The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-14
.URBANNA, down ON
! THE RAPPAHANNOCK
A Venerable Town That Is
Growing Young in
Its Old Age.
WANTS A RAILROAD
TO RICHMOND CITY
Immense Oyster and Fish Busi.
ness-Rich Timbered and Farm
Lands Of Middlesex. Making
Urbanna a Manufacturing
Centre-New Enter
prises Wanted.
BY FRANK s. wOODsON,
Industrial Editor.

Industrial Editor.
URBANNA, VA, June 1s.-Middlesex
county, ono among tho richest In the
narrow peninsula, with the broad Rap-
pahannock River on the north side and
tho Piankatank on the south side, Both
streams flow into the Chesapeake Bay,
and being salt water, the entire dis
lance where they lash the shores OF
Middlesex, they abound in oysters.
crabs and fish. The bivalves arc not
altogether as plentiful rs they wera
in former times. owing to- the suicidal
policy of the State in the matter OF
oyster cultivation. but finer oysters
than those that are to be found in
tho waters OF these two streams do
| not exist anywhere in any streams OF
| the earth.
| Middlesex is rich in trucking lands
and general farming lands that have not
been worn out. and that produce most
|luXuriantly all manner OF truck,
grasses, wheat, oats, corn, rye. hay. etc.
There is no land on earth, not except
| Ing the Blue Grass regions OF Ken
lucky. that produces more and better
grasses. Timothy, clover. alfalfa and
other grasses are money crops all over
Middlesex, especially that part of 1t
which is encompassed in a space of ten
miles around urbanna. and In late years
the farmers have learned to make good
money saving hay and grazlig cattle,
sheep and hogs.
Improved cattle is the order of the
day and there is not a farm of any
| size within dozen miles of Urbanna
that is not we'll stocked with Jerseys
and other improved cattle. The grass
and cattle interest Of this section may
be said to be a new industry. for am
told that twelve or fifteen years ago
/ the farmers hereabouts and the town
people bought hay in Baltimore, AMI
from $50 to $50 tons We're landed at
the Urbanna wharf every year, and It
all came from Baltimore. Now hay Is
a money crop around urbanna ana
| these same farmers ship from the
wharf here something over 500 tons
every year.
The Metropolis of Midd1cscx.
The forests of this part Of Middle
sex are rich in lumber. Pine and oak
predominant. but vast forests OF gum,
cypress, hickory, ash, dogwood, per-
simmon. beech. chestnut, and walnut
are ready for the AMMAN and the saw
mills.
Urbanna. with its 700 or 800 popula-
ton, is the largest town in the county
and it has been an incorporated town
nearly 200 years, having been laid off
as such In the year 1717, the same year
that Philadelphia was incorporated. At
that time it was thought by some that
Urbanna was the logical rival of the
City of Brotherly Love, with decided
chances to beat 1t in the race for COM
mercial greatness. but somehow Phil
adelphia took the lead early in the
race, and the most enthusiastic Urban-
MAN will readily admit that the Penn
sylvania town as held the lead pretty
we'll. ~ Az
Urbanna is beautifully located on the
Rappahannock River. twenty miles
from the rivers entrance into Chesa-
peake Bay, and at the mouth of Urban
ma Bay.
They call it here Urbanna Creek, but
1t is not creek. rather beautiful
bay two and one-half miles long and
from half to three-quarters OF a
mile wide, making for the town the
best and safest harbor on tho lower
Rappahannock. The river is. five miles
WIDE at this point and Is the loveliest
sheet Of water on the coast OF yir-
ginia. Hampton Roads not excepted
Handicapped by a Monopoly.
The channel and harbor are twelve
feet deep, and any vessel that plies
tho waters of the Chesapeake or the
Rappahannock can pull UP to and do
business ut the magnificent wharf
here The Delaware. Maryland and
Virginia Railway Company, which Is
not railway company at ALL but a
steamboat line. running boats from
Baltimore to all Rappahannock River
points as far up as fredericksburg.
holds monopoly in the matter ar
transportation. This company also
runs line OF boats from Norfolk to
Baltimore, which do business with
urbanna. This monopoly has erected
a Wharf of Its own and also a summer
resort hotel at West Urbanna, milo
and half west of the town, and its
Baltimore boats land only there, while
the Norfolk boats of the same line
come into the harbor and do business
at the Burton Wharf, located in the
bay at the foot OF the principal BUSH
ness street, The company pretends
that the channel to the liarbor is NOT
wide enough to accommodate the bia
boats when everybody here knows that a s
channel $50 feet wide and 10 feet daen
is ample to accommodate any shin that
sails under the Delaware, Maryland and
Virginia flag. # y
The people here also know that the
real reason why these Baltimore boats
rarely come into the harbor is that
the company wants to force as much
of the business of the town as possible
to their own wharf. and they desire
also TO enhance the value OF the prom -
erty they have bought at West Jrr.
hahha. Another reason lis that they save
stlme by landing their Baltimore boats
at West urbanna, Instead OF In tho
harbor as II takes from an hour 10
an hour and half TO go into tho
harbor, load and unload and get out II
again. The attention OF tho Stata
Corporation Commission has been calls
ed to this manifest Injustice and an-
noyance, and It is expected that ere
long this State power Will force the
arrogant monopoly to give the business
men OF urhann6 fair deal. II ought To III
have been done before now.
A Railway the Remedy.
What urbanna wants more than
anything else Is a railway line to Richs