Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-23
THE PRESS Z XCURSION.
Tennessee Editors Away from
Home.
Arrival and Reception in Ral-
timOre.
fhc Record and the Memory OF Two
Days-The Future of Baltimore.
To the Editors of the Union and American:

To the Editors of the Union and American:
BALTIMORE, Aug. Is, 1871. The mem
bers of the Tennessee Press Association
came over from Washington yesterday
morning, arriving here about 9 O'Clock,
and were NIT at the depot of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad by committee
from the City Council, by whom they
were escorted in carriages TO the st. Clair
Hotel, where accommodations had been
provided for them during their say in
the Monumental City. DIR. w. H. Cole,
Chief Clerk of the first Branch of the
City Council, in the absence of the May
or, who is not now in the city, rendered
the excursionists cordial welcome. Car
riages were placed st the disposal of the
party, and they have embraced the occas-
ion of visiting many points of interest
in and around the city.
EXCURSION DOWN THE PATAPsOo.
At one O'Clock nearly all the editors
and reporters dined with the party at the
st. Clair. The party were then driven to
the foot of South Street, where they en-
barked on the little tug-boat r. T.
Banks, belonging to the city, and pro.
ceeded down the Patapsco river to Seven
Foot Knoll, distance of about fourteen
miles. The weather was most delight.
fully pleasant, and the trip was altogether
one OF the most agreeable the party have
yet participated in. We were accompa-
MED by quite number of city officials
and business men, who pointed out to US
the different objects along shore.
WATER COMMUNICATIONS. . ..
The shipping in the harbor was inter-
esting to the whole party, many of whom
had never seen steamship or sail vessel.
Baltimore enjoys unusual advantages in
the way of communication by water with
the whole country. In her hsrbor you
will see representatives from almost every
port of note in the North, while she has
lines of steamers plying regularly between
here and almost every port in the South
as far off az Galveston, Texas. There is
also line of steamers TO Bremen, and
one of the vessels of this line sailed on
Wednesday. It is only necessary to take
a sail down the harboT, and pass vessels
of every size and description, from the
mammoth steamer to small schooner, as
we did yesterday, to convince any one
ludb ID BlCob OOLuAAS1SfA
centre. We passed several sailing vessels
loaded with coal for Boston and other
eastern ports. That single fact shows
what the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is
doing for Baltimore. At several points
on the western bank of the harb0r are
large coal docks, where immense quanti-
ties of coal are dumped from the cars into
vessels and taken off for market. One
gentleman who accompanied US on this
excursion informed me that many coaing
stations on the Pacific and one in South
America were supplied with coal from
the Cumberland mines, brought here by
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. But
this is only one item in the great work
which this road is doug for Baltimore.
1t is building up for this city
ar immense trade with the
interior South and West, the evidence of
which is to be seen all along the line of
this great road. Freight cars are brought
from points North of this, taken across
the river on a ferry boat built expressly
for the purpose, and sent eff South and
West without breaking bulk.
FEDERAL HILL AND FoRT NJ HENRY.
Two points of interest which we passed
yesterday afternoon, were Federal Hill
and Fort McHenry. The former still
bears some of the evidences of the reign
of Butler, the infamous, here in the early
stages of the war. These traces are
however disappearing rapidly, and it
would be good thing for Butler if the
recollection of his deeds of infsmy could
fade from the memory of this people as
surely and rspidly as his Notifications are
disappearing. Fort McHenry is rather
pretty looking place, and would no doubt
make q pleasant summer resort. 1t is
gsrrisoned by small squad of soldiers.
One Of our Tennessee editors remarked
with a rather grim smile, that the last
time be visited the fort he was escorted
through Baltimore and 10 the place by
guard of honor. The excursionists were
reminded by gentleman on board that
Francis s. Key wrote his celebrated ''Star
Spangied Banner" on board an English
man of.war at that time lying off Fort
McHenry. This information of course
heightened the interest in the place.
FORT CARROLL.
Eleven miles below the city we came
upon Fort Carroll, frowning old stone
fort standing midway in the river. This
fort was begun by the Federal govern
ment good while ago, as defense to tne
city, its foundations having been laid by
Gen. Lee, who devoted years of the prime
of his manhood to its construction. On
returning our boat was landed ard an
opportunity given us to inspect thu fort.
1t is built in about twelve feet wafer, aud
is still IN an unfinished condition. Our
late civil war hiss taught military
men a lesson they never dreamed
of when the construction of this
fort was begun, viz: that stone walls
are no protection against cannon balls
The couse quence Is that Fort Carroll
has been abandoned as fcrtifc alton and
is now used as lighthouse. We found
Sergeant John A. Dons, dson, a veteran
soldier, in charge, assisted by light
house keeper and a Waterman. Sergeant
Donaldson politely showed US through
the fort, and it seemed to give him great
pleasure to point cut to US The objects of
interest. Fort Carroll covers an area of
about FIVE acres, and in its unfinished con-
dition cost the government about four mil
lions of dollars. AS before stated, the
late civil war has shown that such forts
are of no avail as q defense against the
heavy guns now in use, and IS a conse-
quence but little attention is now paid to
Fos Carroll by the Government, though
it has not been entirely abandoned. Thus
the immense amount of money it cost |
has bsen spent to little or no purpose.
There still remains in the fort "a guns
three eight inch Rodman guns, fifteen |
forty. two FOUNDER riflsd guns, aud sixteen
ten inch guns.
NORTH POINT.
In front of the hotel 81 which we are |
s;opping is a monument erected to the |
memory of the soldiers who fell in the |
battle of North Point, calamity defend |
ing Baltimore against the British army,
who were marching upon the place 10 |
destroy it. During the excursion down |
the PstapscO yesterday afternoon the |
battle ground of North Point was pointed |
out to US. An anecdOte of the British |
commander was related by BsltimoIean |
to the effect that in the morning when he |
started toward Baltimore, the proprietor |
of the farm house at which he stayed the |
night before, inquired if he should pre-
pare dinner and supper for him. TO whom |