Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-07-25
Trip TO Fortress Monroe, Norfolk and
the CApeS.
IWrittea for the Alexandria Gazette.

! WrltteG Tor the AleXandrla Gazeite.
The writer was fortunate enough to be one
of party to take in the above excursion, given
under tho management Of Messrs. Helphen.
slime, Bentley ard Price, Of Washington, last
Saturday. The steamer Jane Moseley" left
Washington at G:50 p. H., and stopping at
| Alexandra, took On board q pilgrim crowd OF
Twelve good men and true. After delightful
moonlight ride down the placid and historic old
Potomac, daylight found us of Point Lookout.
| After passing the Point all we're summoned to
fast, and it Was just at this time tGat
waves Of trouble commenced to roll across our
peaceful breasts Naturally enough We ali had
so acbiog void. and to fill said void was some
thing impossible with such meal before Us.
Saving wood was comparative pleasure to mas.
ticatiug the beeksteak; the crabs were old
enough 10 vote, aud the coffee was too weak to
even settle. Making quick work Ct our meal,
all went on deck , stretching out before Us as
far az the eye could reach, was the grand old
Chesapeake. There was just wind enough to
max; it enjoyable, and Gs the soft strains OF
music, Mingled With the murmurlng of the sea,
hJ.tau out % this bright summer Sunday
morning, it made one feel completely obllVlous
to all the world and It's surroundings, and struck
a chord in our natures that had tendency to
make US feel that our short and troubled lives
had Dol been lived 10 vain. Arriving at Fortress
Monroe about a. %. we disemDarked. The
artillery baud vas Oh the wharf, aud as We fed
GU: the starboari gaDgway, played whoa
Emna." There was also q salute OF twenty ooc
guns, the garrison marched out 10 IL uniform,
aud all the honor5 the station afforded We
we're the reel pient5 Of Oay etopplna here ona
hour, we set sail for Norfolk, raachog tner:
alter r1o Of about twelve koet=. TIE A!exso
dria inn2c,nt haad=d By OF. 5sai, so1 If ;=r.
ed b. Csptao r. J. b L:ea:=nab. 3. H. ,
Serp=au,= NJ. 3. 7. aod h. :, AID Surgeon
Dr.. l. s, made :3,c=d march ioso ta= 10
terror. Heory VI. @:aDiey= eZpe1;!0o through
The t1Ilii cl-.. &: Arc. was pleasing AID
c5o 10 tie =:D=5= cJn pared 10 th!a march Of
ours through the street; Of this CITY b. the
Sea-" Il 8as 90 bot that suo umbrellas csu2b!
fire, ADD it is said thst all t6ss SEPARATED H
from Norfolk = tin sheet Of iron, aad that
must have either bee2 s., strs5si or stolen 90
last Sunday. Five OF our gallant little company
were Frustrated aod had 10 be sent to tue
steamer 10 ice cats, and uotil ~a LETT a.! the
passengers, ncl1dlog e7tn the ladies', wore
their clothes at half mast McE, Of AleSau
drs, was put in the ic, chest L?avIog this
steaming, broiIlnG. old fashionable brick yard,
We again headed our ship for Cd Point and
after reachiog there made stay of four bours,
some vent surf bathing, some h.hiop, boatipp,
d., &c. The Hygeia Hotel here is one of :he
foest 10 the equity, and set tabl: that, alter
leaving it, will long b. RENE u 5ered for lis
splendid CUISINE. e. A., 4. +. and i. A. H.
ate 50 much that it was next to impossible Ter
hem to get bsthiog suit to fl them, and as
for little Pete, be got outside Of enough
proyander to colic circus camel. II. {. +.
got 10 bis foe work also, and the suit be Wore
On this occasion made the people fairly howl,
and after he had shipped about tgo barrels Of
salt water found he could not get it Of, and
eEoccl5 to wear it until the cod Of time. Jn?.
l., who set all the girls crazy 90 THE boat,
thought he Was good swimmer, aud got 10
the under tow and in his frantic efforts to get
to shore left his wardrobe 10 the dark blue sea,
and had to anchor himself out 10 shallow water
uoti The boat lett. Several times be was ia ken
for can bouy, aud small boys sat 90 the whsrf
throwing pebbles at him for amusem.nt. There
was quite brave deed performed here.
little boy named Dixon, from Washington, fell
overheard, and would have drowned, ouly for
Dir. G 60. Driver, who, regardless OF his white
vest, Ieaped over after him. The water was
very shallow aud George dived head foremost;
the consequence being, be got stuck in the
SAID. His friends now cali him PILE Driver
We had some very distinguished personages
aboard, Among them we're Gen. Frz ZEE and
'Roterts,' of the Capital Ga the first
night; cruise there vas an lmpromptu co6cett,
Gen. Lee sang Rocked In the cradle Of The
deer" and Roberts told US all abou. the Potter
Investigation. This lady is most interesting
conversatonali:t and has brain weighing about
81 ounces net. AS the ship had to 20 to the
Capes, We had cur lines cast of aud left Old
Point at 40 Rounding the Cspes, our PROV
was headed homeward. Sailing along with a
vet sheet and flowing anchor the nautical eye
Of the writer soon observed squalls ahead and so
Informed the captain. Hewas not at first disposed
to act OF the suggestion, but finally, when one
struck us lust abatt the main deck, he saw his
error. Then terror reigned supreme all the
ladies went down 10 the coal bn The velocity
| of the wind was GO miles per hour without
change of cars The waves swept over Us every
time" and if it had not been tor the GOODNESS
displayed by the Alexandria boys, there would
have been total Wreck-no insurance. This
excursion will long be remembered as the most
memorable epoch 10 the lives of all on board
perhaps. After entering the river the waves
sub.ided and ali Was peac:. a meeting was
then held on the hurricane deck. with Billy
Pent6eld in the chair. A sense of the meeting
was then called for, but it was afterwards found
there vas very little in the crowd. A vote Of
thanks was then rendered to the gentlemen
who gave the oxcu's Oh, who we're interchangeable
10 their endeavors tv please every one. Also TO
Captain VIM. NOVEL; and his officers and men.
Ia fact this, taking altogether, vas the boss
excursion of the season, ROI.
THE IRON TRADE.-A comparison Of the
condition tf the iron trade for 1877 with that
Of the previous years as furnished by the annual
report Of The American Iron and Steel Asso'
citation. discloses some interesting facts. Pre-
missing that last year, taken as whole, was
the most Improbable the trade has yet passed
through, the figures show that while the pro-
! duction of pig iron was 2.3l4 SIS tons, an in
crease OF len and one half per cent. over 1876.
the price fell from s20.75 per ION in January,
| IN bou cir han