The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-09-17
IN WEST vIRGlAlA.
A.Trip Through Berkeley County
and What it Contains.


by statr Corr spcndent
MARTINsBuRG, Sept. 16.-A ride Of six
hours over the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road has carried me out of civilization.
Yesterday at noon l was In bustllng
city, full Of Improvements and glowing
with prospects of much better times. Now
am In u town whose inhabitants hardly
know the war is over and who are thirst
ing for the tide Ct improvement to flow in
upon them. But If we can judge the fu.
tllre by the past, Murtinsburg will, in
business interests, rank with The big
cities Of the East before many more years.
Have impressed this town upon your
minds as an out of the way place, where
m n of high boots and solnbreroS and with
rifles over their shoulders wander aimlcss
~? II l have, the impression has been
misdirectcd On the other hand It's peo-
pie are hosp able, but nevertheless the
mountainous country Is no place for me.
+ 3 Such environments should prove pleas
ant, you would suppose, but none CT it
for mo. want the smoothly paved streets
to hear the sound Of the rapidly moving
electric ears and signs of general life.
There Is none of that here, so do you
wonder that l wish was back in tho
State of peaches. that little Diamond
State who 10 people arc thrifty and as pro-
gressive as any of the great east.
While Martinsburs Is what have
learned as dead" literally. there arc some
factories and surroundings which are
entertaining and which are of national
prominence. Here, during tho late war
were encamped the armies of tho Potomac
and General Lees forces. This morning
walked to the southwest OF the town,
where | was shown field on whlch the
forces of General McClelland cncampcd
while on their march TO Gettysburg, and
as stood aud made IL survey of the spot
my soul thrilled with patriotism,
thought Of the noble cause In which
these men had enlisted and what great
successes they had achieved. Had upheld
the lnion-Couid there have been amore
glorious enterprise But recolections of
these times are distaSteful to the minds OF
those of the blue and gray who are now in
the land of tho living. There is no longer
that bitterness which prompted on the
part of the South to disrupt the nation.
All Is tenderness and the best OF Will pre-
! walls Here mingle hoary heads OF both
sides, and to the northern visitor tho
| sight of veterans in all animated CONVEX
sation on the subject Of the days OF vi to
'65 is pathetic.
These people, say, nre accustomed TO
such occurrences, but am not, and as
was on my way down tho main street of
! the town few hours ago then it was my
pathos was aroused, Two veterans were
discussing the exercises which are to take
place at Antietam tomorrow.
Winchester is another town which Is not
| far distant and after tho exercises ut
Antletanl, intend to make II trip there Of
which will also write
Now to MurIinsburg itself and what it
| contains beside its streets some of which
have not been paved since 1851, and its
| house Of the same year Five years ago its
people were railroaders who found en-
ploymcnt with the B. x O, Company.
But progress has begun its work at last
and during the period l have referred to
! there have been mills erected which give
| employment to many men and women.
; To name all tho manufacturing establish
ments would not be difficult matter SO l
will do so.
Chief among the manufacturing indus
/ tries is the production Of seamless hosiery
4 by the Middlesex Knitting Company, and
I the kilbourn Knitting Company; Craw-
| ford Wooden Mills; Brooklyn Brass Man
EufncLuring Company; BuXtons steam
brick plant; Hanna'5 Distilling Company;
canning factory and cold storage ware
house and Equality Flower Mil.
A e. D.