Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-16
AN ELECTRIC RIDE.
THE AMATEUR REPORTER GOES ON A
GRAND EXCURSION.
Rendered Desperate by ncer and Soda
water He Takes Through Ticket
A Hard Story.

vented his leaving for few days after the /
date set. The hea. was intense: the ce- !
lestial crcmatory was in full blast Cif ours /
was not. Perspiration poured from every /
pore. What to do to make nrban existence |
bearable was the question. The sign
"Cool Beer" attracted him. He swsl-
lowed glass. The beverage was cool and
refreshing going down, but soon after
reaching its destination the sufferers
frame became n furnace heated seven times
hotter than before. He next saw a soda
and mineral-water stand. glass from
one of the faucets was tried. ice cold. but
the effect was not much different from
that of the malt compound.
AN msrIEArIoS.
The perspiration still poured and Just
a the amateur reporter had determined TO
make for the steam laundry and be sweatcd
out and pressed dry he mad an inspiration.
Why not try q ride on the eiectric-carsg
No sooner thought of than done. All
This ia the thing IA the motion manu-
factured breeze struck him he brcathed q
sigh of delight and contentmcnt, and set
tied down comfortably prepared TO 90 10
the ends of the oarth-or Richmond, which
many people think pretty much the same
thing.
Truly II was delicious. The faint breeze,
stirred by the speed of the car, became
btiff wind. IT futterod the ladies' riOrOns,
stirred the down on the backs OF their swan
like necks, whipped the curs OF the little
girls, blew of the amateur-reporters straw
hat. evaporated his perspiration, ana tea
his luxuriant Inoustaches behind his ears IN
. graceful capillary festoon, which attract
I'd universal adLlraiiOn.
what ,uarvelious transformations these
slectric lines have wrought. 1t mad becn
many moons since the amateur reporter
last visited the suburbs. He doesn't have
much chance. lie grinds away the week
DAYS at his desk. and on SUNDAYS reads the
Sunday papers and-fJench novels. What
he saw astonished and delighted him.
New streets opened. old ones graded and
paved. hills leyclled. hollows filled. ancient
houses romodelled, new ones-hundreds or
them-built, and everywhere the signs OF
a great, growing, beautifylng, and re-
filming prosperity that filed him with az
unenviOus delight, and made nun feel
prouder of his grand old CITY than ever
before, and he has had 10 feel mighty proud
OF her at times, rs nave Others.
TAKING THE READER ALONG.
Suppose the reader and the 4. X. ride to-
gether. We board the car on Bank street
and are whirled around tho sharp corners
Of Twelfth to Franklin. Down trGrklin's
precipitous grade We glide. through re-
clon of hotels, snack-hOuses. stables.
stores, the large. dirty. and loud-smclling
market; up grade again into 1wenty-hrst
ana pointing Tor Church I'M. Broad street,
where is the great ravine! Gone. and lett
no trace. Ahead. where n short while ago
was a countryside road, with few stray
Cling and nondescrIpt houses. we SEQ
straight streets and lines of new and
modern dwellings. Again to the right, and
still zlgzaggirC, we make the circuit OF
the hull, and far out TO tue eastern terml-
nus on Twenty street. We have
passed scores OF new buildings md view
ed scores more In every direction. we
feefn to De in new town. Around
the loop We go. retraclng the way 10 Bank
street through multitarlOus vehicles, pc
destrlans, Industries, sights, SOUNDS. ana
smells. How We avoid crashing INTO somo
of the frst-named Is "a mystery. the way ls
so narrow and so thronged. Now We zig |
gag again. Up Ninth into Franklin. up |
Seventh into Clay. And now we have Il ,
straight ride of n mile or more through |
street that the electric line has made one !
OF the most populous and popular resi- |
dence thOroughtarcs in the cltT. IL - |
built up entirely. There are no gars. |
Now we turn TO the south. A few blocks |
and we are IN the midst Of the district of |
elegance, refinement, and tasnlOn-the |
Murray.Hill or flfth-Avenue quarter oftbe |
town. Still south to Nam and again we |
have a long, straight rco, not so solldly |
built up as on Clay. but quito well covered !
and showing signs vi constant improve !
meni.
TIE EyRR-GRowING WEST ESD.
This is the ever-growing Wes. End. Soon |
We come to the open heds and sniff the |
fresh country air and hear the cow-bclls |
tinklilig. Around We sweep TO the reser- |
voir, and the refreshing and varledly inter- |
esting ride Of five miles IS over. We feel |
delightfully."- cool, rested. and invigorated. |
We do not care 10 leave our seats, out |
handing over another nickel apiece |
C'Dutch treat - We set out on the return, !
taking the Main-strocl route this time. |
For three miles we hardly swerve as mony |
feet. We pass charming residences. hand |
some stores the finest and wealt hest
business portion Of the city. Down
we 60 into antiquity. poverty, ana
we have reached the river. which now
runs like red clay road from recent rams.
Away we speed along ITS banks, and then
with another turn we cntor another town,
or 50 II seems. We can easily remember
when Fulton was next to nothing AT all
Now it has lines OF paved and wcll-oulit-up
streets, railway running through II,
handsome churches. an englne-hOuse-ln
short, all the usual features OF full
fedged town. In municipal dignity 1t
uestles at the foot of majestic Chimbo-
razo. monument to its thrifty population
and the enlightened and liberal policy OF
the city fathers.
TIE cRoss-TowN LINE.
Now we'll try another trip. Back we 60
two miles or moro To Seventh street, the
centre of the city. Here we take the cross
town Richmond and Southside line. Again
through dirty ana devious ways we so hy
NOISY railroad depots aud towering tacto-
ries, chiefly tobacco, until the river Is
reache1. Over the bridge we evenly glide,
the muddy current boiling over the rocts
and fails below, and presently we mount
into Manchester. When last We saw our
southern sister she was finished city
tho second ono IN the Commonwealth.
What mighty strides she has made III a yerv
few years. We hardly knew her IN her
garb of renewed youth. power, and grace.
Out beautiful street. which was not
long ago little more than an artificial gutter,
VIC speed-up. up, one turn TO the night,
then TO the left. and we are IN the midst OF
green fields laid of IN plots, ready for the
buyer aud the builder, handsome dwellings
here and there, the nncle, OF future lovely
and populOus centres We see sign which
says "Ihirty-fourth street" just think
OF that in Manchester Away We go
Through similar fields which seem 10 nave
been fashiOned-as perhaps they were-ov
nature especially for villas and country
seats, SO beautifully does the land lie 10 nj
che desire o, man. We pass villas IN pro-
cess OF construction. Soon the lovely termi-
pus Forest dill Park, is reached. and not
having tho time 10 wander through its
uuiet and beautiful dells, We start on our
return. What lovely scene It -, We think
the second time. Richmond Is stretched
like a panorama before us. From nowhere
can she be seen TO better advantage. With
Der smoky central canopy covering her ma
Sestic Capitol. City Hall. and numerous
other stately edihcc-, and her beautiful
suburbs, she looks Ike q metropolitan city
Indeed, aud so she Is. Her western SUBURBS
Areespecially lovely. River View Is IN sight.
and jus; beyond rises MAJOR Dooley's pala-
<i.l home
HARD STORY.
The Amateur Reporter stood under his
Dear-trse adnring il recently, but did not
touch pear. though the temptation was
great. But we must on. Down through
Manchester agar. back over the river. and
right up through the heart of Richmond
We 90 out, out 90 lar Baker street on the
north side. where we tran fer 90 the new
electric line o. the Norths'de Land and
Improvement Company, operating Chest