The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-10-11
Hotel Mecklenburg,
Chase City, Va, Oct. 8, 1904.

4" 7SLlS ~
he called a rambling letter, with Chase
City as a basis, including Richmond
a panoramic NEW OF part Of the great
west and a glimpse of he Worlds
Fair-truly a rather comprehensive
series of subjects.
Chase City is 4 delightful place for
a starting point. Social life certers
at the Hotel Mecklenburg, where
North Carolinians are to the 'front.'
just as they were in Virginia during
the Civil War. 1t really looks as II
this is going to be a resort for repre-
sentative North Carolina people La
dies are numerous and participate IN
whatever there is going on. For ex-
ample, the other evening there was a
fox drag" with the hotel pack OF
hounds in the chase, and a score oil
ladies couldn't resist the music of the
dogs, the glorious weather n the
moonlight, since it was a night affair,
and so turned out in evening dress.
Away they went, white frocks, high
heel slippers and hat sort of thing.
Really, if there had been a live fox
and he had seen this novel party of
feminine hunting enthusiasts he would
have come in and surrendered.
Leaving Chase City for Richmond a
queer character was met on the train.
Two negroes, both very capable mu-
Sicians, came into the car. and tho
any prelude, struck into some very
gay music. One, tall and rather strik-
ing fellow, said, after the hat had been
duly passed around and h collection
taken, that he was going out of the
music business. Great was the sur
prise of the writer when the man
added: Il nave decided at Last 20 sell
my violin. 1t is a genuine Stativarius,
and l am offered by various dealers a
handsome sum for it. I am a black
smith and can make $3.50 a day in
that business, and so have notified a
firm in New York that 1 will dispose
of the violin, much as / o it. 1t
has played all over NORTH Carolina
and Virginia for a number of years."
1t was really ID to conceive Of the
darkey having a genuine "Strad," but
it is a fact. as h instrument and the
letters in regard to it show.
A stop o. 2 few hours was made
in Richmond, a city which shows ev-
cry sign of prosperity. and which is,
next after Charleston and New Or
leans, more distinctly southern than
any place in the country. Going into
Richmond a queer sight was observed.
Years G the James river used to
come rushing down, foaming over
h great ROCKS in it's bed, from Belle
Isle down to Rockets, to which point
h tide rises, but now the bed is prac-
tically WaterleSS between these points,
h dams. One very recently finished,
diverting the water into canals which
furnish power on both the Manchester
and Richmond side of h river. This
waterleSs stream, or rather section,
furnishes a grave problem to the peo-
pie on both sides. The only creatures
who are thoroughly enjoying the sit
uation are the mosquitoes. There
must be ten thousand pools Of water
IN great or little hollows in the rocky
bed. In each one of these. the enter
prising mosquitoes have incubatorS
and their efforts are attended with
the most brilliant success. Active and
enterprising insects are turned out by
the millions and max things lively.
Now, the problem is, since for many
months in each year.. there is to be
no running water. wha to do. Four
remedies have been suggested, one to
blast out the rocks; second. to put
k~erosen in the pools; third. to pump
out the water in these, and fourth,
to flush the pools, say pEice a week.
by letting some water over the dam.
The chief point of interest to the
writer, whose particular hobby is the
making of the comprehensive cOllec-
ton in the hall of history at Raleigh,
was the Confederate museum, which
is in the historic white House" OF
the C~onfederacy. The collection there
is very large, but a very just criticism
is that much of it is too greatly
crowded and poor opportunity is given
for a proper study of the objects. The
general room. which is known as the
solid south room. is as interesting as
the Virginia room. In fact. 1t con
tains the most interesting collection
which the writer saw, this being the
series of paintings illustrating the
siege of Cha -leSton, the work of Chap
man, an Elglish-Italian, who wa:
there during part of the a and who
was truly ar artist This collector
was purchased, all the others having
been acquired h. gift. 1t is a wondel
that Charleston did not itself Secur'
this Chapman collection. North Car
DINA has one of the largest rooms IL
the building, but it is only PARTIAL!
filled as yet.
The route to the Worlds Fair out o
Richmond was the Chesapeake & Ohi'
Valley Railway, unQuestionably on
of the finest in the south. n which
is, as a fellow-passenger graphical!
describes it, a series of graceful curves
minus any straight lines. This roa'
and the Big Four are under the SAM
ownership and management, bot
traversing a wonderfully ~attractiv
section of the country. The Chesa
peake & Ohio passes through tn
Piedmont Valley, and hen through
the lovely Shenandoah Valley. Fror
the North Carolina line all h wa
to st. Louis the corn was being Gu
and shocked. much of it in fact Al
ready having been removed from tn
field Il the barns, which were so III
erous and so large. This mode G
gathering corn is found to be far pre-
ferable to the general North CAROLYN
plan of pulling n fodder and lettin
the corn, stalk and ears stand in tn
field until late in November or eve
! n December. DR.. r. H. Speight, VIII
was on the train. remarked tbs
North Carolina farmers were gettin
into the habit of harvesting their col
in this very practical way. But I
course a lot Of them are confronte