Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-05-29
a Trip Through the Southwest
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gszett

q Trip Through the Southwest
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gszettc]
| a visitor TO Richmond after q years. ab'
ssnc, v i'll note macy changes and improve
menis going on there and sea progress aud
prosperity in every direction. Richmond ie
now busy mart and quarter Invested 10
Car tickets will show her much bigger than
most would judge.
saw number of fami,iar fsces there.
Col. Marye, Lse Moore. Prot Sbuman. the
artist, and his 500, Norris; Will Fisher,
Walter K'dwell snd numt2r OF Mr
Carne's old boys.
Manchester is extending over vide area
aud its manufacturing plants are big ones.
La fscs, all the towns Just cut Of Richmond
are enjoying steady growth end prosperity
jnst DOW. Ashland, up on the R., F. q P.
rosd, is one Of tbs prettiest little villages to
DE fcuud aoywhere, and the towns dowo on
the & & D. In the peninsular are building
up tor.
The newspaper men OF Richmond are q
gen'sl get aud all appear to be doing we'll.
Will Fisher, (the fellows here call bin
Mac) took me through ths big Williams
tobacco factory. There are about SCI peo-
pie employed bera, quite as many as in The
Alien & Gin er cigarette factory. The cut
pu, Is enormous
Fisher is member O, the Howi,Zsre. T6e
other night wac drill night sod went up
there, aud there were 80 odd boys pulling
six or eight euna about two acre lot.
Fisher is corporal. but YVES serving as GER
sergeant that night.
went down in the South side for several
days etopp!ng In Primes Edward Two of the
mesneet days I've ever seen. This is rich
farming country. the home OF most hospi
table peope, good patured epd thoroughly
democratic. Farmville is about halfway be-.
tween Lynchburg al d P, .rsburg. It has
about 5000 population. cut ss 1t i5 in the
"hlack belt" most are "culerd The blacks
are polite and accommodating and the older
ones are hard working and industrious.
Fsrmvile Is the eme OF Governor McKin-
ney, II has many neat little houses of mod.
era design and some foe cId-fesbicned
b; icke. all with their mig chimneye en- the
ou,ede. The State Female Normal School
is here and Hampden SdneY College and
the Seminary is ju,t beyond. The town hiss
q development company with a million
dollars capital and shorty the rich iron ore,
chalk, granite and coal fields will be de-
veloped. There are several mineral springs
up out there. The streets Of Farmville are
eral handsome business blocks and is always
lively. saw 10 the basement of the school
building an old hand fre-eugine and hoee
cert that are not much different from those
General Washington brought our Friendship
when the ela,m is given the machine Is
70 fbo aot ha fo
poured iuto hopper" ard then "sQuirted,"
; as Capt. Webster says. There three or
four tobacco factories here, snd. outside of
their needs, there seems no necessity for 8
FIRE department In Fsrmville.
Hampden Sidney Is enjoying prosperity
now. Il Is q big institution, l note several
old echoolmates there. Mr.. Gfillbortzar, OF
Alexandria, is 81 the Seminary. Mr.. J
Marion Hart, who Is well remembered in
Alexandria, keepe the village store and is
doing we'll. HE son John graduated ct col
Iege aud then went TO Charlottesville and
took the law course aud is now practicing
successfully In Roanoke.
A gentleman from Roanoke tells me Rev.
DR.. Flippo's new SIS 900 church Is nearly
completed. He says Nal. Hill, with his
fsther, Mr.. G.. Powell Hill, is doing we'll,
and also that Lee Powell, the younger of
the Powell boys 10 alexandria scme years
ago, is building S25 600 residence. Lee
has made million dollars in real-estste
specuIatcns there, and can to-day write q
check for hundreds Of thousands, yet be is
hardly 25 gears of age.
All this country about Fermvile. and as
you go down to Petersburg ia growing fsst
It does not seem ths most desirable country
to live in, however The roads are fearful
the red, elippsry mud being up TO mules
belly In some places.
The trip from Richmond to Baltimore via
the r. & D. and York River route is fac.
You are invigofated by the temperature aud
breezs ss soon as you get beyond Richmond,
whiaked dcwn to West Point. great store
houpe and shipping point aud town about
mile long epd half-mile wide, to the big
iron steamer, which is lighted by electricity
aud has every convenience and luxurious
appointments, then down the York end up
the bay. IL is grand trip; aud you get
more than any two dollars worth In this
alooe-good fare, solid comfort and rest.
There we're over 100 cabin passengers on
this trip, aud the trip from Richmond to
Baltimore was less than twelve hours.
Baltimore, May Is. B.