Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-08-16
PLEASED WITH LANCASTER.
A Solid Town and nospltaple People

A Solid Town and nOspItablo People.
The correspondent of the Baltimore
Sun, who is attending the Snngerfest in
this city, sends to his paper glowing &C
counts of Lancaster and its people. In
his dispatch printed to-day he says :
All are full Of praise and gratitude for
the hearty welcome given them every
where. The more one sees of Lancaster
the more pleasing is the impression left
IJ is city of some 28, 500 inhabitants,
largely Germans in politics it is just now
Democratic, though there is always a
stubborn fight for the ascendancy. As in
Gibraltar of tho old Democracy. 1t
has fire department of four
steam engines and two trucks,
and also has the call system. The
department displayed its ability early yes
terday morning. A large tobacco ware
house near Woodward Hill cemetery
caught fire, and while it was entirely de-
strOyed the tiremen showed their visitors,
crowds OF whom flockcd to the fire, that
they knew their duty and performed it.
The police force consists of eighteen uni
formed men, who seem to be fully able ID
take care of tho town. In the way uf
public buildings Lancaster has fair court
house, and a very commonplace postotfice
and city hall in ono building. A handsome
structure is being put upon North Queen
street by private parties, who will rent the
lower story to the government for a posl-
office. There is al opera house, several
banks and a large number of churches,
among one of the Moravian, and one each
of the New ard Old Mennonites or Dunk
ers. This reg ION is essentially tho homo
Of the last named faith. and very many
women can be seen Oh the streets clad il
the severely plain dress, cape and bonnet
of black or gray. according as they belong
to the old orthodox or tho new and more
liberal Dunkers.
"Tke streets of the city are, as rule,
broad and straight; some few of the most
important are paved with Belgian blocks,
others are e1nacadamized, and too many
are yet in that state of nature which rem
ders them uupleasantly dusty in dry
weather and horribly muddy in wet. In
deed, this mornings parade suffered not a
little on that account. To lay all possible
dust, the authorities splinkled the streets
very generally. Their efforts were far
surpassed by light but steady rain,
which converted the unpaved streets into
beds of mud, and not a few of thoce in
line at the outset gave up in despair and
disgust before the end was reached. The
entire city will soon be lighted by electrici
ty. The poles are already up, but owing
to the many shade trees all along the
pavements the success of the scheme is
rather problematical.
Commercially, the city ranks very high.
1t is one of the largest tobacco markets in
the country. For miles around town
fields OF growing tobacco are seen, novel
sight to many of the party. It has also
many and we'll. known whisky distilleries.
Indeed, it is said that Lancaster
pays more internal revenue than any
other city in the state, Philadelphia
not excepted. The celebrated Lancaster
watch factory, q practical but very ugly
building, started running again this morn.
ing, after close of several days, the nec-
cessary capital to continue having been
obtained. There are also several very
large cotton mills hero. And yet, despite
this wealth and industry, Lancaster,
strange to say, has not single morning
paper.