Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-12-23
Le,tc: from Ncwnor, Nc.y.:.
NEwpopr News. Dec. 2l- 1Sos

! ~ may pS iHtSiN7t'hS5 " '"SH VI N''
readers as are kept, willingly or un-
willingly, at home, to hear something
about what is going on in other places,
how they look and how their people
live; for, although the people Of Vir
ginia are unusually homogeneous for
Americans, yet every ncighborhood has
its peculiar ways.
With your permission, therefore, he
proposes TO give them, from time TO
time, the result of his observations in
various places, in the hope of interest
ing them.
Newport News, as most Of them
doubtless know is town on the north
side of James river just where it emp
ties into Hampton Roads. This is, as
as they also know, the place at winch
the despairing colonists, after three
years of cold, hunger aud labor met
the !ongboat of their new Governor.
Lord De La War, and received the vel
come tidings which induced them TO
return to Jamestown and make Virgin
ia something more than sad memory
in the history OF colonization. For that
reason it received the name of New
ports News Point. Capt Christopher
Newport, who brought over the original
settlers in 1907, being the man who
persuaded them TO return.
The city, for it has the dimensions Of
one, il not the inhabitants, is about
twice the size of Alexandria, but E&s
only, in its most prosperous condition,
third of its number of people. 1t is
not like Bedford City, and otb.r, boom
towns, an old village with streets with
out houses around it, but has nicely
built squares between which are thick
cts and marshes, and elegant buildings
next to lots which remind you of the
primeval forest. On the lower side the
city is cut into two by a long board
fence, which appears TO strangers TO be
its boundary, but which he finds 10 be
merely protection for the yard of the
C. & 0. Il. r., and, incidentally to keep
him from being cut into mincemeat by
their necessarily running trains, or
breaking his neck by tumbling into
the deep cut which enables
them to reach. the James river. A
walk northward which leads him
over a score or more of tracks and
switches, frees him from both those
dangers. and he is surprised to find TO
bis right very large and compact col
lection ofneat looking cottages, many
of them radiant with fresh paint, in
habited by negroes or the poorer class
of whites. Turning back after walk
through this section, lie is surprised to
find well graded street through the
wilderness, leading 10 another large
collection OF houses, used chiefly as
places of business, as well as dwellings.
He then comes to the river, where he
finds six fue covered piers, which
would be creditablc in New York, all
belonging the c. & o. r. r., and there
are usually ocean steamers loading at
them.
The landing rs you come from Nor
folk is on oneofthelong piers uponwhich
is a train waiting to carry you TO Louis
vile or anywhere this side Of it. Ii
you want to stay where you ere you
pass Il much finer depot than we have in
Alexandria, and unless you have taken
the omnibus to the Hotel Warwick,
toll up steep road through low trees
and bushes, and all ut once find yourself
on n long street with electric cars run
ming, poles for electric lights, fine busi-
ness houses full of goods, banks, hotels
and all the surroundings OF well OF
dered city except the pavements. These
last are of the most heterogeneous de-
scription. You will frat have an ordl-
| l,,;pl- rI,1 l. 1DlDNN-
idaled one next you will pass over a
space on mother earth Then you will
set foot upon beautiful sheet of ar
titicial stone as smooth as any floor,
only to step upon the bare ground,
to mount thence upon wooden plat
form foot or so high. Probably there
was no action taken by the muuicipal-
ity on the subject aud everybody who
owned property suited himself in con-
structing the entrance to it. The effect,
however, is such as not TO encourage
the antiswearing society.
The cross streets are numbered and
run far up into the thirties, if not be-
vond them. They run towards the riv'
er and some OF them have handsome
cottages and beautiful grounds upon
them, but are much shorter than those
on the other side of the fence, some
few existing merely as openings on the
main street, which runs parallel TO the
river. Opposite the great dockyard,
said to be the most complete in the
country, there are three blocks of neat,
though small, brick houses, all just
alike and each block containing fifty,
four houses, the side next the yard not
being yet built upon, so that there are,
at present, hundred and siXty-two
neat dwellings, renting for twelve dol
lars month. They belong to a com
pany and are rented chiefly by those
who work in the yard, SO that wheu
work stops most OF them become Va
Want. This WAS the case a month OF
TWO ago, " hen there were said to he
but three thousand people in the place,
as many having gone away to seek
work. Almost everywhere could be
found fine brick stores, hotels, and
sometimes, rows of dwellings, vacant