ly; (1910) 102,054. Bridgeport is served by
the New York, New Haven & Hartford railway, by lines of coast steamers, and
by steamers to New York City and to Port Jefferson, directly across Long
Island Sound. The harbour, formed by the estuary of the river and Yellow
Mill Pond, an inlet, is excellent. Between the estuary and the pond is a
peninsula, East Bridgeport, in which are some of the largest manufacturing
establishments, and west of the harbour and the river is the main portion
of the city, the wholesale section extending along the bank, the retail
section farther back, and numerous factories along the line of the railway
far to the westward. There are two large parks, Beardsley, in the extreme
north part of the city, and Seaside, west of the harbour entrance and along
the Sound; in the latter are statues of Elias Howe, who built a large
sewing-machine factory here in 1863, and of P.T. Barnum, the showman, who
lived in Bridgeport after 1846 and did much for the city, especially for
East Bridgeport. In Seaside Park there is also a soldiers' and sailors'
monument, and in the vicinity are many fine residences. The principal
buildings are the St Vincent's and Bridgeport hospitals, the Protestant
orphan asylum, the Barnum Institute, occupied by the Bridgeport Scientific
and Historical Society and the Bridgeport Medical Society; and the United
States government building, which contains the post-office and the customs
house.

In 1905 Bridgeport was the principal manufacturing centre in Connecticut,
the capital invested in manufacturing being $49,381,348, and the products
being valued at $44,586,519. The largest industries were the manufacture of
corsets--the product of Bridgeport was 19.9% of the total for the United
States in 1905, Bridgeport being the leading city in this industry--sewing
machines (one of the factories of the Singer Manufacturing Co. is here),
steam-fitting and heating apparatus, cartridges (the factory of the Union
Metallic Cartridge Co. is here), automobiles, brass goods, phonographs and
gramophones, and typewriters. There are also large foundry and machine
shops. Here, too, are the winter headquarters of "Barnum and Bailey's
circus" and of "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show." Bridgeport is a port of
entry; its imports in 1908 were valued at $656,271. Bridgeport was
originally a part of the township of Stratford. The first settlement here
was made in 1659. It was called Pequonnock until 1695, when its name