The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-18
FORT LEE A SCENE
Of BIG ACTIVITY
Trucks and Motors Swarm
Over Williamsburg Road
to Government Site.
BUILDINGS GOING UP
Spur Railroad Tracks Erected
to Powder Packing Plant
From Southern Line
At Fair Oaks.
BUILDINGS GOING UP

Immense, roaring trucks loaded
with road material, touring cars,
roadsters and jitney busses loaded
with people, horse draw vehicles OF
every size and style, piled high with
household goods. swarm over the
highways southeast of Richmond
every day. since work is under way
on the new government plant at Fort
Lee.
Three tim e@ as many vehicles ira
veree the williamsburg, Charles City
and NineM Mile roads between Rich :
mond and the site of the powder pack :
ing plant as travelled the same roads
last week That is Just one indica-
ton OF The swelling food of traffic
which within a few weeks, will tax
the capa city of the highways. the rail-
roads and the electric lines. Save for
street care the Williamsburg road is
already almost as busy a thorough
fare as Broad street.
On the site itself visible evidenc ss
Of progress are found everywhere.
The spur track from the G.. e. o. rail-
road at Fort Lee has been laid and the
rails spiked in place for several hun
dred yards into the reservation. The
ONCE building begun last week les part
~ occupied and nearly finished The
force OF men ged at this point has
been greatly increased.
From Fair Oaks on the Southern.
a spur tracks has been started to the
reservation, to connect with that from
the {. & O. Track has been laid part
way grading has advanced well into
the reservation itself and ties have
been placed for the quarter mile or
so between Fair Oaks and the north
line OF the tract.
m
south from the williamsburg pike has
progressed more than half mile and
is TO be extended TO meet similar
highway running north from the
Charles city road.
At tho construction headquarters
at Seven tines. two additions, practi-
caiiy dofsling it's capacity. have been
built on to the office building in The
last ssen days Finishing touches
will u added today A separate build
ing almost as large has also been put
UP in the last week and an old build
ing remodeled.
The telephone line from Richmond
out the Williams burg road is being
rebuilt and extended so as TO carry a
largely increased volume of trafYac he
tween Richmond and the plant. The
telephone lines which are to serve the
plant itself have been completed for a
mile and a half south of Seven Pines
along the eastern boundary, with the
exception OF stringing wires.
Naturally. there has started the
most intense real estate activity in
the neighborhood of the plant. Be
sides numerous private transactions
at least one public auction sale of lots
has been carried out successfully and
others are planned.
The small mercantile businesses at
Seven Pines and other nearby villages
have suddenly become veritahle gold
mines for their owners, with cash
turnover beyond the dreams of form er
DAYS
Yes, there's certainly something do
ing every minute in the Fort Lee
neigh Dor hood in these days--some =
thing of vast and permanent import
ance to Richmond.
And Richmond doesn't fully rea
lie it yet" declared Richmond man
yesterday. who has watched the pro-
Gress of events around Fort Lee for
years. "Rut Richmond will one OF
these days" he added.