Evening star., 1915-05-30

\
| Today was payday at the works. and
slightly more than 1850 men were
paid off. an increase of more than 1000
since the last payday, two weeks ago
| These men come from every corner OF
| the globe. One of the timekeepers en-
ployed by the company speaks. reads
and writes eight languages, and he has
| use for all of them. In group OF
fewer than dozen employees of the
company gathered in Petersburg
| hotel the other rnight-engineers, skilled
| mechanics and high-class men-one
| had landed from South Africa less than
| two months ago. another had been en-
| ployed for the last three years on a
railroad project in Alaska. a third was
| just back from superintendinA, con-
| crete work in the Canal Zone: a fourth
| had spent the last few years at mining
engineering in South America; fifth
| had just completed installation of an
electric lighting and power plant on a
| big sugar plantation in Cuba, and
others had come from other distant
parts of the world. And not man in
| the party looked to be more than
| thirty years old.
w. P. Allen is the man in charge of
| the entire plant, with E. w. Virgins
| as his assistant. Both have been with
the company for years. and deaf and
dumb clans are loquacious in compari-
son with either of them when it comes
to giving out information Further
around the plant and the big inclosure.
| and nobody who is not armed with let
ters of Introduction and permits from
| the Wilmington office of the company
is permitted to set foot within the ten
| foot wire fence. The mere fact that one
carries a camera is sufficient to bring
guards on the run to escort the in
| truder off the companys property. A
| few days ago perfectly innocent
appearing man, claiming to be min
lister. tried to snapshot group of en-
ployes outside the main entrance. His
camera was taken from him. the roll of
film removed and exposed TO the light
and the camera was smashed against
post.
Information Hard to Get.
That the two completed mills are
| working twenty-four hours day max
| ing guncotton was easy to learn. but
| not a word as to the capacity of the
plants in pounds or tons. 1t was also
| stated-one of the guards told me this
that the mill now building. and which
| is to be completed within thirty days,
| is to make cordite. Guncotton is used
| in making torpedoes. while cordite is
the explosive the British use in their
shells. That is the extent of informa-
| tion in regard to the plant itself. By
| the way, the du Pont company has a
plant at City Point, established in 1912.
|
| however, compared with the new
project.
| But the town of Hopewell, or Dupont
| or whatever il is finally to be named.
| is different Everybody is mine of
| information. everybody tells YOU the
place viii have $4,000 population by
| the end of the year, and everybody is
| highly insulted if you appear doubtful.
| What If the place has no water system,
| no sewer system. no lighting system.
4 a IL Et,tI,
but such as can be run up in a day or
| go out Of raw yellow pine, galvanized
| iron or canvas? Every new city. they
say-with the emphasis on "city"-has
to develop these things. Richmond
| corporation is running high-tensi on,
\ long distance transmission feed wires
| TO the town. the wires already being
at the edge OF the company's cottage
| addition. Mains for water. house con-
nections and fire plugs have been in
| stalled in the new addition-the "old
| town." remember, is sixty days old
and broad streets have been laid out
| over the plowed ground that last sum-
mer comprised corn and tobacco fields,
| and that hasn't had the burrows
| smoothed out yet.
Electric Railway in Prospect.
Another Richmond corporation has
obtained and surveyed the right of way
well with Petersburg. and ties and
rails are already being laid 1t is ex-
| pected the line will be in partial op-
GRAFTON not later than August l. BY
that time. II prompt and ample sani-
tary precautions are not taken, Hope
well is going to have the finest typhoid
epidemic Virginia ever experienced.
Open bitches for carrying on sewage;
garbage of all kinds thrown into the
open roadway. that is, the Midway:
open pits, not even lined, and the wa
ter supply coming from shallow wells.
| Already. though there has been no
real summer weather flies swarm by
the billions everywhere in the town
in the open eating places, in the equal
ly open and unscreened butcher shops
and grocery stores. in the bars and the
places where soft drinks are sold-hies
everywhere. by thousands and hun
dreds OF thousands and millions. First,
open and unnamable filth; second flies;
third. typhoid. and maybe half a dozen
other filth diseases-thAts about the
formula.
Mr. Allen and Mr. Virgins declare
they have done nothing to encourage
the boom at Hopewell. They declare
they have at no time said the big new
plant is to be a permanent institution.
or that il Will be in full operation FOR
more than two years. They say they
have told persons Investigating Hope
we'll with the intention OF locating
there that the pay roll may drop 10
5000 almost any time; but that II may
remain al its present size, or even be
increased. They say they have not