The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-04
TO SAIL VISITORS
DOWN THE JAMES
1000 Better Acquaintance Week
Guests to See River by
Moonlight
WILL CROWN FESTIVITIES
Most of the Retail Merchants Are
Planning to Stay
Five Days.

Although coming on Thursday night.
the moonlight steamer excursion down
to Dutch Gap Will mark the virtual
climax of Richmond's great Better
Acquaintance Week" This seeming
paradox Of having the greatest affair
of the big trade celebration in the mid
die OF the commercial week is ex-
planned by the fact that more Of the
"Better Acquaintance Week" visitors
will be in the city on "Wednesday ana
Thursday than ut any other period Of
the six days OF merrimcnt. For the
early corners. Thursday will mark tho
end OF their stay. while for those who
defer their visit until the latter part Of
the week, Thursday Will be the day OF
their arrival. In this way practicable.
everyone who attends Better AcQuaint-
ance Week" Will be in the city on the
night in question.
Accordingly, the entertainment com
mittee Of the Trade Extension Bureau
of the Chamber Of Commerce, headed
by Alvin VI. Smith. is preparing to
make the moonlight excursion the big
gest social event Of the week To this
end no feature which might add TO the
pleasure OF the glide down the James
is being overlooked by the Richmond
hosts, and several inovations in the
way of steamer entertainments are
scheduled to be staged. Unless the
excgencies OF navigation cause a
change Of plans, the big excursion
steamer. Pocahontas, of the Old Do
minion Steamship Line. will be pressed
into service TO bear the crowd Of
pleasure seekers down the river.
Music and Eats"
OF course, there Will be music and
refreshments and the time honored
badger fight and just enough speech
making not TO become burdensome
The committee is negotiating with one
Of the local bands TO furnish the mu-
sic for the steamer trip, and If room
can be found on the deck. those who
are so disposed may dance while to
add TO the fun OF the jaunt. The re-
freshinents viii be light; something on
the order Of ice cream, cakes and liquid
traducers. II Is confidently expected
that at leas, 1000 visiting retail mer-
chants will be aboard the pocahontas
when she clears the Richmond dock
Not all tho 1000 merchants who have
given notice that they Will attend
"Ectter Acquaintance Week Will spend
six days In Richmond. on the contrary,
most OF the visitors have notified the
committee that they Will remain in our
midst about four or five days. Some
few VIII come for only two days and
fewer still FOR a single day. AS a rule.
those coming the longest distance will
stay the longest. Not few of tho
"Bettcr Acquaintance Week" visitors
will arrive on Monday, but il is evil
dent that the bulk of the visiting mer-
chants viii step off the incoming trains
on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday
viii see the greatest influx OF South
ern visitors.
Begins Next Monday.
one week from to-day the city will
don its holiday trading clothes in honor
OF Better Acquaintance Week: seven
days from the morning this is read the
first visitors will descend on the city,
and the great commercial cele bration
in the history OF Richmond Will be
launched in full swing. The circum-
stances are most propitious, the inter
est aroused by the occasion has pene-
trated TO every section OF the South,
and everything points TO the most un-
precedented success of Better Ac-
quaintance Week." from all possible
standpoints.