Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1907-02-16
cREArER ALExANi
he Editor OF the Alexandria

10 the IdOtpF Ot iur htrAatutth
Years sgo the Gazette showed Its in
terest in the development Of Alexandria
and our State By publishing many letters
on that subject from my brother, the
late II. 7. Douglas, Q, F. ask the
use of your columns to lay before your
readers the great possibilities of Alex
sndria, providing proper effort is made
to develop those possibilities.
Alexandria Is essentially a part OF
"Grsster Washington" and at this time
when the national capital is being
doomed il is most opportune that Greater
Alexandra should begin to grow to
those proportions which nature aud the
position il holds to Washington make
possible. Alexandra is the natural port
of Washington and while Washington
will grow to the north, east and west,
it will grow also south, extending beyond
the present limits of Alexandra. While
manufacturing establishments will ex-
tend the greater city in other directions
Alexandra will grow to be msnuiact-
uring and distributing city, not only on
It's own merits but as part Of the grester
city. Thus Homestead aud other cities
around Pittsburg, Pa, are independent
of and yet are part OF PIttsburg.
The great need to give Alexandria
boom that in the next ten years will
make her city of so, 900 population is
20 connect your city with the iron ores
ard coal6elds of West Virginia in the
most direct manner possiolle. A rail-
road from Broadway, Rockingham county.
Va, or from Harrisonburg, Va, 90 the
Southern Railway to the red aud other
ores of Psndleton county, W. Va, and
TO the coking Goals of Randolph and
Upshur counties, w. Va, would connect
Alexandria with the great iron ore and
cval deposit of West Virginia. Or a
railroad from Bluemoat Luudoun county,
through Hampshire, Hardy and Grant
counties, W. Va, would answer this
purpose; at the ssmetime opening up
timber and other resources which
would enable your city to offer
great Inducements TO other indus
tries. This would enable Alexan-
dria to offer the best manufacturing
facilities to all lines of iron, steel and
lumber industries, and in fact would be
the basis for every line # industry. IL
is true your city can at present offer
great Inducements to manufacturers, but
great az 1t can now, then 1t can offer
usiness propositions that will DC sure
to be needed, because then its sdvsn-
tages will GEOGRAPHICALLY good. Alex.
andria, as largely the shipping and
manufacturing point Of "Greater Wssh-
ington" has future 10 any event, but
with the proper effort made she can reap
the benefits al once instead of having to
wait long years for this realization.
/ Alexandra should become the great ar
NOR plate manufacturing point at least
in your city there should be an armorex-
pertinent plant conducted by private
company under direc, government SUI
pervision. This could easily grow into
great enterprise, the proportions OF
which, a, present, we could hardly con-
ceive.
The red and red fo=siliferous and
brown iron ores Of West Virginia are
the same class of ores which is the basis
Of the great iron and steel industry OF
Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama.
The success OF the Basic steel process,
eliminating phosphorus, gives a much
greater value to this clsss of iron ores
than existed only nine years ago.
In other articles | will write more In
detail on this subject.
Z specially YOURS.
w. G. DOUGLAS.