Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-09-27

Under the Knapsack.

Under the Knapsack.
TIE SPRINGS IN SEPrKMBER-THK VIRGINIA
KEEL or THE BALL CONES OFF AT THE SWEET
SuLPHUR-wHAr l saw AT THE RED SULPHUR
The SALT SuLPHuR-MoNRoE COUNTY
THE KNOBS -SIsK-HcLks AND SINKING
CRKKKs-THE QuEEN OF THE SRRINes AND ITS
HAPPY vALLEY"-SoNK POPULAR DxLunoNs
CoRREcTED-BoTTLi Ns THE WATER.
C0rrssposdenee Of Ths Star.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS,
Greenbrier county, Va, Sept Is: 1860 5
Dear Star: I think I've met somewhere some
lines commencing ''Oft in the Silly night" and
In which the writer goes on TO remark that he
feels like one who treads alone some banquet hall
deserted, whose lights are fed, whose garlands
dead, and all but him gone home to bed.
Them's my feelings precisely, as stroll through
the deserted grounds at the White Sulphur, and
gaze upon it's cream colored hotel and straw-col-
ored cottages, lately over-run by some two thou
sand pleasureseekers, now tenantless, much
the same. Less than an hundred people are prob
ably here at this date, and the ceol nights and
foggy mornings are sending the remainder away
by each stage. ltis, however, high carnival time
at the Sweet Sulphur, sixteen miles from here,
where the crowd always goes to wind up the
season, the water there being held as the correct
thing to tone of the other waters and oil up the
renovated cloekwork Of the system to run pre-
cisely 365 days and the fractional hours and min
ntes
At the Red Sulphur Springs Monroe county,
on my way here, found myself In the midst Of
a company Of consumptives. This Spring (Red
Sulphur) 10 considered 10 have some wonderful
property making II Ell In lung diseases, and
the conseq uence 10 Of the most ghostly gather
ings imag Unable. Hollow cheeks pinched nostrils,
pafld lips and those clear, bright eyes peculiar
the consumptve victim meet one at every turning,
and the hacking and barking is terrible to hear.
All night long was kept awake by the hollow,
facking cough Of my neighbors in adjoining
Red, the valley beautiful, mot unlike Baden
Baden,) and Cowles Is the most thong htful and
kindly of hosts, but the company Is too spectral
by half, and was of on Monday morning. II
was sad to such hopeless cases clutching so at
f'fe, gulping down the water by the half dozen
gIa,.,es, Zone poor fellow told me he was averag-
inc Is glasses to the "a hours,l and weighing
thsmsely-. daily with feverish interest to ascef-
tain IN thev " ere on the mend.
The SAIL SuI,, ,hur, midway between the Red
and the White, is held In atectionafe remem-
brance by all who love good eating, and Its cui-
sine, rather than the virtue OF Its waters, dare
saw. makes It's popularity. . paused here long
enough to sample the two SPRING. anu as'e one OF
Erskine's dinners, and then came on 70 thls place.
passing through the rich Limestone ofnon OF
Monroe county. The land In this fine county,
seems to be largely in the hands Of a few wea 'thy
men.
After leaving Union, the pretty county seat of
by the fertile acres of Oliver Burns, Esq. one Of
the plantation millionaires Of Virginia, and who Is
also the proprietor the fashionable Sweet Springs
In his pastures saw some Of the fne stoc X that
attracted 80 much attention at the Richmond fair.
Oats, hay, and corn do well in Monroe this sea
son; wheat but poorly, suffering from rust, and
from being winter-ki Those singular and
picturesque eminences, the knobs :" were in
sight for long time on this road. We passed
many Of the caverRs, sink-holes. and sinking
creeks, peculiar to Limestone distrcts; and beau
ff,l boz aofrx IL naE xrith
ant pasturages Of bluegrass, claimed attention in
this portion Of Monroe county.
Entering Greenbrier county at Second Greek,
our course was through an interesting country all
the way to the sunny valley where the famed
White sulphur spring rises in the midst Of warm
tinted verdure clad mountains Let me tell you
q secret-the White Sulphur water isn't white,
the Salt sulphur isn't SALT the Red Sulphur isn't
red; and, though 4 haven't been there, doubt
verify the cerulean hue Of the Blue sulphur, or
the saccharine qualities Of the Sweet sulphur
But they are all sufficiently nasty. The Red Sui
phur, the most palatabe, tastes simply like last
years hen'segg; the Salt Sulphur like a bad egg
seasoned with bad butter; and the w hite Sulphur
like the bad egg and butter favored with rancid
castor oil. Ii savors moreover Of roayed gutta-
percha. The White Sulphur water tastes as r EN-
perance alley (our city, smells SAT. sap.
There has been large attendance at the Viz
ginia springs this year. and apparently the pro-
prietors should be coining money, but 30 short is
the season and so heavy the expenses that doubt
much IL owning stock In Springs property Is apt
70 make one a millionaife. For Instance, the
com pany owning the White sulphur have in
vested $3.50 600 in the purchase Of the property,
and spent $3.50 10 in i'm proyements, OF Q round
million, the interest Of which would be 500, COO
20 start with. For the month Of August the re-
ceipts perhaps 81 600 per day, but In July and
September the pts will not more than meet
expenses The Red sulphur Springs are up for
sale, though apparently the season has been most
prosperous one there No doubt the completion
Of the Covington and Ohio Railroad to this point
(White Sulphur) will have an important bearing
the pros perity Of the Springs in paying point
OF view, not only a. immensely increasing the
number of visitors, but az reducing the expenses
OF the Springs establishments. Ii strikes me as
bad policy that this road has been commenced
patch here and patch there over a long extent Of
xround. whereas the same labor and money con-
centrztsd upon a continuous portion Of the lower
end Of the route would have already placed such
portion In running order, and 1t could be earning
money while tbs next division should be in prog
ress Of construction, and 80 on.
paid visit, to-day, to the b0ttling establish
ment Of the White sulphur, where the water is
put up and sent away for the benefit of those who
cannot come here to drink II a quantity Of corks
were in soak In metallic basin. One man was
rinsing empty bottles preparatory to filing them
with the spring water, which was falling in two
clear streams from faucets while others were en-
uoyed king the filled bottles and bearing them
10 a. adjoining room, where they were wrapped
in hay and packed in boxes, two dozen 10 the box
20 be Asli at q the box. Dozens upon dozens OF
empty and blled bottles, bearing the blown mark,
<sGfeenorisr White sulphur Water, - piled up in
fhe vicinity, told Of extensive business done
fhis line. C.S.N.
Naval An instructive and
hat int Sffnsr aa~fo nF.