Smyrna times., 1899-04-19
W. F. DUNN'S TRIP TO SAVANNAH
A Pencil Sketch of the Incidents and Dif.
terent Points of Interest From Bal
timOre. bY Ocean Rnnfe

Leaving Smyrna for Baltimore ON
the morning of March 31st, | Joined n
personally conducted tour partv for
Savannah, Georgia. The Steanor nor
berkshire of the Merchants and
Miners Line was scheduled to Ieova aia't ~
o'clock, but we were detained sew
eral hours on account of tbe Ior,.o
quantity OF freight, one hundred and
twenty-five carloads of which wore
stored on the steamer. We passed
slowly down the harbor. bv Fort Nc
Henry with its frowning guns tba
scene of few conflicts of the Revolu-
tlonary times, and also celebrated ~
connected with the writing of the
Star Spangled Banner by Francis
Scott Key. We then sailed bv the
looming elevators, finally leaving the
city far behind. Later on Fort Carroll
about 10 miles from the city in the
center of the channel, and also connec-
ted with scenes of the Civil War was
passed. Some of us then strolled
along the deck, others retired to the
saloon and afterwards to oar state
rooms hoping to be able to be uD in the
morning and enjoy one meal at least
On Saturday morning, April 1st. we
passed out the capes Cape Charles on
the left and Cape Henry on the right
while Old Point Comfort was barely
perceptlble with a strong glass All
the party appeared at breakfast, and
afterwards amused themselves in stroll
ing along the decks and in taking
snap shots" of each other. Cane
Henry has two Lighthouses. only one
OF which IS i'll use. Further down we
could see the hotels and cottages of
Virginia Beach. The call for dinner
was at one o'clock, but the writer was
Obliged to leave the table with n feel
ing that was akin to sea-sickness
After dinner we passed along the
coast OF North Carolina, out of sight of
land most all the time. At 73OD. m
Cape, Hallow Light was sighted. off
which the United States ship Huron"
was lost which many of nv readers
VIII remember as the one on which DIR
George Culbreth lost his life thirty
years ago. Later we moved by Cane
l1atteras, the dread of mariners. In
front OF this cape Light Ship is sta
tloned to warn vessels Of the shOal
which extends ten miles from shore.
Easter Sunday morning was bright
and beautiful day on the ocean, but
there We're no services on account of
their being no clergyman on board
notwithstanding, quite party of us
gathered on the upper deck in the even
| ing and did the best we could in sinp-
| ing Nearer My God to Thee. " 81 ,ead
Kindly Light, Crock of Ages" ana
other familiar hymns. In the morning
we sighted the Steamer Texas" Of the
same line, which left Savannah the Gav
before. That night we saw the lights
OF Cape Fear and Cape Lookout.
We arrived at Savannah at , O'Clock
Monday morning. On the steamer
gong down were a number of students
from the different colleges from Balti-
more returning 10 their southern
homes, two of whom, Messrs. Buchanan
and Marshall, of Waycross, Ga, were
introduced to and became members of
| our party. They made themselves
very pleasant and we were loathe to
part with them when they left for their
| homes. After breakfast on the steamer
we took hacks for the De Sofa Hotel
a magnificent structure of brick and
stone, six stories in height and with
grounds covering an entire square.
Alter luncheon at 1.30 p. m., carriages
were ordered and we drove throuph
the principal streets of the CITY. and
SIX miles out i'll the country to the
Hermitage. " This plantation at one
time had 1000 acres and there lived
ON 1t about ] 800 slaves. The ruins of
the old slave quarters are still there.
also an old mansion house, admission
to which we could not secure on ac-
count OF the party holding the KEYS
not being home. The Hermitage" is
owned by Colonel McAlpin of New
York city, i'll whose family it has been
IN possession for several generations.
On the way out we observed that the
season Is far ahead of ours, beans. DO
tatoes and tomatoes being about six
inches high. Driving back to the citv
by another road, we passed the
Greene Residence" " which was Cen
eral Sherman's headquarters in the
year of 1864.
Savannah claims $4,000 inhabitants
and has well laid-out streets. its Trin-
clpal thorougfare being Bull street !"
made up of series of squares and ter
mlnatlng III beautiful park. As Won
go up the street from the river. Won
observe on the right, the Independent
Presbyterian church. founded 1755. a
branch of the church of Scotland. In
the center of the square is monument
to Gen. Nathaniel Greene. the Revoln-
tionary hero. On the left is Christ
Episcopal church, founded bv John
Wesley in 174S, chartered in 1889
nearl y destroyed by fire twice. badly
wrecked by hurricane in 1901. The
present edltice was erected in 1898. and
is fine old structure. Next we come
to the 'William Washington Gordon
Monument" erected to him bv the cit
liens of the State of Georgia. for his
noble work in the interest of the State
On the right, is fine marble building of
Moorish architecture. This is
the new post office. Still further up is
the William Jaspar Monument. y
Jasper, it will be remembered al
though mortally wounded, rescued the
colors OF his regiment in the seioe of
Savannah in 1879, during the fiobt
with the British forces. And lastly a
beautiful monument erected nv the
state to the confederate privates who fell
during the Civil War. [ forgot to add
that George Whitfield founded the
Bethesda Orphanage in 1S4o, nine
miles from Savannah. 1t lis now a school
1of boys. After luncheon on Tuesday.
carriages were ordered and we drove
10 bonaventure Cemetary about seven
miles from the city. On the wav ont
we passed through the camp of two
companies of the New York Volunteers
awaiting to be mustered out. and
further up we came in contact with
another Camp of the Fourth Virginia
who gave us a series of rousing cheers
Arriving at the cemetery, we drove
through the avenues shaded bv the
majestic live oaks. The trees are only
peculiar to the far south. Also here
and there through the cemetery. were
the handsome palmetto trees. Leay-
ing Bonaventure we drove some three
miles distant to "Thunderbolt' one of
the pleasure resorts of Savannah. and
then home to the hotel, passing the
camp of the ''Indiana Volunteers
On Tuesday evening, quite a num-
Der OF our party attended the Savan-
nah theatre to hear Joseph Jefferson in
Sherldan's brilliant comedy "The !
rivals. The house was packed and
Jefferson was greeted with great ap-
plause on his appearance. At the end |
OF the second act, he came upon the
stage and responded as follows: "The
reception which this large and brilliant
audience has given me and the com
pahy, ana the appreciation Won have
SHOWN, is a great pleasure to me and I |
tnahk you most sincerely. Your APP
plapse has stirred peculiar emotions
wltnn me and l look back more than
iaii ~ century when first played with |