Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-01-01
Alexandria Had a Prosper
GUS Year in Every
Line
FIVE SHIPS COMPLETED
Laval Torpedo Station Costing $780,
900 Erected-Housing Corporation
Organized-l920 Prospects

. All previous years 1Or genera
prosperity were broken IN 1919 b!
Alexandria. Business has doomed be.
yond the expectations Of the mos
Sanguine and has gone forward
steadily. The activity and progress
!>nade has been Of solid kind and
places Alexandria in the list Of live
Iustling wide awake cities Of the state
The prosperity here during the-past
year has not been confined to any
particular class Of business, but on
ne other hand has been general
Wholesale and retail dealers reported
IN unprecedented volume Of business,
and wage earners report better pay
md employment in every endeavor.
There has been no idlencss on the
cart Of Alexandrians. Everyone capa-
Die both men, women and children.
lave worked during the past year and
The result is apparent. Practically
all Of her citizens are far more
prosperous than they were during the
>past year. But comparatively few
cases of actual poverty have been re-
ported and those that were was due ir
I large measure to the fact that the
persons were aged or incapacitated.
One of the big things accomplishe,
Turing the war was the completion Of
Ire .!ie UnNed States Naval Torpedo
Station here on the river frort at >
lost of S1,300,O0O. This plant VII
give employment after it is in full
operation from 600 to 1,500 highly
skilled mechanics. 1t occupies 100000
square feet of floor space.
Fer The accommodation of the me.
. .hanics VINO will be employed at this
1lant the Alexandria Real Estate anf
Investment Corporation has been. or
sanized and this corporation proposes
to erect q large number of moderr
houses which are TO be sold t.
employees of this plant. This it is be-
lieved, will relieve the present houss
shortage now existing here. The cor
3oration already has collected forty
per cent of the nstalments for the
fund from the subscribers. Later thS
corporation may be in a position tc
erect many more houses.
With the Naval Torpedo Station
soon in fun swing and with the Viz
sinia Sh;phuilding Corporation giving
Employment to about $500 men Alex.
andria has two big institutions to say
nothing Of the smaller manufactur-
ing industries and the hundreds o.
railroad employees living here.
That Alexandria will advance dur
ing the year is the opinion of bankers
merchants and others.
|, During the past year the real es.
tate sales have been unparalleled
Many valuable pieces Of business
property changed hands. and hundred:
If dwelling houses in every part oi
The city. The majority of the pur.
chasers were persons who vii! re
| :;de in the houses. Alexandria. there
fore. is rapidly becoming city o
home owners and this is evidenced bl
the large number Of citizens who hav!
just paid their capitation taxes, th'
number being 2,250.
Ships launched by the Virgin;
Shirouilding Corporation during til
year numbered five, all Of which YES
sells are now in service. They follow
Gunston Hall, February y; Bets,
Bell: May "a; Vanada, June p; Chan
cook. afterward named H. F. Morse
August 8; Edwin A. Morse. Octohc,
%.
/ City councilman during the year ap
! propriated 100000 for school an
Improvement funds and a handsom
school building for colored boys an
girls is now under construction.
The sum of $1,000 was appropriat
ed to complete the mctorization Q
the city fire department.
The Alexandria Water company.
. 1rivate corporation. completed i
!. filtration plant during the year.
+. The city established moder
health department, in charge 9
4 DR.. L. E. Foulks and during the yea
a free clinic was established.
!. A community service was establish