Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-08-26
THE B & TG EyNG NGFyP.

:, WHAT = 5FlIFTFES .YEARs .nAvB DoxE.-Mr. Geo
W. Harper, anative.of this city, but now the
editor of the Raymond, ( (SdissO Gazette recently
visited the city Of his birth, and has written Z
ietter 10 his paper aboutit Il. reference to the
improvements ofsfifteens years, Mr. Harper saws
Many and important have been the changes
M!llch those fifteen years have wrought in this
cry, ana throughout all this region. III find tho
Populatlon OF the city increased from 5000 to
souls. IL find the city, which, in j ts44
was, perhaps, two miles in length, and often but
sPa!sely QUIT, now running some five miles from
Glnary regularity and compactness. But this
oy no means furnishes ansadequate idea of the
vast changes which the brief fifteen Years have
brought about, Fifteen years ago no such
SOUND US that of the winged locomotive was
heard In all this region. Thecity was approach
GU ano lts manufactured articles transported,
only oy the slow and old foggy means Of steam.
boats boat and stage coaches. How changed are all
Things now. Stage coaches are banishcd from
pubic view, and steamboats,, even OF. the. small.
est class, can now scarcely find water sufficient
IN the constantly diminishing Ohio The Loco
motive, with its thirty miles per hour speed, is
now relied upon to supply the wants of this en-.
terprising and hard working people,
All who have ever visited the home of their
youth after .,long absence, will properly
appreciate the following paragraph. 1t is one
of the saddest of things to experience the social
changes, which fifteen years. with their many
changes, vicissltudes, reyerses and fortunes
must always bring about Letsone undertake
to keep an account of the deaths, the removals
and the misfortunes of such period, and when
summed up, the figures will be startling:
Where once knew almost every one, L find
myself now stranger. The friends of nv
youth, with but here and, there an exception
are gone-gone Ito the West ssto the South,''
ITO their graves" New men are at the head of
business in the lead of public affairs. Many of
the rich OF fifteen years ago, arc now poor
While many of the poor Of that day are now
rich. The towering hills and mountains of the
vicinity, illcd with coal and rock, alone remain
unchanged amid the conflicts ofthe past. They
stand out as everlasting landmarks, and hold
their rich and incxhaustible stores as firmly as
ever.
Mr.. Harper pays compliment to the gran
dure and usefulness of the great Wheeling
Bridge, and describes the noble structure at
some length He also gives an account of his
visit to Wheeling Island, and tells his readers of
the orchards and vineyards there under cultiva-
ton. Our grape business is beginning to at
tract some attention abroad, and the wines pro-
duced here are regarded everywhere as superior.
The cultivation of the grape, if we mistake not
will one day become prominent feature of
business in this vicinity:
A visit to this farm few days since, afforded
me much satisfaction 10 see five hundred
apple trees, in full growth, standing in the
utmost regularity, loaded down with fruit Just
ripening, (each tree hearing from three to five
barrels,) was a beautiful sight There l saw
half acre devoted to btackberrieS, planted and
worked with the same precision and regularity
with which our best farmers work therchoicest
garden vegetables. But the finest sight that
met my vision on Wheeling Island, was the
magnificent vineyard of Daniel Zane & Son.
Some ten acres planted exclusively with the
Grape! never saw anything to equal the sight
here presented. l never before had a conccp-
ton OF the beauty of a well-appointed vineyard,
or the protuscncSS and luxuriancc of the fruit
The Isabella and Catawba are the varieties
chiefly cultivated-and they arc cuZticuted, for
they are plowed once week, and trimmed up
once month-and the profnseness with which
they are now loaded is truly extraordinary. A
few were handed TO me, of what they term the
Fox variety they are quite as large as the larger
size marbles which our children play with.-
From the vineyard, was taken to the wine
cellar. Here were some 30 to 80 casks bearing
the marks of age, of the pure, genuine juice Of
the grape, to say nothing Of the bottles, of
which great variety were visible.
Mr.. Harper pronounces Wheeling emphatical-
ly ananufacturing city, and expresses =gratiti.
cation to learn thatmany of the products of our
factories are sent to the South. he aludes to
our excellent hotels, schools and school build
ings, and the Catholic Convent, which he says
is Capable of containing all the white peoplein
Kinds county"
Why WoMEN CANNOT BE GREAT.-T have been
considering the question-an interesting one, of
course, to my. mind-and I believe have faith.
omcd the difficulty. 1t is not from want oftal.