Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-07-25
Letter from Rawley Springs.

Letter from Rawley Springs.
Correspondence of the Alexandra Gazette.
RAwLEY SPRINGS, Va, July 81, 1911
This place has been much improved since last
season, and is now as comfortable and luxurious
retreat as will be found in the State This
Spring large building, designed for sleeping
rooms, has been erected in addition to the large
five story hotel erected last year. Other i'm
provements are to be made by another season,
A large hotel and dining room for 400 persons
| is designed to be built where the ten pin alley
now stands with ball room, bath rooms, &c.
The ground is being levelled, walks made and
roads built, thereby making it more pleasant
to ride or walk The upper spring, over a
hundred feet up the mountain, is to be brought
! down in pipes and fountain constructed in the
centre of the grounds
The hotel here. is nearly full at the present
time we have about 200 guests, and the arrivals
| to date number some 500; Of these number are
from Alexandria AS | am not aware that they
desire their names published, | omit the list.
Quite number OF invalids from Baltimore are
here and others are arriving daily.
The fare here is excellent; | do not think in
real substantials it can be beaten by any place
of the SORT and from all | learn is far ahead OF
most. Plenty to eat and plenty of servants to
wait on YOU seems to be the motto OF Mr.
Woodward and his assistant, Mr.. Shue. Then,
the beds are nice, the rooms clean and in per.
feet order and there is no needless fuss and
confusion.
There are three principal springs here, issu-
| ing from the side of the mountain, besides five
others in close proximity, which have not been
regularly fitted up Two of these last are free
stone and one is said to be sulphur. The others
chalybeate, two of them probably the strongest
on this continent. / need say nothing about
the character Of the waters, their medicinal
nature and curative properties being we'll known.
Any broken down man, or dyspeptic, or any
sufferer with real disease, or any feeble
woman who comes here, and goes away without
permanent benefit, will be rare exception.
THE RAIL ROAD BRIDGE ACROSS THE Po-
ToMAc.-[ From the Washington Star. Upper,
rations at the Long Bridge are progressing as
rapidly as possible, considering the difficulties
the Company have to contend with and the ex.
tent of the work to be accomplished. The
causeway from the Virginia shore to tue abut'
ment is completed, save where an aperture has
been left open for the plank way to the water,
on the upper side, and on which the heavy
stones are unloaded from the boats and rolled to
the top Of the causeway, where they are cut
and fitted for their places. This abutment wal
Of blue stone, laid in hydraulic cement with
the copings of light sandstone, presents very
substantial appearance Between this abut-
ment and the channel there are four stone piers,
almost completed, and between the channel and
the abutment on the south end of the centre
causeway, there are eight piers now being con-
structed, making twelve altogether, besides the
draw-piers at the channel These piers are all
built upon a foundation of piles of yellow pine,
tipped with an iron point, before being driven,
to penetrate far below the bed ofthe river, into
a hard gravel bottom.
These logs are brought from Accotiuk Creek,
and furnished by Captain Troth. The. piers
are placed as far as practicable on the sites OF
the old ones, as the foundations there are
thought to be more secure. The work OF build
ing one Of these piers is very slow.
These piles are then sawed off squarely under
water, at the depth Of about six feet below low
water mark. This is done BY means OF an In
genious machine eontrived by Chief Engineer
| Partridge. Across these are then laid close
/ flooring of l2-inch square oak timber, bolted
down in the same manner to the bottom Tim
bers. A frame work of the same sized timber
is placed around the border of this floor and
bofted down, forming kind of square solid oak
box on the top and twelve inches deep. This
is nearly filed with q concrete made OF cement
and rubble stone, and soon becomes rs hard as
a granite ledge The stone foundation is then
built upon this and the pier is carried up t,
ten feet above high water mark, out OF the
reach of the highest foods ever known in this
river. ,,
! When there is work to be done under the
water diver with diving bell and a complete
paraphernalia for breathing purposes, goes down
and works away for hours at time. This man
has been brought here from Annapolis, and
with boy attendant does all the amphibious
work, charging the Company $50 per day for
his services
The piers are all of cut sand stone, are brought
from Aqua Greek and Free Stone Point and
are auarried and sent here by contract. The
distance between these piers is 1873 feet and
they will be finished by the first Of October 1t
tide and weather permit.
The iron materials are on the ground ready
for use. The heavy stringers and timber work
for the bridges are being framed on the grounds
beyond the old tavern on the Virginia side OF
the river. This timber is OF the best quality
of oak. =,
| Nothing 1urtler neeuS W DC uone WIFI liic
causeway for the present it is built up nearly
to the established grade, and the coping is to
be added: also, footwalk on the north side,
which is to be constructed by cast-iron brackets
projecting over the wall, which are secured to
the stone coping An iron railing will be out
side of ALL >,
The work on the north end of this bridge will
soon be commenced, and the piers the entire
length be above water before cold weather sets
Company's work is not much less than that Of
the tunnel in Washington. The contractors.
Messrs. Campbell & Bro.-for cutting and grad
ing the road to Alexandria have puton force
of laborers and teams at the Four Mile Run
grading. Mr.. Partridge is chief eng ineer, MIR.
| G. W. Dorner, resident engineer.
ANTHRACITE Coal Market From the
Philadelphia Ledger. The anthracite coal