Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-01-14
HISTORIC VIRGINIA.
Our Southern Travellers Reach the Old
Town of Norfolk.
Fortress Monroe-Hampton Roads and
Newport News-Old Point Com
fort-A Typical Virginia
Gentleman.
NORFOLK, VA, December "a, 1891.

| NORFOLK, VA, December "a, 1891.
There are two lines of steamers leav
ing Norfolk and way points, thenew anS
the old-the former, the better boats
daily at Pm. the latter, tri-weekly at
Pm. Tourists travelling by one of thest
boats-as we did, starting on the evening
of the 16th-see but little by the way
down the Potomac River and the Chesa
peake Bay, but get what, perhaps, is bet
ter, good nights sleep. At daylight
next morning when we awoke, our boat
which had been steaming away all night
was approaching Old Point Comfort
where stands the war-famed Fortress
Monroe, place and its surroundings
had long desired to see. Our boat land
ing here short time gave us good
view of the Fort from the water, and also
the famed Hygeia Hotel, visited later
OF these places l may be permitted to
digress enough to say that the name
Point Comfort was given the neck OF
land lying between the Chesapeake Bay
and Hampton Roads in 1907, by the col
onists, "on account of the good channel
and safe anchorage it affords" 1t is
called Old Point Comfort to distinguish
it from New Point Comfort, near the
mouth of the York River. The Soldiers
Home and National Cemetery lie a
couple of miles from the wharf, reached
by fine carriage drive. 1t is beautiful
place. Fortress Monroe, commenced in
1919, and named in honor of President
Monroe. is the largest and strongest in
thec0untry. Its full armament is between
400 and 500 guns. 1t was the basis of
operations for many of the movements
against the Confederates in Virginia,
North Carolina and more Southern
States. jeff Davis, was for long time,
after the close of the war, imprisoned
here. The casemate which was his pris-
on was shown us.
The Hygeia Hotel is situated upon the
beach near to the wharf, and within one
hundred yards of the Fortress. 1t has
accommodations for 1000 guests, and has
all modern improvements. Northern peO-
pie assemble here in winter and South
erners in the summer months.
Soon we were off from Old Point, and
passing through the beautiful sheet of
waterway called Hampton Roads. On
the point of land extending down into
the water on the right is Newport News.
Here is the mouth of the James River,
and the opening into Hampton Roads,
Newport News was fortified by the
United States troops early in the war;
and, as many of my readers, know it was
off this place on the Sth of March, 1892,
the great naval battle between the
United States vessels Congress, Cumber
land, Minnesota and st. Lawrence, and
the Confederate iron-elad ram Merrimac
and the steamers Patrick Henry and
jamestown, took place. The Merrimac
ran her sharp5pointed PROV into the
Cumberland Zone of the very largest ships
in the United States Navy, and sunk
her. She went down carrying with her
great number of her officers and crew.
l met an old sailor on our boat who told
me he was on the Cumberland when she
went down. He pointed out the very
spot. When the tide is coming in or
going out ripples are seen over the spot
where her wreck lies. The victory was
a great one for the Confederates, but it
was short lived. 1t demonstrated, how
ever, that wooden vessels were powerless
before iron-clads, and revolutionized ma
val architecture the world over. The
night after this battle the United States
iron-clad Monitor, providentially arrived
in Hampton Roads. Next day the Mon
itor engaged the Merrimac; there was a
hand to hand fight between the two. The
world knows the result. The crippled
Merrimac hobbled off to Norfolk and
never afterward made another attempt
was blown to pieces by the Confederates
upon the evacuation of Norfolk. Imme-
diately after leaving Old Point you pass
to the right of the Rip Raps-frst called
Fort Calhoun; afterward Fort Wool.
The channel here is very narrow. Fort
Calhoun-Or the Rip Raps as it is COM
monty called-was, in conjunction with
Fortress Monroe, expected to completely
bar the entrance of Hampton Roads to
the shipping of the foreign enemy. tits
built upon an island formed of stones
brought from long distances at great cost.
1t has never been completed, and proba-
bly, never will be, since it cannot be made
effective as against irod-clads. The next
prominer projection of land from the
left is Sewelrs Point. The Confederates,
fortified here, had several sharp
engagements with the United States |
gunboats in 1861 and '62.
Craney Island comes next on the right |
is five miles from Norfolk, and is where
the Government powder magazines are
located. Near here the Merrimac was
blown up, her draft of water being too
great to enable her to go to Richmond.
When about to enter the superb harbor
of Norfolk and Portsmouth we pass Nor
folk on the LETT and the Marine Hospital
on the right. The latter is in the midst
of a grand natural Park. AS We steam
into the harbor, Norfolk is to the left and
Portsmouth is to the right-the Eliza
beth River dividing them. They are
called the Irwin Sisters by the Sea-"
Observing the precept, Emulation with
out envy" They are both increasing in
wealth and industrial i'm
portance. Have very large shipping
trade, especially in coal and cotton, hav-
ing for the latter powerful compress ma
chinery, which reduces the bales to one
third their original size. The climate
seems to be good. The Gulf stream,
which touches the Virginia shore, robs
ofits frostiness in winter,
and the heats of summer are tempered
by the fresh breezes from the sea.