The Washington herald., 1917-08-15

port News as a shipbuilding center
had been fulfilled. he might have TAX
en- as much pride in the announce
ment as was the case when he was
able to look upon the completed South
ern Pacific Railroad system. In 1883
Newport News was no more than a
plain which ended in a bluff that
fronted Hampton Roads. Mr.. Hunt
ington, with his farseeing vision, pre-
dicted that in due time that level
tract would be occupied by many bus
mess buildings. as it now is, and
that commerce originating at the port
of Newport News would represent
American agriculture and industry
and in addition the greatest ship
building plant in the United States
and the largest dry-dock would be
there established.
Information which came a day or
two ago to New York from Newport
News tells of nearly one hundred mil
lion dollars worth of shipbuilding
which is now under way at Newport
News. These figures lead those Of
any other Southern shipbuilding plant
although Baltimore is a close second.
At or near Baltimore there are under
construction or contract vessels Of
the aggregate value Of seventy mil
lion dollars.
In fact, the whole Atlantic coast
and speedily the Gulf coast will be-
come the scene of one colossal ship
building activity. For there is to be
even now is-a chain of shipbuilding
plants on this coast. Within a few
months the United States Steel cor
poration at a place near New York
and then again at another place near
Mobile will have completed shipbuild-
! ing plants one of which may in its
capacity exceed ultimately the great
| shipbuilding plant of Newport News
! The Manufacturers Record of Bal
J timore reports that already contracts
! have been let for the construction OF
! ships at Southern ports-a procession
/ of ports, so to speak, from Baltimore
! to Galveston which involves payment
! of 1870, 900, 900. In addition there is
/ phenomenal activity in the lumber
! industry of the South for nature has
so adequately provided this resource
| for building woOdeu ships that trans
/ portation from the forest to the ship
Yards entails only a small item OF
cost.
Even had there been no war New
port News would have taken rank
with the other great shipbuilding
yards of the United States and in
| time probably with those of Great
Britain. But the industrial develop
ment of that made-to-order city-for
thus the friends of C. P. Huntington
describe twill. it is presumed, hast
en- the construction of the proposed
4 4 II, ,r11n Nnl will
connect Newport News directly with
Washington.
Mr.. Huntington foresaw the build
| ing of a railroad that would serve
as a direct line between Washington
and the splendid harbor at Newport
News. He sometimes spoke musingly
of the fact that Washington was not
connected directly by railroad with
the sea. The railroads which had
| terminals at Washington coming in
| from the North touched tidewater at
Baltimore. at Philadelphia and at
New York. But none of them has
true terminal upon the ocean front.
He deemed it inevitable therefore
! that in the course of time railroad
running from the northwest to the
southeast between Washington and
Newport News would be constructed
with great commercial advantages to
| both cities News comes from Wash
| ington that the railroad which Mr..
| Huntington foresaw is likely to be
| undertaken in a short time. There
are strategic as well as economical
advantages in the construction and
operation of a line of this kind.
The city of Brunswick, Ga. began
| to feel after long stagnat ton the ef-
! feet of the industrial development OF
| the South before the war began. The
men of wealth in the North who
purchased Jekyl Island, which lies in
the deep-water estuary off Brunswick,
solely for the purpose of making that
| winter and early spring resort, did
not fail to be impressed with the
commercial possibilities of Bruins
wick. Theodore N. Vail. who has
been for some years a sojourner in
the early spring at Jekyl Island, was
keenly interested in Brunswick, some
times stopping over there when pass
ing through on his way to Jekyl Is
land so that he might gain good in
formation respecting the industrial
and commercial possibilities of the
little city. He learned, as others did,
that there had been ups and downs
In the Industrial and commercial life
of the city. There was disappoint-
ment when the railroad was extended
from Birmingham and Atlanta to
Brunswick since the traffic which was
looked for did not come. But a year
or two before the war there began
industrial developments at Bruno
wick and considerable commsrce,
y