The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-11
HONEST BLOWING
HELPS B H.1 CAUSE
Richmonders and Virginians
Should Know the Facts and
Then Talk Them Out Any
where and Everywhere.
Virginia Can Grow and
Make All Things.
ny FRANK 5. WooDsoS,
l1 Industrial Editor.

IA had letter a week or more ago
from a man living right hero In the
hsart Of Richmond who Innocently
enough asked me Ii there were any
cotton factories Iii Virginia or North
Carolina or South Carolina, and that
Il question was asked right on the heels
of the annual meeting OF The National
Cotton Manufacturers Association held
III this city and eiaborutel, reported
every day in all OF the papers. an
swcred the question. giving M cor
respondent 81 casual glimpse OF the
millions upon millions Of dollars In
vested In cotton manufacturing in the
III three sta tes named. mention this ex-
rerience just 10 show that some OF our
rolks do not know what is gong on
IN an industrial way In the south
Not long ago the Young Women's
Christian Association OF Richmond or
gained a Know Your City Ciuh."iand
+ the association. or eluo, sent out some
agents TO find out things about the
city II may he Well 10 enlarge this
city society or association or club TO
Know the South or Know V!r-
ginia Society
4 Great Source of information.
But maybe the Industrial Section IS
Just that kind of d society within it
sell II has often been said that hnlf
the folks In this world are ignorant Of
what the other haif are doing. II may
be that half OF Virginia is ignorant
OF what Is going on In industrial ways
in the old State The InduAtr!al Sec
ton has been trying for five years
4 past to get the two halves properly
informed In fact. the Industrial Sec
ton was horn for just this kind OF
work, and II flattcrs Itself that II has
done some fairly good work along this
Inc, and Il may be that my friend
-a who so innocentiy asked about cotton.
Fl manufacturing is 10 he blamed only for
not reading the Industrial Section.fs
Just by way of illustration, md TO
show this curious sort OF ignorance.
IS about the great thin gs that Virginia
can do and IS doing The other day
K ! was on train on one OF the leading
I! railroads, and when the train was
approaching stop the brakesman
called out the ns me OF the sutton, and
added. 'Cnangctcnrs for the sulphur
mines A mania Virsinian, too. looked
81 me in utter asionshmeni and asked.
Are there any sulphur mines in Vir-
ginia:" And he did not know that
here. within forty miles OF the capital
city. In Louisa county. q plant that
cost something like 81, 100000 is work
Ing, day and night and making big
" diridends for the stockholders, getting
out pyrttes and sulphur from the
Garth These sulphur mines employ
very large number OF men, and their
shipping account, made ont weekly by
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
4 agents, is something enormous.
sills-Mnk:nE ynd Gold Mining.
3f POSSIBLY the MIN who asked me by
mail II there were any cotton factories
In Virginia was surprised when | told
him how many million dollars are In
vested at Danville and Petersburg and
elsewhere in the State in cotton manu-
featuring. But that establishment will
not be drop In the bucket compared
to his surprise when he reads here
(and he has promised to read the In
dustrial Section hereafter) that there
Is much money invested In Virginia in
silk manufacturing. and that in the old
town OF Fredericksburg one OF the
largest silk mills in the whole coun try
sis located, a mill that employs several
hundred people,
E Now shy off from fredericksburg a
little ways and look down in Fluvanna
county. There one will find that a
very large amount OF money has been
invested IN gold mining. Not less than
a half dozen gold mines are being
worked In that county and In the
neighboring county of Goochland. Just
how we'll they are paying do not
know but ] am sure that the folks
who are digging the yellow stun out
OF the ground down there would not
stick to the business very long II they
were not, making profits.
ME- Other Dig Things That Pay.
And then the copper smelling plants
n Virginia are quite numerous. the
largest OF which, believe, is located
y IN Norfolk. A good deal of money is
there invested in the business. and il
must pay or the investors would not
+ stick to It and keep on spending money
y In the plant. sssAil
Now take long jump all the way
from Norfolk over to Smyth county, in
the southwestern section of Virginia,
and you will bob against the great
alkali works at Saltvllle that do an
4 immense business and employ a very
large plumber OF. men.
Right Here at Home.
M Then here in Richmond there are
enormous industries that are making
the State and the city famous along
industrial lines, and there are people
right here, too; who do not seem to
know much about them, and therefore
y do not talk and blow about them For
instance, the biggest plotting paper
mill in the world is in Richmond, but
F II does not tell home folks about it;
the biggest flavoring extract factory
In the world is right here in Richmond;
the biggest factory in the United
statos for the making Of churns, ice
cream frsozers and tubs and other
things along that line is located in
y Richmond; the biggest baking. powder
plant In tho country is In Richmond.
The only automobile factory In p the
South is in Richmond. and another is
coming; the biggest trunk and bar
factory in the world Is in Petersburg,
close By to Richmond, and the second
Il largest is in Richmond; the only
steam locomotive factory In the South
is IN Richmond; the biggest wholesal-
,3t-7a.77 2 (ConfJnnad 49, nrLI.5