The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-02
LOS. ANGELES WAY:
WEST POINT PORT
Plenty of Controlled Railway
Tracks Can Overcome Water
Difficulty for Few Miles.
A ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Port Worthy of Con-
sideration.
BY FRANK $. woopsoN.

HdNc JusL IedU tho
Juno number OF Lippincotts Magazine
on the "Extravagance Of Our Govern
mcnt," IN which the writer severely
criticizes the action IF Congress inI
making large appropriations for work
on the rivers and harbors of the coun-
try. lie seems To make especial OBJ
lection to improvements that have been
made and may yet be made in James
River, claiming that money spent in
trying to make Richmond seaport IL
money thrown away. l do not know
that this writer and his like Will overI
have any very material influence with
the Congress that passes upon the ap-
preparations for rivers and harbors.
but l DO know that the Strengthening
and deepening OF the river IS "A very
slow work. and I am beginning to bel
afraid that very few, IL any. middle
aged people now living will ever see
Fichmond the seaport She has at times
fondiy hoped TO be, and so am led to-
ask tho question: Is Richmond really
dependent upon the mighty James for
an outlet to the sea? ! was at West
Point little while hack. and was Inn
pressed as never before on former Wis
its with the immense water front and
the advantages of that place as a sea-
port; yes. seaport. a great seaporti
Point be made Richmond Port7" What!i
a port forty miles from base? Yes
Why not?
How Inland city Got There.
Los Angeles. California. is sixty odd
miles from the ocean. and yet 1t is a
Pacific port Los Angeles has MOI
James River flowing by It's front door,
and II is never bothering Uncle Sam
for money 10 clean out or straiGhtenl
a river but Los Angeles is a port that
makes San Francisco, its rival, SIT upl
and take notice. How did 1t come
about? The story Is short one. Six |
ty odd miles directly west from Los
Angeles is a fine Pacific Ocean harbor.
Los Angeles took possession of IL and
named IL Los Angeles Port. Dock and
piers and warehouses and all OF the
other things needed at a great sea
port were built. and the world was In |
vited to land ships there laden with
goods and people. About forty or nifty
railway tracks were then laid In al
straight line from Los Angeles to the
port. and Los Angeles let the whole
world know that that town would
goods the ships OF the world wanted
TO lay down at Los Angeles Port, six
~ odd miles away. and Los Angeles
has been doing that very thing for
many years. and has grown mighty
and rich in tho performance. 1t is to-
day San Franciscos rival and her com |
mercisl equal. and does not ask any
seaport in the world any odds.
Richmond Can DO Likcwise.
With all the deep water of York
River in thirty-eight miles of Rich !
mond, why may not West Point. at the
head of that grand but very short
stream. become Richmond Port"
The York is now navigable for veryl
large ships. and less than onc-fourth !
OF the money it would take to make the !
winding James big enough and straight
enough and deep enough to adj
NIT Of bigger boats than the!
Old Dominion Steamship Company
chooses to run would clean out thet
two bars in the York and make it'll
navgable to West Point for the big |
gest ships afloat. the mighty battle
ships not excepted, and there is plenty |
of room there for them to manoeuvreI
and turn around too. for the fact is.
although the statement may surprise
many readers, that West Point has to-.l
day much greater deep water frontage
than Newport News or Norfolk. about
as much as both combined Hero are
some figures and facts ia the concrete
that arc worthy of little attentions:
Startling Are the Facts.
Tho distance from West Point down
York River to Chesapeake Bay IL thir-
ty-seven miles. From tho mouth Of
the river to Hampton Roads ~ twelve
miles. making forty-n!ae miles prac-
tically to the sea. The condition of
the channel is as follows: Twenty
three feet at the Chesapeake Stea ms hip
Companys dock. but along other parts
of the town frontage the water is,
thirty-seven feet deep. For n distance
of two miles there is a minimum of
twenty-three feet to a point one mile
below the town. where there is n small
bar which at the present time has onlyi
twenty feet OF water on II at low tide
Then for the next five miles there is
twenty-four feet of "ater. At taatI
point there Is second bar which en-
tends but for short distance and has
only twenty feet of water at low tide
From this second bar on for three
miles there is twenty-seven feet OF
water which gradually deepcns toI
thirty-four feet of water to the open
Continued on Second Paae)