The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-11-27
DOWN THE CHESAPEAKE.

DOWN THE CHESAPEAKE.
A Visit to Fortress Monroe, Old Point Com
fort and the Navy Yards.
No side trip that can be taken by
tourists visiting Washington is more in
teresting than steamer ride down the
Chesapeake Bay on a line of boats that
run daily between Washington and Nor
folk, Va. The distance is close to 200
miles ard consumes about II hours.
Though the journey is made at night,
a moonlight ride in fine weather is con.
sidered a most enchanting Que. The
steamers of the Norfolk & Washington
line are large and are provided with all
the comforts of modern travel. The
down boats touch at Old Point Comfort,
and the writer, in company with an eX
cursion party of Wisconsin editors, dis
embarked there for day of sight seeing
at places rich in historical associa tons
in the immediate neighborhood. On
point jutting out into Hampton Roads,
the scene of many navel maneuvers, and
close under the range of the big guns of
Fortress Monroe, is located the big
Chamberlain Hotel, the largest and fin
est resort hotel in the country. It's
proximity to the sea gives cooling breezes
in summer and nearness to the gulf
stream that sweeps close to shore few
miles away tempers the climate in win
ter making the Chamberlain a popular
resort at all times. The hotel has some
400 guest rooms and has capacity to
care for 1000 people in the rush of bust
ness. Army and naval officers and states
men from Washington are frequent Wis
itors at Old Point Comfort for rest and
recreation. Fortress Monroe, which in
the days of the Confederacy guarded the
entrance to the Chesapeake, is one of
the most pretentious Notifications main
tanned by the government. The fort
proper includes a large tract of land
with heavy embankment of earth and
masonry, the whole surrounded with a
wide dixie of water. The old guns have
long since been replaced by the big mod
ern coast defense, long range pieces, and
several of the disappearing guns are
planted on points outside the fort proper
in way that commands the entrance to
the bay for many miles.
From Old Point Comfort our party
took the trolley cars for ten mile ride
to Newport News to visit the big ship
building plant established by Coils 2.
Huntington before his death. The in
dustry which he built up here near the
mouth of the James river is one of the
most fourishing ia the country, involv-
ing an investment of nearly thirteen
million dollars. The plant encloses an
area of 120 acres and has an improved
water front in dry docks and shipping
ways of 5000 feet, employing 1000 hands.
The company have contracts booked for
% million dollars of war ships, cruisers,
etc. The missouri, which is the larg-
est and fastest of the big battle ships is
now very nearly completed, having just
come in from her speed trial. The keel
of lie "Virginia" has been laid, and the
Charleston" and five other ships of
Uncle Sans navy are under construc-
ton in some stages Of completion. This
is one of three plants engaged on govern
ment naval contracts and leads one to
believe that in times of peace your Uncle
Sam is all the time preparing for war.
It was noticeable that in all the big
shops of the ship building plant, and
there are fourteen acres under roof, the
color line was not drawn 4and the white
working side by side. It is told of Mr..
Huntington that the request was once
brought to him to discharge all the col
and his answer was that the works
would be closed and remain so as long
as the color issue was insisted on. 1t is
needless to say they did not close. On
the return trip stop was made to visit
briefly the Hampton Normal and Agri-
cultural Institute, established some
years ago for the colored race, both ne
groes and Indians. The attendance
numbers about 1000 pupils, of which
300 are indians. The plan of instruction
given here is largely of the training
school idea, and embraces all the indus
tries, agriculture in all its process and
domestic science as we'll. 1t aims to
teach the colored race to help themselves
in trades where their labor is in most
demand. The school is maintained
largely by voluntary contributions be-
quests and moderate appropriation by
the state and is doing an excellent work
1t has three years normal course for
fitting teachers for the colored schools
of the south. Booker Washington, who
is conducting a similar institute in Tus-
kegee, was a graduate from Hampton
On grounds adjoining is located the
Hampton Soldiers Home, where a COM
munity of five thousand veterans are
most comfortably housed and cared for
as the nations guests. This is, we be-
lieve, the largest home IN the country,
and the only one maintained on southern
soil.
After lunch served at the magnificent
Chamberlain hotel the party was con-
veyed by ferry across the "roads" to
Ocean View wharf, where they were met
by delegation Of Norfolk business men