltSA pSrNAuSS ~ u SoluSHslI
tai building as Is seem in the business
Aine. New and u handsome homes are
Esprlngtng up AL over the Third, Iii til.
Sixth and Seventh Wards. Dr. South
gate Leigh has erected q fivers tory hos
spltal occupying hal q block on Mowbray
Arch, In Client, within the year, and work
is being rushed on the Virginia. Caro- linn
Trust Conpany'si skis tory block on West
Main Street, d Ssi,t e ..ii III, 5 ssl
The city has Increased Its fire fighting
force by building h two mod ern stations
since this time last year.. One protects
tho Fifth Ward N and lthe other guards
tho east water front and residential sec-
ton "a third station will shortly y be
erected in the Sixth Ward, a econd pos
lice precinct has been es tabllslied and
Its men are housed In q complete. build
ing In the heart Of the ''blaok belt, 81 u u
s Tho bulk OF business done in IA II lines
Is far create than that Of 1903 and he
outlook for 1905 Ia that the record OF 1904
fwillsbe smashed to smithereells, II III .#
Advance figures from the custom house
show that the exports from Norfolk dul-
Ing this year will exceed ten million dol-
lars and Will be more than one million
dollars than the exports during 1903,