The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-06-07

common 10 all sections OF our country, f0l
at the latter all the people reside during
the meeting in tents upon the ground
while here only few remain at night Oh
the ground, the bulk of the people being
quartered in the city and in the homes of
the country folk near A great many
bring every morning, provisions for them
selves and their guests, sufficient for the
day, while many thousands dine and lunch
at the three great eating places on the
ground. AS to eating arrangements. we
find, first lunch house, which is of boards
and is nearly 200 by % feet in dimensions.
A table or counter runs the whole length
on either side and over these are dispensed
bread butter. cheese, sausage, pickle, ham,
beef, eggs, crackers, cakes, lemons, Or
anges and all kinds of CONNECTIONS. The
sales at this place amounted to something
like $500 per day-on Tuesday over $3.50
was taken over the counters
A tent. with-a seating capacity of 5000
and called the restaurant" is the next
in order among the eating places. Here
a meal may be had at any time from a. m.
to p, M, provided you find room to sit.
Tickets for meals at the restaurant and
dining rooms are sold for 25 cents, and
you can get good substantial dinner at
| either place at that price. This tent is
usually crowded at all hours, and the wait
| There are over 100 walters in the restau-
rant, besides dish washers, sc.
In the dining room, tables are provided
for the several committees, and these Off
Gals have precedence over all others i'll
| this large room. The room contains Il
tables each, with a seating of %. After
the committees have been seated the
other tables are filled with those who can
not find room at the restaurant. Between
| the restaurant and dining room is located
| the kitchen, and it is worth journey of a
| Thousand miles to see this enormous cook
| ing establishment. On one side stands
huge furnace 20 feet long, by II wide. It
is built of brick and heated with cord
| wood. On the top is boiler running the
whole length and about feet in width.
In this huge affair water for all purposes
for which hot water is used is heated. On
one side and little below this boiler is
the meat boiler which is Of the same size,
holding about 5000 gallons. Into this is
| thrown the large pieces of beef to be
cooked. Hot water is then drawn into it
from the boiler above and away she goes
till thoroughly done. On the opposite side
is coffee boiler, which is exactly thegsize
of the other two. In this is boiled the
thousands of gallons that soothe, and at
the same time stimulate the people. Half
dozen good sized boys could swim in this
big tank of coffee at a time. For service
at the tables there are several hundred
coffee pots of gallon capacity. Besides
the furnace, with its huge boilers, there
are several gasoline stoves that are kept
going all the time, stewing fruit and vege-
tables, and keeping tea hot. A wing "a
feet long extends from one side of the
main furnace. This affords frying space.
and also room for boiling potatoes, hash
mot the boarding house variety. tOma-
toes, etc.
On shelves, tables, &C., in the cook room
there were prodigiOuS piles of all kinds of
provisions. Barrels of sugar, crates of
eggs, hundred pound boxes of toasted cof-
fee, sacks OF salt, quarters Of beef, barrels
of potatoes, of molasses, of apple-butter
and of dried apples. We are sure that on
the day upon which your correspondent
visited this department in his search for
items for the VIRGINIAN. there was not
less than a car load of loaves of bread.
Everything in the provision line used on
the ground. was in immense quantities..
it was necessarily so. So perfectly had all
arrangements for feeding the multitudes
been attended to, that everything worked
out to the perfect satisfaction of all con-
cerned. Every one who wanted to eat
was accommodated and the quantity and
quality of the food furnished together
Will It's pltpdldtlOu duu UilG dUQ
polite manner in which it Was served ,elici-
ted universal expressions of praise from
the vast throng that was fed from day to
| day.
| In the midst of beautiful grove Of
stately oaks, and within the circle formed
| by the tents and booths above described,
stood the colossal circular meeting tent
In the centre was a raised platform capa-
BILE of seating thirty persons. Upon this
| platform sat the officials during business
| hours and when a speaker addressed the
multitude he stood upon it. Comfortable
! seats for fully 5000 people encircled the
platform and at every service. day and
night, every seat was filed, and oftener
than not the four aisles and spaces between
the benches were filled while compact
! shrong of many thousands who stood around
the outer edge, and all seemed intently
listening to what was being said There
were, as rule, sermons daily. and these
were, without exception, able. earnest and
eloquent.
And just here it may be truthfully said
| that, as a body, your correspondent has
never seen as many fine lacking men to-
,gether at one time as were here assembled,
and we lIaean this EXPIRE ssiOn both physi-
caly and intellectually.
| AS to the behavior during the meeting,
! it was simply perfect. The meeting con-
tinued more than week. The crowd
came from every State and territory in
the Union and from Canada, and in the
whole time there was not heard as much
| even as an impatient expression, not an
| oath, loud or boistrous word nor was
| there seen an indicate. ungentlemanly
gesture either within the enclosure or
near it, Everything moved along in the
most harmonious manner. There was not
an accident to man or beast, notwithstand-
| ing the fact that. on each day there were
thousands upon thousands of horses and
vehicles upon the fair grounds which had
been placed at the service of the commits
tee in charge. There was no fast driving
or riding. but all came and went in the
most decorous and becoming manner.
| In all the business meetings of the con-
ference the utmost good feeling prevailed.
| There was not jar of any kind to disturb
the happy state that existed. Business
was disposed of in the most prompt and
methodical manner. All was harmony,
happiness, enjoyment, and true, genuine,
Christ-like fellowship.
Beside the tents and other establish
ments referred to, the Mcpherson College
| Kan had a tent near the western en-
trance to the ground There was post
office, baggage room, three railroad agen-
oies, Sunday school and missionary head
! GudlGClos OOoh anu pei lOuiCdl IOOh,
Church Messenger office, dining room and
restaurant ticket office, and several tents
| belonging to private parties on the ground.
At convenient points, ice cold water was
supplied in abundanoe-being drawn from
fine we'll near at hand and forced to an
elaborate reservoir by 10 horse power
traction engine, and led off by pipes to the
nydrants.
This was one of the largest gatherings
ever known to that section. on some day
! the crowd numbering 10000. It wassa
season never. to beforgotten by those who
: had the good fortune to be on hand. Vir
, ginia sent large delegation, and they met
with a warm and generous welcome, Her
J turn comes next, and we wait anxiously
the hour in which the Old Dominion will
have the. opportunity Of showing to our
brethren of Indiana what real Virginia
! welcome means of show ing them how
we'll we remember akindneSs, how we'll we
can reciprocate a hospitality extended to
? these of our own household.
n Brethren and friends Of Indiana and of
other sister States whom we met at n orth
7 Manchester, We to whom you extended
Iyour hands In friendly greeting. upon
7 whom you so lavishly bestowed your gen.
erous hospitality, we to whom you opened
5 your delightful homes and your noble, true
! and patriotic hearts. we for the whole peo-
pie of Virginia. return our heart felt
thanks. and in their name assure you that