Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-08-30
[For the DAY Boog.l
MONTGOMERY w. s. SpRiNds.l
August 9th, 1869.
J. r. HATHAWAY, ESQ.,:

you have always felt in the success of
our Virginia Springs, and~the strong
advocacy you have given them in years
pastas a journalist, wherein you maintain
ed that it was the duty of the Southern
people to patronise. theiraown places of
summer resort not only because the
amount expended was retained among
our own people, but because of their
superior excellency for social enjoyments
as well as the great medicament uni
versally admitted of the health restoring
qualities of their waters. I wish through
your energetic and widely circulated
Journal to call the attention of our own
immediate people to the Montgomery
White Sulphur After had made the
round of most of the noted Springs,
concluded to visit this place, and never
was more agreeably and pleasantly
surprised. I had not conceived of its
extent and grandeur. | arrived in the
company's car from Shawsville. at
about IL o'clock P. m the cars running
Immediately into the reception room, or
building devoted for the purpose, and
in which are situated all the various
offices, such as clerks offices and sleep
ing chambers, bar, barber shop, tee-
graph office, stage office, &c, where you
find sulphur water, limestone water,
and all as cold as ice can make it, or if
you desire more thoroughly to clear
your throat of the dust of travel, Messrs.
Robertson & Taylor, Or any one of their
obliging assistants. will aid you with a
goblet of one of their decoctions of
spiritus VIM gallici et'mentha pipereta
cum sacharum album ct aqua frigeda
qlmntum snfficit. Your room is assign
ed, you and your baggage safely depos-
tied and in the morning, after good
nights sleep. you are early warned to
prepare for breakfast by the strains of
music emitted by one of the best bands
IN the country; you step out, look
about, and involuntarlly exclaim, oh |!
what beautiful place how magnifi-
cent! You are overwhelmed; you, a
native Virginian, who had never lived
out OF your State, should be so utterly
ignorant of this Eldorado. Such was nv
own experience. 1t is hardly possible
to describe with accuracy the beautiful
arrangement. will call the space
which intervenes as common, or better
known to academicians as Campus"
probably contains two hundred acres,
situate between overhangihg mountains,
running East and West, and through
this valley runs branch of the Roa-
noke; it is thickly studded with large
trees, throwing out their. welcome shad-
owage; on the right, as you face the
Wet, i"5 ti.or- ler5e,J towering hvtei,
hanked on either side with a row of
splendid cottages mot cabins) extending
a quarter Of mile in each direction :;
these cottages are of the most costly
order, no one containing less than six
rooms, and majority of them eight
rooms. Immediately opposite these is
arrow of cottages of the same dimen-
sions. These buildings were erected at
great cost and evidence great taste in
architecture, all of them having large
pillared verandas, and with what the
Yankees call belvdere's on the top. In
the intermediate space is the Spring
House, most stately and imposing edi-
flee, where may be seen, all through the
day, throngs gathered to drink of the
icy cold sulphur water. Now comes the
most important to the old fogies, of al
dermanic proportions like you and my
self and that is the TABLE. 1t has been
said that large numbers of men may
accomplish wonderful things, but when
it comes to keeping hotel, then tho
number grows beautifully few and
far between. The proprietors of this
place, Messrs. Wilson & Lorentz, are
experts. Captain Thomas Wilson,
whom know and have known person.
ally, is considered the Napoleon of
hotel keepers; be is steam engine in
breeches. The old adage that some men
are born great, some achieve greatness,
and some have it thrust upon them
this in no respect applies to Captain
Wilson, for he was born hotel keeper
as much as Shakespeare was born
poet, or Blind Tom musician. Mr.,
Lorentz is considered by the guests
courteous aud obliging gentleman; l
have not the pleasure of bic acquaint-
ance, but these two gentlemen, with
the aid of their attaches, have succeeded
in establishing place OF fashionable re-
sort and comfort for which every Virgil
MAN should feel proud and grateful,
The company is large, composed OF gen.
tlemen Of means and leisure, with their
wives and daughters, from every South
ern State. Everything is fault less.
The table, as started out to tell you, is
Incompatible; the wine cellar of the
highest grade. Col. Thos. M. Binford,
chief clerk, 10 scholar and gentleman,
and his subordinates give credit to his
Judgment in their selection. Thes
Springs Were opened as a place of re-
sort in 1866, and conducted by the
company through Board OF Directors.
In 1861 thaV wara cloea1 for tbo ,uoot