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February, 1927 RINE REV iEEW 25 PIER AT NORFOLK, VA., OPERATED BY THE NORFOLK TIDEW ATER TERMINAL—MODERN EQUIPMENT FOR LOADING SHIPS BY MECHANICAL MEANS FROM RAILROAD CARS TO SHIP—BAGS OF FLOUR IN CONTINUOUS MOTION ACROSS PIER AND cities have in the last decade by their progressive efforts created a port con- dition that has resulted in manifold increase in foreign trade. The re- sult is that today, with ample ter- minal facilities, unexcelled rail trans- portation, general cargo service to every quarter of the globe and a geographic situation excelled by no port on the American continent, Hampton roads has become one of the vital factors in the commerce of this country. Eight Trunk Line Railways Eight trunk line railways center at the port and are linked on the Norfolk side by the Norfolk & Ports- mouth belt line, owned jointly by the roads. This belt line provides for ef- ficient interchange of traffic from one road to another, serves industries and commercial establishments and _ con- nects with steamship terminals. It serves directly Norfolk’s municipal piers, now under lease to Norfolk OVER INCLINE TO SHIP’S DECK Tidewater Terminals Inc., and the mu- nicipal grain elevator operated by the city. On all through and line haul traffic, the switching charges of the belt line are absorbed in the Nor- folk rate. Hampton Roads has been bound up intimately with nearly all the prin- cipal events in the nation’s history. Its environs hold a place unequaled in connection with the creation of the Republic, and in fact attained a prominent position long before inde- pendence was dreamed of. It was at Cape Henry that the earliest party of permanent English settlers made its’ first landing in the New World be- fore proceeding to Jamestown to es- tablish the colony there. From Cape Henry the little fleet, with Capt. John Smith on board, sailed to the en- trance of Chesapeake bay and into the sheltered, land-locked waterway, and thence up the James river. The famous harbor was a scene of action during the Revolution, and it was in these waters during the war between the states that the battle was fought between the ironclad MER- RIMAC and MONITOR—the battle which revolutionized naval warfare. But Hampton roads today is a center of very different activities. With great vessels plying to and fro, its total commerce for 1924 was 15,773,069 long tons, while the for- eign commerce for the same year was 4,145,752 tons. Exports Have Increased Tenfold A comparison of the value of ex- ports moving through Hampton roads shows the following figures: For 1914, $15,162,855; for 1925, $168,664,- 547. The export commodities consist principally of tobacco, coal, cotton, grain, lumber, apples and vegetables and a large assortment of miscel- laneous articles such as evaporated milk, cotton hosiery, piece goods, un- derwear, vegetable oil, refined cop- (Continued on Page 42) TIDEWATER TERMINAL PIER AT NORFOLK—AT LEFT—LUMBER TRANSFERRED FROM FLAT CARS TO SHIP FOR EXPORT—AT RIGHT—LOADING WOOD PULP