Evening star., 1915-05-30
Boom Keeps Going.

NOTWITHSTANDING tH1S asserted dp-
sence of encouragement the boom n,
Hopewell continues. This week lots
the distance of two blocks from the
,, Midway sold for $1,000 to $500 each
lots so by 100 feet. for residence or
same ground could have been bought
| for $50 an acre. Six months ago it
could have been bought for from $50 to
500 an acre. Sixty days ago the lots
could have been bought for $40 or $50
| each. Today men are scrambling for
chances to buy them at the prices frst
mentioned, and houses of all kinds are
being built on them at the prices first
mentioned. and houses of all kinds are
| being built on them as rapidly as men
can saw the lumber and drive the nails.
Common labor in the du Pont plant is
paid at the rate of 25 cents an hour;
anybody who can use saw, hammer,
lathing hatchet, chisel and plane can
earn So in eight-hour day outside
the plant. Not very many limit their
working day to eight hours. however,
carpenters work half the night. by gas.
oline torches or any other kind OF
light. getting in at least two full days.
| with extra pay for the night work. be-
tween rising and bedtime.
Hopewell has already had its first big
fire. One day last week a colored man
tried to fill the tank of gasoline stove
while the stove was lighted brisk
breeze was blowing, and the fire took
half a dozen shacks and tents before
lit was extinguished. A bucket brigade
wasn't able to do much with fire in
dry pine shacks under smart breeze.
The last seen of the colored man was
when he topped a rise a quarter Of
mile away, with his coat on fire.
Features of Raw, New Town.
They say there is no gambling in the
new town. but the torn playing cards
| the Midway cause one to wonder If
this is exactly true. Every other fea
ture of raw, new boom town in Ne
vada, Oklahoma or other part of the
west is there Even the scattered
| shacks and tents in the edge OF the
woods that ring the place about. from
which. in the evening, come peals of
| shrill soprano laughter and the sound
| of singing accompanied by organ.
| guitar or accordion. are reminiscent OF
the western boom town. week ago
| the du Pont guards drove half a hun
dred women off the company's prop
! erty and demolished the tents and
| shacks they had occupied. The women
| simply moved over into the edge of
| the woods, off the company's land. and
put up new tents, and now the authori-
I ties of Prince George county viii have
| to cope with this evil-a most serious
| one il is, too. under conditions that
| exist at HopewelL
HopewelPs residents say the town is at
| the top OF its boom right now and that
| il will begin in short time to settle
| down to it's proper level But Ihursday
| l saw some persons pay as high as $4,000
| for lots on the Midway and proceed at
once to erect shacks.~ open goods boxes
and open clothing stores. mostly right
| out in the street, and l wondered II they
+, were deceived. or If those who predict.
ed a gradual subsistence of the actual
! big boom were merely pesstmistic
Trade Bound to Be Lively.
| At any rate the army OF men en-
ployed In the big powder plant Will
| have to live; they will have to buy
| food and clothing. and they will choose
/ to buy many other things which they
| do not really need or want. Their
I money will get into circulation-eVery-
body in Hopewell and in Petersburg
4 cashes du Pont checks the same as
| greenba cks-and the people VINO nave
| things to sell will get it.
| one hardware firm In Petersburg. in
| the month of April, sold more than
| $4,000 worth of goods to the du Pont
company alone aside from the goods
| sold to persons building in Hopeweil-
| They say they expect to triple this
| amount in May. One bottling works
! drinks from Petersburg to Hopewell
| every day in the week. this being its
entire output. Hotels in Petersburg
have doubled prices. and 1t is difhcult
1 10 get a room even then unless ar
| rangements are made in advance.
| Lodging houses and boarding houses
| by the score have sprung up in Peters-
| burg in the last two months, and all
| are full all the time.
AS was said at the outset. Hopewell
| is the biggest thing of Its kind the
Old Dominion ever saw, no matter II
the boom should collapse tomorrow.
| +. G. II.