The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-09-03
AUTUMN AND ITS PLEASURES
The Delights Afforded by a Trip on
One of the Elegant Bay Line Steam
ers-Popular Resorts-The Rich
mOnd ROufp <c


ers-Popular Resorts-The Rich
mond Route, &c.
The autumnal season is, perhaps, of
| all seasons The best for travel. In this
| busy, bustling world Of ours we are apt
to select the summer days for rest and
recreation, principally because ''busi
ness is dull" TO use countlug-hOuse
| phrase. Aud because the merchants
and manufacturers, bankers and bro
kers take their holiday between June
and August, their wives and sisters,
daughters and sweethearts must follow
suit and start on tour for pleasure.
| But times are changing and we
change with them. You find quite
few people now days who find far
more enjoyment in the September and
October days than in summer. They
argue that the weather is cooler, the
season healthier, and that one can OBJ
tain much more genuine rest, and after
all that is what the busy worker seeks,
but too often fails TO find at the crowd
| ed summer resort.
| One can't find more enjoyable way
Of spending at least few days during
the autumn than by making journey
down the Chesapeake Bay to Hampton
Roads and possibly up the James
River. At no time Of the year are the
attractions Of this great inland sea
more forcibly impressed upon the mind
of the traveller, while the James, a
stream associated inseparably with the
history OF this country, is never more
picturesque than when the touch OF ma
ture has turned the foliage of the for
ests which crown its banks, into those
| brilliant lines which mark the season
of autumn.
Many people have an idea that it is
very warm in summer at the resorts
around Hampton Roads. While this
is largely superstition no such state
ment can be made at this time OF the
year. The climate is simply perfect,
neither too warm nor too cold, the
days and nights Of just the right tenn
perature to bring rest to the tired
brain, while the salt water breezes
tone and strengthen the physical sys
tenn. Monotony is a stranger TO the
soiourners at the resorts around Hamp-
ton Roads at this time of the year. AT
Fortress Monroe is given daily spec
tace of military life with its accom-
panying drills and parades Of never
ending interest. Usually one or per-
haps a half-dozen warships are to be
seen anchored off the fort, and civil
ians are allowed to visit them at fire.
quent intervals and examine these
great floating forts for themselves. The
! United States navy yard at Portsmouth,
the great dry dock and ship yard at
Newport News, the Soldiers Home
and Armstrong Institute at Hampton,
as well as dozen other centers of in
terest might be described, but it is I'M
necessary. Go and visit them your
self and see how much enjoyment you
can obtain in q very short time.
Of course there is but one accepted
route-via the Old Bay Line. It has
been carrying passengers between the
North and South for half century.
1t is what the Fall River Line is to
Long Island Sound, and the White
Star and Cunard Lines Of steamships
arc to the Atlantic ocean. More than
this could not be said.
| One of its elegant steamers leaves
Baltimore every evening, reaching Old
Point Comfort the next morning in
time for breakfast in either one of the
palatial hotels, the Chamberlin and
Hygeia, reaching Norfolk and Ports.
mouth an hour later. One has to take
trip by the Old Bay Line route to
appreciate fully the comfort and luxury
of travel by water. The steamers are
complete in every appointment, from
the furnishing Of the staterooms to the
linen of the dining table. The salon
cabins are elegantly furnished, arts
:, tically decorated and so large as to af-
ford room enough for a promenade
The steamers now III service, the
Georgia and alabama, are built OF iror
and steel respectively, and are provided
with water tight compartments. The
hulks are constructed in the strongest
manner possible, and it would be prac-
tically impossible to sink them except
under the most extraordinary circum
; stances. They are lighted by electric
ity throughout and heated by steam
The Baltimore Steam Packet Com
pany, which controls and operates the
Old Bay Line, decided some time ago
to serve meals on the European plan,
and while the menu includes every
thing i'll the way of fish, flesh or fowl
to be found at the finest metropolitan
hotels, patrons are charged only for
what they desired to order. This plan
has met with great success, and hun
dreds of people weekly enjoy the tempt
ing meals prepared under the super
vision of the company's chefs.
Although the James River Route Of
the Baltimore Steam Packet Company
service was inaugurated as recently as
t July last, it has become favorite way
of travel between New York, Phlladel
phia, and Baltimore and Richmond
7 The steamer Virginia which is now de
voted exclusively to this service, is thu
< largest passenger steamer ever on thu
James River. Like her sister boats
: the Georgia and alabama, she is bull
with water tight compartments, anf
; special care used in her construction
to make her as staunch and safe as pos
r sible. She has nearly one hundred
i staterooms and can accommodate three
t hundred passengers. She was fur
0 nished and decorated especially for the
, service between Baltimore and Rich
i mond and is we'll worthy in every wa,
e of the patronage she has received
which has been remarkably large eve
. since she was placed on the route. TIL
Virginia leaves Baltimore every Mon
fday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 Z. NJ.
arriving at her destination before 10 A
y NJ. the next day, and some times tw
l. hours earlier. Leaving Richmond a
;, $50 O'Clock the same afternoon tn
. Virginia arrives in Baltimore befor
E 10 A. NJ. the next day, making clos
: connections with trains for New YORK