Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-06-24
Letter from Virginia Beach.

VIRGINIA BEACH, June 81, 1SS9.-The
Cadet Corps of St. Johns Academy reached
Norfolk at 10 O'Clock q. m. on Wednesday
and inme diately came out here, where they
found neat camp arranged, sheltered on
the sea side by the freight house of the
Norfolk and Virginia Beach R. r. and on
the west by a grove Of tall pines. A flag
staff had been erected and the national flag
was raised upon it with the usual .cere-
monies and the encampuent named Camp
Hughes, after the courteous general superin.
iendent of the railroad from whom many
little favors had been received by the ad.
vance guard, which WAS also very courte-
ously treated by the ladies from Norfolk
residing here, being supplied with deli
cecies and invited to supper, &c.
There have been great changes since the
corps was here in 1883; then there was
mere pavilion with some few rooms at it's
ends, now the handsome princess Anne"
surrounded by porticoes and pavilions &C.
cupies its cite. Then there was but single
cottage; now there are quite number, and
more are to be built, as the lots cost but
5000 and good buildings can be erected for
$500.
The bathing is very fine; there is seldom,
if ever, any undertow and you can stand
very near the shore and breast the heavy
waves as they roll In, and sometimes roll
you over las they did me) If you are not
looking for them, and give you dose OF
brine The cadets, especially the younger
ones, have great fun at q. m. and 3 p. m.,
their appointed bathing hours. They put
on bathing suits in their tents and, when
the bugle sounds, rush over the sand hills
into the surf. They have long rope tied
to log on shore and some times big wave
knocks the foremost off his legs and he pulls
all the rest down with him into the surf,
whence they ell emerge with the salt water
dripping from their hair, looking like boy
mermaids if you can imagine such beings
In twenty minutes or hslf an hour, at far
thest. the bugle recalls them, and to para
phrase the poet
"They turn them at the sound
j For they know the strife is o'er,"
and make quick time to the camp to get off
the wet bathing eui.s and get their break fast
or supper ready.
They rise at 6, have drill at $50, break
fast at S. dine at l, have supper at 6 and
dress parade in the great pavilion of the
Princess Anne at 7:15. after which they en-
Joy the music there and the cool breeze I'M.
til 9:45, when tattoo recalls them to camp
and bed.
Guard duty has been unusually well per-
formed and the good conduct Of the cadetn
hes been the theme of praise everywhere.
The few cases of sickness produced by the
trash sent by indulgent mammas to their
boys Is disappearing rapidly with the trash
itself, and there are now only three or four
boys off duty with hlistered feet or skin
burned from roaming bare legged on the
beach in search of shells or crabs thrown up
by the sea. The weather has been quite as
hot as with you, but the sea breeze tempers
it, and back of camp there is a
large pavilion. now disused which
ia cool and airy all the time and where blan-
kets are often spread and maps enjoyed. On
the hotel porticoes it is delightful. Mr..
Geo. E. French, who came down with the
corps, but who was, by far, too weak to in.
dulge in camp life and boards at the Prin.
cess ADne,is already so much improved that
he can take long walks on the beach and
feels better than he has done for many
weeks. He hopes to return to Alexandria
next weik k, almost q new man. The resi-
dent physician here ia DR.. Irwin, who mar.
red Miss Eifie Boush, of Alexandria, and
who is very courteous and pleasant gen.
tleman and among the walters is Robert
Hopkins, the colored politician from Alex
andris, and another Alexandria colored
man. FIDELIs.