The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-16
SMALL BOAT HAVEN
TO COME VERY SOON
New Industries Are Looming
Up-Williamsburg the Ancient
Getting It's Twentieth Cen
tury Clothes On-Knitting
Mills Right on Their
Best Feet.
BY FRANK S. woopsoS.

The Virginia Peninsula is great
country. The little strip OF land lying
between the York and the James
smith found IL ricn when he hit these
shores more than 800 years ago. Some
OF tns people VINO followed hIm work
I'D IL Il little too hard in their effoft3
10 make great fortunes, ana they did
make great fortunes. and the time
came when folks sail the land was
worn out. The statement was be-
lieved for long time. Tor too long
time. The twentieth century people
VINO are occupying the land have
about reached the conclusion that is
not worn out II may have been hurt
L little by bad management. but that
hu:s can be overcome, ana is being
overcome as the wonderful crops /
nave seen the past week on those
lands abundanily prove. But IL is not
OF the farm land that wish TO speak
JUS, now. / Will talk about them
later on. Two Peninsula towns loom
UP on my note book
Newport News Loot<s For other Legs.
Newport News. the shipoui!iing
town. has been prominent for several
years on the Virginia map. 1t is i
wonderful town. one that has been talk
cd about and written about SO much
that everybody ought 10 know oil
about 1t. However. Newport News
has had one trouble tina, possibly
everybody has not known about. and
that is that for too long time II
has. industrially speaking. stood upon
one leg. one industrial leg I mean
That leg is a good one. the shipbuild
Ing industry. an industry that dis
tributes an immense amount of money
every week in the year. 1t Is q great
industry that brings money 10 yir-
GINA from the outside ana pays 1t out
In great sums al home. But Newport
News needs more industries. and the
Chamber OF Commerce and other wide
awake organizations, including the
banks and real estate agencies. have
walked UP TO a realization OF that fact
and all OF these powerful influences.
with the help OF the shipyard in
dustry and the banks and all OF the
people. are bringing things TO pass
Little Harbor behind the Big One.
The water front on Hampton Roads
and at the mouth OF James River af-
lords all OF the facilities Newport News
iaay need in q big way, and that i'm
mense water front is good for ship
yards and for big vessels and all that
Kind OF thing. but what the town has
been needing for many years. In fact
ever since II became a town. was a
safe harbor for small craft. SO that 1t
could do a business with all OF tho
farming nd trucking interests that
are In that ncighborhood The towns
hg harbor is all right and ships come
into 1t from all parts OF the world
Its little harbor for the entertainment
of small craft, has been in the voca-
live. The Chamber of Commerce has
been for several years working for
the little harbor. and at last that
work Is about to materalize into
something tangible. The City Council
has passed the bills that are neces-
sary for the building OF small boat
larbor, and 1t IS now up to the people
TO do the rest.
Newport News Creek is an inlet
from Hampton Roads. II pulls up into
the town over some swamps and other
bnd lands. and when the tide is low It
affords very little water. With the
expenditure of few thousand dollars
this creek can be made navigable for
small craft of all kinds that will not
draw over ten or a fifteen feet of
water and when that small craft get
into the creek they are safe from all
OF the Hampton Roads storms. and
they are within 200 feet of the deem
water channel.
treat Little H8rbOr.
The Chamber of Commerce has
PLANNED for the development of New
port News Creek. and the plan takes
In the making of a safe harbor and
the establishment thereon of various
and sundry Industries, and a long nier
that will reach out to the very deem
water channel. II is proposed for the
city TO issue s25o.oOo OF bonds to make
the harbor. and an election will ere
long he held TO decide this matter. II
Is estimated that with S250.000 the
city can buy all of the swamp lands
on the creek. deepen the water TO
. sumcient depth. erect piers and docks
make railway tracks. set aside sites
new industries. and in a general
way make Newport News the final ship
ping point OF tons upon tons OF vege-
tables and other products OF the rich
trucking lands of Warwick. Norfolk
ana other counties that are close IN
Newport News.
Place for New industries.
Better still, this harbor is eXpected
TO be lined with Industrial plants. he
cause here they will have railway and
sea transportation in juXtaposition.
Already Secretary Cottrell of the
Chamber of Commerce. has booked i've
new industries to take sites on the
new water front. These new industries
are the things that Newport News wants
and has long wanted for, as stated in
the opening of these few remarks, th,.
whole trouble with Newport News HIS
heretofore been that 1t stands too much
upon one leg. The making of this
. small boat or in bank" harbor will
give the good town all of the diversi-
lied industries 1t needs to mako 1t one
or the greatest Industrial centres OF
Virginia.
do not think there Will be any trou-