The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-16
Plucky Citizens Develop
Power That Will Make
the Town Great.
RAW MATERIAL
IN ABUNDANCE
Old Manufacturing Enterprises
Taking New Power, and New
Enterprises Coming In.
Cheap Sites for Big and
Little shops-Real Es-
tate Blooms Banks.
BY FRANK $. wooDsoN,
Industrial Editor.

BY FRANK 8. WOODSON,
Industrial Editor.
Emporta. Va, October 15.-Located
on both sides OF the Niche; in River,
IN the county Of Greenesville. and not
more than a dozen miles from the
North Carolina line, Is the interesting
and wide-awake town of Emporia, a
Town that has shown as great growth
In all respects With nthe past decade
as any town In Virginia, big Richmond
not excepted The figures of the
takers of the latest census of the
United States. so far as they pertain
10 this county and this town, are not
yet at hand. but there is ample evil
dence In sight to show that the above
statement as to growth in every re-
spect Is true. In the mere matter OF
population the town has probably moro
than doubled itself since the census
OF 1900 was taken, and in other re-
spects the Increase and enlargement
has been in excess Of the increase in
population.
Things That Tell.
The "other respects mean the in
crease In manufacturing plants and
the enlargement of old establishments
the increase In bank clearings and the
establishment of new banks, the en-
largement of the mercantile business.
town improvements. including new
water works: the enlargement of edu-
catlonal facilities, the increase In
churches and the value of church prop
erty. the improvement in the character
OF homes that have been erected, and
enlargement in all of the ways that go
to make town a desirable place for
business and for home life. In these
respects Emporia has grown wonder
fully. and 1t is all on account of the
pluck and energy and business fore
sight OF Its original people and of the
good people who have been drawn here
oy the business inducements and by
The social and educational and re-
hgious advantages.
The town of Emporia, which is made
up OF two villages formerly known
as Htcksford, on the south side OF the
Meherrin River, and Bellfield, on the
north side, has population of at least
1000. It is now all Emporia, but
called. for convenience in local ver-
nacular. North and South Emporia-t
believe Uncle Sam has never officially
recognized the consolidation Of the
two villages or towns. and still manl-
tains two post-oftices, one of which is
called North Enporia and the other
simply Emporia. The people do not
kick at this at all. for until the town
gets large enough to have free de-
as the newly developed power of the
Emp oriat Hydro Electric Power Cor
poration locates a half a dozen more
big manufacturing enterprises here,
two post offices maze a convenience
that but few towns can boast OF.
Greater Things in the Future.
Emporia's growth during the past
decade is hardly patching to what
1T is likely to be in the next ten
years. for 1t is only Just now that
the dream of some of its pluckiest and
most energetic business men Is being
realized. The foundation for the dream
was sure enough water power in the
Meherrin River. which had been goins
to waste since the world was made.
When the natural resources of the
country round about with its unlimited
raw material marked Emporia as the
logical site for manufacturing enter
prises of various kinds, those enter
prises came right along in a small
way. and all of them were worked by
steam power, and that right on the
banKs of river.
Several years ago number OF wide
awake and very plucky citizens and
capitalists herecbouts reached the
conclusion that the wasted water
power In the Meherrin ought to be
harnessed to run all the machinery
now here and all that may be required
years to come. 1t takes a lot of money
to develop a water power and convert
1t into electricity. and lot OF pluck
to risk that money. but these Emporia
people are plucky. and they know how
to raise money I have already told
the story of how these nervy folks
raised the money. went to work, oyer-
came what seemed to be insurmount-
able difficulties, got all of the riparian
rights, all the rights of way, etc, and
made the contracts to build dams In
the river, erect power houses, INSTALL
an up- to-date electric plant and offer
to all of the manufacturing establish
ments of the town a greater and
cheaper power and to manufacturing
rlants yet to come all the power they
need.
A Great Work Well Done.
The great plant of the Emporia
Hydro Electric Power Corporation has
been completed and is at work. AL
ready the corporation Is furnishing
power to several OF the big manu-
featuring plants here. furnishing tho
town with electric lights, and has con-
tracted with two new enterprises to
locate here and use their power. The 8
Hydro Electric people did not build
for Just day. and Just for what manu-
featuring plants are here, but they
made a complete job of 1t while at
the work, and provided power for
many more manufacturing plants, OF
course. this power is for sale, and
there can be no doubtfthmt It Will
readily be sold, for no town in Vir-
gin!a offers greater inducements of
other kinds for manufacturing plants
than does Emporia. In the first place,
factory sites can be had here cheap
as compared with hundreds Of other
towns. cheaper, perhaps. than In any
town In the United States that can az
the same time offer cheap power.
Raw Material In Abundance.
In the second place the raw ma
terial for any kind OF wood working
plant Is right here; the raw MATERIAL
r any kind OF cotton manufacturing
CONTINUED on Second PAGE