Norwich bulletin., 1920-05-15

these huge battleships could here sig
nal to each other with their. multi
tude of flags and steam out sea.
Through the waters of Hampton
Roads thousands of men, tons of sup
plies, and cargoes of horses glided
out during the night to play their
parts on the fields of France.
1.-The harhor is a Splendid sheet of
water 500 feet in width with a mini
mum of 80 feet, Safegfrom gales, and
large nough to float great navy. 1t
is formed by the James, Nansemond.
and Elizabeth rivers. as they pass into
Chesapeake Bay. The thriving cities
of Norfolk, Newport News and Ports
mouth give it commercial Importance.
THE first land in this vicinity that
the sea-weary. Captain John Smith
and his men caught sight of was the
eastern end of a sandy spit of land,
which they named Cape Henry. Here
they opened the sealed orders of the
/! they were to settle much farther in
land. But. for a few days, they rest
ed and explored the neighboring wa
ters. They erected a cross on this
| spot of their first landing, in graft
! tude for a safe ending. of their jour-
uey. Later in 1891 lighthouse was
erected on this same spot. It is
| standing today and bears a tablet
commemorating the landing, though a
larger and more pretentious structure
has been built for lighting the ship
ping.
Sailing farther inland. they touch
| ed a point at. the entrance to the
harbor they called Point Comfort be-
cause of the good channel ad the safe
anchorage it afforded. When later
| similar places were found. the one
first touched was dubbed Old anC
the name has chung to it ever since
It was here than Jefferson Davis was
| confined for time al the close o.
the Civil war.
Newport News, settled in 1921. by
Master Gookin out of Ireland wal
named by him in honor of his friend
| Sir William Newce. A quaint OLD
chronicler tells US that at Newport
news the cotton trees in a yeere grow
so thicke as ones arme and so higl
as a man; here anything that i
planted doth prosper so well as in n,
place better Today this town contain
one of the largest dry docks in tn
world and ships much of the produc
that onae grew so abundantly on TIL
! trees that the chronicles mentions.
Norfolk, the largest city on Hamp
ton Roads. has history that date
|
town. The first white men who Wis
tied the site constituted a small ex
ploring party from Sir Waite
Raleigh's colony at Roanoke Island a
about 1886. Almost a century late
, Portsmouth was settled Since ii
infancy it has been famous for ii
navy yard, the first one having bee
built by the English. Seven miles ca.
: Of Newport News lies the ancier
borough and village of Hampton
When Smith and the colonists lande
at Newport News looking for a tow
site, five Indians. met them and ir
tude of flags ard steam out to Sc
: TAM where Hampton now stands.
from the days of the colonist
e during the Revolution when LoI
3 Dunsmore, the royal governor
e Virginia, was driven to the safety
y his gunboats. to the fight of the Me-
s rimac and the Monitor in its wate
f during the Civil war. and to its acti7
d part in the world war the history
j Hapton Roads has been fraught wi
r interest! The River Queen riding
= anchor on its smooth shining surfa
h on February 8, 1865 was the scene
Q an informal conference between Lii
coin and Seward of the Union and A
eXander H. Stephens. Senator Robe
M. T. Hunter and Assistant Secreta
of War John A. Campbell Of the col
e federacy. held to arrange a peace b
tween the North and South. Throus
u the efforts of these men of no avail.
3 was here that Lincoln voiced his il
e tended magnanimous treatment of t
a Confederate States in the stateme
y that he would exercise the power
y the executive with the utmost libe
atty"