National Republican., 1881-09-16
VIRGINIA NOTES.
FROM WASHINGTON TO RioHnosD.
Newport News TO ne the Great Cltf % ne Fs'srs-
Riehmonds Commerce 10 Go Thsre-ai,t'
andria's Lost ChsBees-A aad nali-
road dIuvestment--fort foois.


ing there at three p. M. and eleven p M, end 2
steamer now leaves Richmond every NondsI'
Wednesday and Friday at ak a. m, but mating
connection with the Leary ~ Norfolk OF tufuc.
Monroe Is not so certain. Hut aiter ne laih oi
October next cars over the Chcaareake and ONO
Railroad viii be running rcrulariy several umes a
day from Richmond to Newport News, and then.
no doubt, the steamers Leafy and lake VII touch
regularly nj Newport News, and travellers going 70
Richmond with the intention of rciuruine BY
steamer by tho bay and Potomac routes viii be
sure OF continuous passage without tedious and
expensive delays. The days Of the james River
as navigable stream for large steamers and sea
going vessels are nearly numbered. ~ soon ~
the largo wharves Qhc largest and best on The
American contincnO and elevators arc completed
atNewport News the heavy commerce of
RICHMOND WILL m rRASsFERHED
totho former port, and no acts Of man or iegisla.
tion can prevent the change. Nature never In.
tended James River for great and reliable CON.
mercial thoroughfare sufncicnt 10 transport the
products Of the West and Southwest seeking tide.
water and n foreign market, and natures laws
must be obeyed. The necessity Of the change
from Richmond 10 Newport News will bo more
fully explained in forthcoming letter. Having
business at Richmond, decided TO wy the new
excursion route from Washington 10 that place
and down the James, then up the bay and foio-
mac at the same time keep an eye open for items
of interest and, afler the manner OF Captain cut
tie, "when found make note Of" stepped ON
board the commodious steamer Excelsior, and,
with pencil and notebook, was ready 10 make a
note of past and present events. Passing Alexan.
dria, strained my eyes to discover the improve
ments that would speedily follow the great manu-
featuring boom which we heard so much about
several months ago;
nut I FAILED TO NOTICE
any particular change for the better, except the
walls of the old Pioneer Mills have been repaired
and new glass reset in the many broken windows;
but the old and dllapidated wharves and ware
houses appeared to no bcttor advantage. Yet
Alexandria is not without God and without hope
in the world" II Is less than two hundred years
since the first settler built the first hut on the banks
of Hunting Creek furthermore, II took London a
thousand years to become the metropolis OF the
world, and who can tell what q thousand years
may do for Alexandria do not claim TO be a
prophet, nor the son of prophet, but will under
take to prophesy this much, that in less than Ave
years Newport News will contain larger popula.
tion than Alexandria contains to-day and will
ship more tons Of frelghts in one day than Alex
andria now ships in one year. ITO err Is human"
and
THE PEOPLE OF ALEXANDRIA
committed two very serious errors within the pnst
forty years: First, when she withdrew from the
District of Columbia and became again n part Of
liberal appropriations annually made by Congress
for Improvements and support of the District gov
ernment Second, when she voted to raise, by
mortgaging the city property, nearly slIOOQ00O to
build the Alexandria and Manassas Gap Railroad,
instead of the Alexandria. Leesburg and Win
chester road The Alexandria and Manassas Gap
Railway would eventually have been builtby out
side capital had Alexandria declined TO appro-
pirate one dollar. Furthermore, had that amount
of money been applied to the completion of the
railroad to Winchester, and from thence to the
coal-fields OF Hampshire and the adjoining coun-
ties In West Virginia. the tens Of thousands of tons
of coal and the same number of feet Of timber
that would daily have passed over that road for
the port of Alexandria would havemade It
FIRsT-CLAss PAYING RAILROAD,
and the money thus borrowed would have been
paid principal and interest, and the.pppulation,
commerce, and traffic of Alexandria would have
been double what 1t now is, and the city compara-
lively out of debt. As the matter now stands the
debt due from the Alexandria and Manassas Gap
Road remains unpaid and the result Of that un-
wise loan has created a debt Of sl,5000Oo to tor
ment the present and coming generations. One
can almost imagine that atShakespeare
HAD ALEXANDRIA IN HIS MINDS EYE
when he penned the following sentiment so appro-
PIRATE to its present condition:
There is tide In the affairs ofmen
Which, taken at the food, leads on to fortune
Omitted, all the voyage OF their lie
Is bound in shadows and in miseries.
Yes, to err is human, and the former managers
of the affairs Of Alexandria were very human in
giving the wheat fields of Shenandoah Valley the
preference to the coal-felds of West Virginia Two
miles below Alexandria, on the Maryland shore
is Fort Foote, which, according to all reports oi
military officials, can be made post of great
strength, and capable Of doing efiectual work in
case an hostile feet should attempt to pass up the
river. 1t is naturally much stronger position
than Fort Washington, four miles below ValuablS
as 1t is in military view, 1t Is eyesorc to every
traveller The wharves are in a dilapidated con
dition, and, If there is no use for them, why no
remove them at once? clean shore is far pref
cradle to dirty ruins. The frame building at thu
loot of the road, near the main wharf, contains al
enormous chain long enough to reach across tn,
channel of the riverat that point, and would b,
stretched across the channel, resting on sunkeI
boats and barges, in case OF danger from an enc
my's feet attempting to pass. 1t is called "Uncl
Sans watch. chain" The links arc nearly tw,
feet in length and the thickness Of n mans wrist