Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-07-09

dust Of Chattanooga from our feet,
and boarding the fast express train
of the East Tennessee, Virginia d
Georgia Railroad, we fly at the rate
of thirty miles an hour towards the
sea board. The party was con2-
posed almost entirely of the young
men Of the Association. A jolly,
happy, hilarious, expectant, eager
lot OF ''quill drivers The first
night con the rail" was passed in
fitful slumber, interspersed with
humorous tales and fun-making,
the companioDable and witty Stat
ter, of the Winchester Home Jour
nal, chaparoning the boys. The
next morning was Sunday. The
train ran no farther than Lynch
burg, and as it was necessary to lie
over either there or mt Wythville,
Va, the majority chose the latter
place, and we spent the day at
Wythville.
1t is quiet, delightful, mountain
town, situated along the base of the
Alleghanies, and is quite a healthy
and popular summer resort for
tourists. We stopped at the Noun
tain View Hotel, a well kept host
lery, whose genial proprietor, an
Englishman, left nothing undone
to make the time pass agreeably.
We ''did' the town during the
day, and at night the party attend
ed church Gas all good editors do.
Good boating and fishing being
near at hand, in a ripping, sparkl-
ing, mountain streamlet, some of
the young ones were sorely tempted
to try for the speckled beauties, but,
of course, they could not do SO on
this day.
At III o'clock at night the train
was again boarded, and on to Nor
folk was the cry. We were now on
the Norfolk and Western railway,
which commences at Bristol, Tenn.
The road was good and permitted
Of fast time. The ride through
East Tennessee and Virginia was
enjoyable and interesting; the lofty
chain of mountains to be seen on all
sides presenting 10 us a view at
once novel, grand and unique.
Over on the ridges sOmber groves
of pines stood solemn and dark.
| Wherever the axe had robbed them
of their forest growth the slanting
| hillsides were covered with thick
lower growth of whortleberry and
stunted pine and feathered fern,
while along the valleys an occa-
sional field of yellow wheat or
flourishing corn bespoke more
| fertile section and varied the scene.
We passed through Lynchburg,
Petersburg, near to AppomatOx
courthouse, through the famous
Dismal Swamp, viewed the re-
nowned peaks of Otter, towering
majestically ten or fifteen miles off
in the murky distance, and at 4
o'clock, Monday afternoon, came in
sight of Norfolk and her beautiful
harbor the first glimpse of the
sea to many of us. Norfolk is a
splendidly built, clean, bustling
seaport city of $4,000 inhabitants,
with magnificent harbOr, contain
ing vessels from every foreign port.
We secured state-rooms on the first
class palace steamship Manhattan,
of the "Old Dominion" line, which
soon steamed out of port, and we
were now on the "deep blue sea-"
Here we pass Fortress Monroe run
near to Old Point Comfort, now an
elegant and popular summer resort;
view with great interest the Rip
Raps, Il pile of wave beaten and
bare rocks rising from the sea,
where Jefferson Davis was confined
as prisoner for long dreary
D IllOIlliiSJ dAC SIlSh IL lIlC oCCl4C VI Al-S
terrific encounter between the Mon
itor and Merrimac, and watch with
eager wonder the fast receding land
as we move swiftly out to sea. 1t
is a grand sensational glorious
sight to a novice. The weather
was fine, the sea very calm, and
we reached New York on Tuesday,
without single reported case of
sea sickness. The light houses and
/ light ships seen en- route attracted
much attention. AS we passed
Long Branch and neared the Me
/ tropolis all on board went out on
deck to view the splendid sight.
The iron pier at Long Branch was
brilliantly Illuminated with thou
sand lights, and presented a scene
of dazzling beauty. The scene
along the shores and in New York
harbor, as seen by an approach at
night, cannot be described.
Touching the pier landing at l
o'clock at night, we stayed on board
until next morning, when we went
ashore and stopped at the Astor
House, centrally located on Broad
way, near to the post-office, City
Hall and Park Place. To attempt
to say anything here about New
York would be folly. TO attempt
to describe its myriad attractions
and novelties would be ridiculous.
It's teeming mass of two million
souls, its grand and stupendous
! business interests, could not be told
of in books. Suffice it TO say this
wild, untrammeled, unterrified
band of sightseeing country edi-
tors went as far and saw as much as
could be encompassed in four days
and so many nights. They ''did"
the Elevated Railway, Central
Park, the art and museum halls,
"took i'm" Coney Isiand-the peer
less, the unriValled, the fashionable
seaside watering place of America.
To the New Yorker who "has been