South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-03-21
NAVY RENDEZVOUS
ONCE MORE COMES
INTO PROMINENCE
Hampton Roads, Unmention-
ed During War Operations
Again Center of Interest.
Washington. D. G.

lance IN our war operations. but
uumentioucd In that connection be
cause OF voluntary press censorship.
again A. "A center Of interest be-
Chamberlin a bulletin OF the
National Geographic society gives
the history OF this region as follows.
" There Is but one eutraunce by
sea into this country. and that IS at
the mouth Of very good bay Cap
tain John Smith wrote On his Map
OF Virginia. with a Description Of
The Country concerning Chesapeake
Bay with It's attendant harbOr
Hampton Roads, which he de-
scribed AS bounded on the south by
florida, on the north By New
France. and whose western limits
are unknown
a few busting ports like New
So < and Boston might disagree
with the redoubtab1e Captain con-
cerning the facilities their harbOrs
ow offer. but certainly no harbor
cam claim a much move romantic
history not only I'm Colonial times.
nUt i'm the world war as well.
Fleet STAYED There. ......
Hampton Roads has been the
.-udeZvous Of the American Navy
ever since there was one. When.
during the early part OF 1917. news
uaper reports were saying that the
Eeet was swallowed up onewhere
r tho midst of the Atlantic Il had
secretly slid out Of the harbor at
hampton Roads and was resting
quietly at Yorktown a few miles ~
.he bay awaiting orders from Wash
ugtou. At a moments notice these
huge battlcships could here signal
20 each other with their multlhued
flags and steam out 20 sea. Through
she waters Of Hampton Roads thou
Iuds Of men. tons OF supplies. and
4rgoes Of horses glided out during
tEn night TO play their parts on
eds OF France.
The harbOr is a splendid sheet
% water 500 feet I'm width with a
minimum depth OF 90 feet. safe
-om gales, and large enough %
Loaf "a great navy. II is formed by
the James. Nansemond. and Eliza
beth rivers as they pass into Chesa
ncake Bay The thriving cities OF
Norfolk Newport News and Ports
mouth give il commercial import
ance.
Smiths First stop.
The first land IN this vicinity that
the sea-weary Capt. John Smith and
his men caught sight Of was the
q
which they named Cape Henry
Here they opened the sealed orders
II the London Company and learned
that they were 20 settle much far
Their inland But for n few days.
they rested and explored the neigh
boring waters They erected a cross
on this spot of their first landing. in
gratitude for a safe ending of their
Journey Later in 1891 lighthouse
was erected o. this Sam me spot. It is
staudinc today and bears tablet
concentrating the landing. though
a larger and much more pretentious
structure has been built for lighting
the shipping.
Sailing farther inland, they
touched point at the entrance TO
the harbor they called Point Com
fort because Of the good channel
and the safe anchorage il afforded
When later similar places were
found the one first touched was dub
bed old. and this name has clune
10 IL ever since. To was here that
jefferson Davis was confined for a
time at the close OF the Civil War.
Newport News, settled in 1921
py 'Mas-er GoOl1in out of Ireland
was named by him in honor Of his
friend. sir William Newce. A quaint
ola tnfOUlClfI tells US AlAe4L
<,wportsncw- the cotton CreCs In q
-tere grow rE.cSc - nne'' aru'c
md so hich rs mar. hase awning
That is plal'od doth nr1so ~ 80 We"
as i'm no Tll-e be- tdv tins
.lWn con aims ou- O. the arrest
,rv docks = n" w,:if AL sEips
rcuCh OF a. rr"dJct th1- N - grew
80 abundd7 g. on ;se trees lat the
Cht onicler m 4 'hs
Historic Norfolk
Norfolk. the largest city or
Hampton Roads has a history that
dates back farther even than that
Of jamestown. The first white men
who visited the site constituted a
small exploring party from Sin
Walter Raleigh's colony az Roanoke
Island ABOUT 1886. Almost a cen
-urv later Portsmouth was settled
since its infancy il has been famous
Tor its navy yard. the first one hav-
ing been built 10y the English. Sever
miles east of Newport News lies the
ancient borough and village OI
Hampton When smith and the
coIonists landed al Newport New:
roCking for n town site. five Indians
met chem and invited them TO theil
village. 'KecOughtan. where Hamp
ton now stands
From the days or the COloniStS
during the revolution when Lore
Dunsmorc. the Royal Governor OF
Virginia. was driveG 10 the safety
OF his gunhoats. TO the fight Of the
Merrimac and the Monitor in It's
waters during the Civil War. and &C
its active part in the world war. the
history OF Hampton Roads has beer
fraught with interest The River
queen riding at anchor on IT,
smooth shining surface on February
;. 1865 was the scene OF an informa
conference between Lincoln and
Seward OF the Union and Alexander
n. stephens. Sen. Robert NJ. t
HI lter and Assistant Sec'y Of WaI
John a Campbell Of the COnfcder-
acy. held 20 arrange a peace be
tween the North and South. Though
the efforts OF these men were OF nc
avail. II was here that Lincoln
voiced his intended maEnanimou:
treatment OF the Confederate states
in the statement that he would 'eN-
ercise the power OF the executive
with the utmoS; liberality
THE SECURITY BENE-
FIT ASSOCIATION
Showed greater growth In 1915