Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1877-02-27
DOWN THE JAMES.
From Richmond to old Point
OLD POINT COMFORT, J
Old POINT, VA,
Fol Olaf 1877

HEp -lobI lC'''J
The committees of both houses of
the General Assembly on Schools and
Colleges left Richmond yesterday
morning at s O'Clock, on visit to
Hampton Normal School, which is
under the uptrintendency of Gen.
Armstrong, who made every prepare
ton for our voyage and entertain
ment. The party consisted of Messrs.
Qnesenberry, Cochran, Ward, Mum,
Bpasley, ana Bland, of the Senate,
aud Messrs. Gilman, Leech, Duhn,
Ronald, Parsons, Gaines, MCMuiliu,
Scruggs. and Fowler, of the House,
DIR PendletOn, Assistant Secretary
of the Sedate, and Mr., j. l.. School
craft, of the Enquirer, and Mr.. w.
II Winters accompanying The mag
nificent steamship, Old Dominion,
was rendered us for our downward
trip, and Capt. Walker, who has had
the sea salt of thirty eight years on
his hair, did everything possible to
make us comfortable. The Old Do
minion was due at City Point at s
2. NJ, but in order to avail herself of
high tide to cross the bar below the
city of Richmond. had 70 leave twelve
| hours earlier. The morning was sharp
and clear, Just such as a toughened
sailor calls beautiful with a smack of
the mouth and nod of the head,
which are with him the Ne Plus w.
ira of emphasis.
An hour and half gave us time to
partake Of a royal breakfast on board
the boat and to walk on deck in time
to see Drury's Bluff and Chafn' =
| Farm, with their huge yellow earth
work griuuiug through the brush Of
twelve years that thickly studs their
surface. As we approached the his.
tOrc spot that for years detied the
northern gunhOats to come nearer
than seven miles OF the Confederate
Capitol, the river run due south until
by the abrupt blufl it turned and ran
due east. leaving, in former times, the
apr roach from the sea exposed TO a
sweeping fire from the powerful guns
mounted on the bluff. 1t was easy to
see that the point would he impregna-
blc until taken from the land APP
pronch, Five miles further brought
us to the famous
!. DUTCH GAP CANAL,
dug by Ben Buffers negro soldiers,
and which, however, intended for the
sui iugatIOn of Virginia has resulted
in downright benefit to the State.
The canal is about three hundred feet
in length, about sixty feet in width
! and the depth Of cut above the water
not more than forty feet at the upper
end of the canal, slOping down to The
waters's edge at the lower end. This
Is all there ia Of it, yet it saved us "A
seven mile detour in the direction of
Petersburg. There is a sharp current
flowing through the canal, the more
noticeable as it is the only current any
where perccptible from Richmond 10
the sea, for Richmond is Mt the head
of Underwater, and at high-tide the
wharf ut Rockets may be said to be on
q level with the sea,
At IL O'Clock, A. M, we were at City
Point, where we had 10 remain until
Or, NJ, City Point Is ut the mouth of
the AppOmRttoX river, and distant by
rail nine miles from Petersburg. The
AppomattoX emptics into the James
bet tween Old Bermuda Hundreds, ii.
laDidAted negro town, and city POiut,
which is very little more, its popula-
ton being, as one Of its sable sages re.
marked to us, about POO colored aud n
dozen whites Our party landed and
explored the town, which we found
very little advanced since the days of
OpecancanOng, POwhattan and Capt,
John Smith. II is miserable spot of
the earth aud ht only as place OF