The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-22
men
SAY BU|Y' D [. !. / {
Messrs. Warner Moore, Ellington
II and .Arnistead Give Reasons
ttg{s u 4. .l az 35iS
lsl for Purchase. 4
TO PROTECT FREIGHT RATE
Will y. BE Paying Investment, III
crease Trade and Secure. Larger
!. las River Augmentation. We IA
b.

Merchants md business men OF tho city
nrc still active innrglng the Cornell.
to purchase the docks so that Richmond
Will lave wharfage for vessels bringing
freight to this section.
Mr.. Warner Moore. OF Warner Moore &
Co., In speaking OF, tic subject, said:
There arb a great many reasons. III
the first place. Richmond has no plae.i
IN which d vessel can land and discharge
her cargo except In the dock, unless she
goes to wharf OF some indyJdual. or a
wharf owncd BY n steamboat company.
There Is i;ut Il wharf between the lock
gates ana Ci!llies Greek mt which Il vessel
can land There Is not n wharf cast OF
Gillics Creek that is not filled In so as
&c prevent q vessel from laying alongside
and d,scinrsins her cargo, drawing any
spa&lal depth OF water The w1larves on
the south side OF the river are owned
bygprlvutc parties and railroad companies.
SO rfo;i can readily see that the dock IS
the only place where vessel coming to
Richmond can discharge her cargo. Tho,
whn,ves outside OF the dock are frequent.
~ covered by awater-they being from elev-
el, feet 10 fourteen feet lower than the
dock u tho government engineers were
to realize that Richmond has no facilities
I for handling vessels (I say no facilities, MS
/ tho dock. for years past, has NOT offered
f;tny encouragement to vessel busincss)
ICY w,lftl undoubtedly decline to speno.
money to deepen tn, channel to bring
Vessels to Richmond, when there is no
land. IA the. people of Richmond were
to 'r.eIA " the imltorta:fce that wa Je:,
transportation is to the city, there Is no
question in my mind. but that the city
would buy the dock at once. Thelonly.
check we have on the railroads at the
present time is the, advantage OF watcs
transportation w
Mr.. Ellington's Views.
Mr.. b. Fl. Ellington. OF the firm OF Ell
lington and Guy. lumber dealers. is heart
~ In favor OF the proposed purchase. He
said:
a'.under the least favorable circumstances
siiown.Rtfe dock would pay n fair inter
est and would commend itself az an In
vcstment. Properly and adequately I'M
proved and intelligently administered. an
increase in its revenue should naturally
follow and the business OF the city grow
"a two-fold benefit: bu. iii this latter
respect j speak conservntively. as 1t Is
impossible to foresec the, immense adj
vantages which might result. Indeed,
there Is no telling or estimating the in
by proper Improvement and enlargement
OF dock facilities. In allowing 1t To run
down aud to be crippled by neglect and
entertainments, we have almost thrown
away one of the grea test OF Richmonds
advantages az manufacturing and com.
nercial city, which many other cities
would pay millions OF dollars FOR, IT II
Fl tscould be bought.
No intelligent and erterprising bus
mess man would for a moment hesitate
a proposition to protect and promote
his business interests. were tho per-
{ centagel OF cost to business gained or
protected as small as is the cost OF the
dock property to tho city Of Richmond,
in comparison with the bene fit Its owner
ship BY the city would Insure. II 1t were
possible for members Of our City Council
to regard themselves as a body consti-5
tuted to manage the business Interests OF
the city, from ascommorcial standpoint.
as we'll ms OF It's municipal affairs, and
they could consider the dock question In
tho Same way that body OF business
men would consider It. or any other
question vitality affecting their private
business. they would hardly hesitate at
q step SO essential to the promotion OF
both the commercial and municipal inter-
csts OF the city
What Mr.. Arnistead Says.
Mr.. i. IS. AArmistead, OF the lie febvre-7
Armistead Company used the following
argument in advocating the purchase OF
the docks.
Richmond, due to her gcogra phical post
tion and water connections. enjoys M
great many advantages as a large aistri-a
5butfng factor into the Southern territory:
therefore, the question OF keeping open
her waterways Is aSmatter OF vital inl-
portance 10 the future growth and de-
velopment of the "souths natural gate
way. NJ ss,s II
Prior to the purchase OF the dock by
the chesapeake and Ohio Railroad every
facility was offered to shippers in the
way of dockage and equitable rates: The
Chesapeake and Ohio, upon purchase OF
the same. were rather Indifferent. and
their rates, In a great many cases, were 4
Sprohbitve. The sale of the property By 4
Chesapeake and Ohio to the William r.
.Trlgg Company. pra ctically closed the
ldock against all shipping, rs they used
this property for the launching Of their
boats. Il. 3 s 5,,
RI We are continually asking Congress
for appropriations to deepen the chan
mel Il of James River, and 1T seems to
mo that sthe cityso Of Richmond is open
TO CRITICISM by i Congress- for n lack OF
interest in this proposition, when they
:lccl,nel 10 pay The reasonable sum Of
n, . =