The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-02
FIXING STRAWBERRIES ron MARKET.
RICHMOND PORT
FORTY MILES DEE
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FURlY MILES UT
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sea. West Point can now take care OF
any steamships engaged in the coast
wise trade. except two steamers of tho
Ward Line. which ply between New
York ana Cuba.
The sum of $4,000 would cut out the
two bars Uhe first being one mile be-
low town and the second six miles be-
low town. and give West Point n mini
mum OF twcnty-s six feet at low water.
which is sufficient for any vessel eX-
cept the largest battlcships and the
foreign liners AS much as s250.o0u
properly expended would give West
Point thirtytwo feet of water at low
tide, which Will float any ship that
can float on any water.
The channel Is easily maintained.
owing to the immense voiumc of water
supplied by the Pamunlsey and Malta
POM Rivers, and the heavy thrush or
tides which rise about four feet AT
West Point.
a Seaport over Many Tracks.
If the ships OF :Ac Rc-.u were run,
ming up 10 within thirty-eight miles
OF Richmond. and thirty or forty or
nfty railway tracks were lying side
by side from Richmond TO the point
where those ships were landing with
their treasures and being loaded with
other treasures TO go u all parts OF
the civilized world. what odds would
Richmond have TO ask of Norfolk or
Newport News or james River or the
United states government. or even or
the Old Dominion Steamship Company?
somebody may answer that Newport
News is not much farther than Nest
Point. and has the water. too. That's
ali right. Just put down your many in
dependent railway tracks and ge, busy
with Newport News, aid go for the
trade of the world. and let's quit mon
keying with the crooked James and the
folks who seem to control what Is left
of 1t in the way OF navigation.
Deep water reached Ny many tracks
than can be controlled like Los Ange
les controls hers is good enough FOR
a Richmond seaport, and this. 1t seems
To me. is subject worth thinking OF.
Perhaps after all the conventions have
been held and all OF the reception
speeches made and all of tho smokers
smoked out 1t will be thought OF and
Inquired upon by tho maSnatcg and
boosters of Richmond. Indeed, here is
something for the closeat attention OF
the boosters, and that they may get an
accurate idea of the lay OF the land
and OF the water, too. ! present them
with a map on the front page of this
section. map that can tell much bet
ter than / can the story 1 have been
trying TO set forth
West Point Coming Anyhow.
Anyhow. that West Point, is going
to be great seaport l have no doubt.
There is now n new activity in and
about that town and 1t has been
brought about by men who mean bust
ness and who see great things for the
port The combination is strong. be-
ing made UP OF Northern. Western and
Virginia capital and energy
That this activity al West Point and
the now looked for Intervention of
Uncle sam in Cuba should be in any
way related to one another would seem
at FIRST blush 10 be a rather far-fetch cd
idea, and in fact almost incredible, yet
IN the light Of Information obtained
within the last week or ten days. one
need not be dreamer TO find con-
neciion that may be of vital interest
10 ali Of Eastern Virginia.
In the first place. Cleveland Ohio.
men and Cleveland capital arc heavily
Interested and were the prime movers
or the present industrial! awakening at
" est Point. 1t Is nov known that
Tor several years past. certain Cieve-
land capitalists. who are heavily in
tcrested in extensive iron ore mines in
the island OF Cuba. have been buying
coal lands In the State Of Virginia. The
history OF the iron and steel business
on the shores of Lake Erie at Clevc-
land' Lorraine and Ashtabula shows
that the growth OF this industry at
those points was destined to be sure
ana rapid, by reason OF their gcogra-
phlcas position. The iron ore of tho
great Gogebic and Superior districts
meets Ohio and west Virginia coal on
nf 81 -~;a
at any other point. Pittsburgh, for so
long The centre of steel manufacturing.
is gradually giving way and losing
prestige, due entirely "a the fact that
the ore which comes down from the
Great Lakes in immense vessels has to
be transferred and hauled by rail to
P!ttsburgh. 1t has been found that
wien the coal is once OH the car Il can
be taken to Lake Erie ports at little
added expense over landing it in Pitts
burGh. although the coal mines are
only a few miles from Pittsburgh.
while the savingin cost in transferring
and transporting the Iron ore after II
arrives at Lake Erie ports makes those
ports the proper and lcgical place to
| establish steel plants.
4 Lurid Industrial Picture.
Pittsburgh capital is to-day consid-
, cFinE the advisability of building a
great snip canal from Lake Erie down
TO the Allegheny River at n cost OF
S0o,0OO,oO0 in order to overcome this
great geographical handicap. In the
light OF these facts. 1t seems reason
able TO suppose that Cuban ore would
meet virginia coal at West Point and
other harbors on Chesapeake Bay more
! economically than anywhere else. AZ
all events. that is the way 1t is sup
posed certain interests have figured a
out.
That Cuba Is very likely to become
part of tho United States in the near
future seems certain. and when Cuban
| ore can be brought free of duty 10 our
shores. 1t would not be at all surprls-
| ing If our Virginia ports along the
| chesapeake Bay would rival the lurid
scenes of the blast furnace districts
| Of the Forest City on the shores OF
Lake Erie. where the heavens In the
! darkest niGhta arc Glowing md re-,