Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-07-31
Tap TO Alexandria, correspondent

TRIP TO ALEXANDRIA, correspondence
# the Baltimore News, writing from Wash
iuvtou, gives the following ugubrious account
nf visit to this city. Evidently bis oVerneat-
ed imavinotiou was brought largely INTO play
snI furnished much Of material tor his
letter: .u
"a ,rip to Alexandria gives one very
agreeable change of air these warm afternoons.
RI Potomac is very wide, its shores are but
SLIGHTLY billy and are grass grown to the water
odg . 10 all directions foatiug craft eau be seen,
from the tiuy fishing smack, leaning perllously
~ one side, it's little sail glistening in the sun
Goht-to the large passenger and freight steam
ars which ply between here and New York.
Alexandria itself is perfect Rip Van Wlnkle
&C town. having gone to sleep years ago, aud
;sn,t vet half awake; its streets are grass
cr,wn, is stores have suspicion OF moss about
Their ceuerab!e bricks, its once busy WharVrs
are falling rapidly into decay, and the tall, dark
warehouses, facing them, have not echoed to
human tread for many days-rats ADD ghosts
are their only occupants. The two objects OF
interest 10 his city are Christ Church and the
ate of the hotel where Ellsworth was killed;
the house itself has been partly toru down aud
completely changed within a few years. Christ
Church has not been proianed by the luproV-
er's baud, but still stands as it did when u co.
Washington attended service there, quaut,
solemn aud ivy-grown; the pew owned aud &C.
cupied by our first President has not been al.
tered since he sat there last; 1t ls 80 old-tasn-
loned square pew, and strangers are not only
courteousIy shown to it, but are allowed to SIT
In it during servic unless it chances TO be tuli.
The tablets back Of tho altar are almost black
with age; the grave stones IN the little buryiog
holt FOL
aud moss grown; the dates carry one back
hundred years. La keeping with the quaint
city was strange boat pushing away IRON
decayed wharf, it looked like the ghost of
dminutive, uuroofed ferry boat; it had no car
90, DO crew. DO pilot, captain or passengers
visible; stealthily it crept out, crossed the river
obliQuely, halted, turned, came back, as sient,
empty, deserted as it started; was it 10 search
OF the Ancient Mariner or had the Centennial
guns aroused it from long nap and sent it 10
the Maryland shore in search OF the red coated
enemy Of 1852 Macy houses are still stand
ing built of brick brought over from the
mother country hundred years ago. 1t ls
hard to imagine that this same Alexandra,
small and dead now was 10 those days great
business centre; but some Of the de>ceodents
o. the men OF the revolution TRANSACT business
with the same uames un their signs as then.
The RAIN The rain which commenced to
fall gently shor, time after DARK on Saturday
night, increased 10 strength during the night, and
about one o clock on Sunday morning 1t came
i wn 10 torrents The streets were flooded,
the cutters becoming rivulets and the low
grounds in different parts of the CITY mlnla
ture lakes. As usual during very heavy rains,
the water rose above the roadway at the
corbsr of Princess aud Royal and the corDer of
Patrick and Queen streets. AT the former
point, the residvocc aud store of Mr.. John K.
Gray was f ,oded aud had portion of It's
foundation washed away. A large hole Was
washed in the eastern end of the Stone Bridge,
aud llootf Rum as also Cameron Run aud the
other small streams in the neighb ,rhood we're
much swollen and spread over the surrounding
low lauds. On the Midland road !aud slide
occurred near R1ckfsh. which detained the
train due here yesterday morning at 5. 40 clock
until half past three 10 the afternoon. The
damage has been repaired, however, and
the trains are now uunlng on time. SO tar as
heard from there has been no damage done on
the W. g. O., the A. g. f. or Manassas roads.
The rain continued to fall in frequent showers
during the day and into the night. To-day, al
though cloudy, has not produced any rain. The
advantage of the rain to the corn crop canGot
be over estimated, and the farmers are accord
ngIy jubilant The good done 10 the city con-
sl>ts uainly in the thorough cleansing of the
streets.