Peninsula Enterprise, March 3, 1888

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Weather -- Northeast stormsWeather -- Snow storms

On Monday, about 11 a.m., our county was visited by a violent snow storm. Day broke pleasant and rather warm for the season. Gradually it became colder -- a stiff nor'easter set in -- and at the hour named the speed of the wind was terrific. A blinding snow fell and many people became alarmed at the outlook. At Onancock the tide rose at the rate of a foot a second. Suddenly the rise ceased and nearly as rapidly as they rose the surging waters receded. At Messongo snow fell to the depths of 12 inches, and scores of boats were piled on the shore. Nothing like it has ever been known here since the "great September gust" of 1821.

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Moral -- Murder

Wm. C. Duer, recently pronounced insane by the court, was taken to the Eastern Lunatic Asylum at Williamsburg on Saturday.

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Infrastructure -- Public - Government : Postal service

A movement is on foot for change of mail route from Accomac C. H., to Wachapreague City, and in the event the change is made the latter place will receive its mail from Keller via Grangeville, Locustville and Daugherty will receive their mail as heretofore.

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Moral -- Property crime

Some boys in Chesconnessix Neck caught several sheep of Mr. John W. H. Parker last week and pulled all the wool off them. It was offered for sale to a merchant in their vicinity, who suspecting that they had stolen it declined to purchase. Several cattle of Mr. Parker also were stolen not many days ago.

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Tourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - Horse racing

"Renard," the handsome horse recently brought from Kentucky, by Messrs. Thos. C. Kellam, Wm. E. Floyd and others, Locustville, at heavy cost, is showing speed satisfactory to his purchasers. Without training he can already make a mile under 2.50 and his owners have no doubt that he will soon take front rank among trotters. He is a Hambletonian Pilot Jr., cross, standard bred, 16 hands high and 5 years old. He will be exhibited on our next County Court day.

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Transportation -- Road - Maintenance

Atlantic.

Very few of our people take any interest in the road question. They know that a few fair days will make them good and then the few reformers or pleasure seekers will be contented.

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Forests -- Barrel factories Forests -- Forest products - BarrelsInfrastructure -- Commercial - Residential construction

Hallwood.

G. H. Jones has been running his barrel factory night and day for the past weeks, with orders ahead for 10,000 more barrels.

E. T. Groten has improved his residence by the addition of a front building 40x28 feet.

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Infrastructure -- Commercial - Real estate

Leemont.

Mr. Franklin J. Barnes, (late of the firm of S. J. Lewis & Co.,) and his brother have bought a lot at Parksley, and propose to have a large and handsome storehouse erected thereon at an early day.

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Weather -- Northeast stormsWeather -- Snow stormsInfrastructure -- Public : Churches

Mappsville.

The young blizzard of last Monday, merely gave us an idea of the capabilities of a full grown "snorter." After our little experience with it, we are fully prepared to believe the most exaggerated yarns concerning the genuine Western article.

The Baptist Church at this place was organized last Sunday week. A large crowd were in attendance, over $130 was raised in cash and pledges toward paying off the indebtedness of the church. James H. Smith, Oliver Baker and James Duncan were elected deacons. Night services conducted by Rev. Mr. Grimsley, were held during the succeeding week, at which there were two conversions.

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Transportation -- Road - MaintenanceTransportation -- Road - Legislation

MR. EDITOR -- I went down Messongo Neck a few days ago with a loaded cart. I thought I never should get through the road -- there is no such thing as riding over them, but once being started there is no turning. My horse (a good one) could not go more than 100 yards at a time and then he would have to rest. The mud is about 18 inches deep and holes to the axles.

It has been said, that roads are an indication of the civilization of people -- judge us by that rule and we are barbarians. I am forcibly made to believe what your correspondents say about the present road laws. It is a failure of the worst character. This road was bad last year -- and under the present laws an attempt has been made to improve it, but it has been made worse, and the county had better let it alone, if such work is to be done again. One hundred dollars or very near that sum was appropriated in the usual way to make this road good. The overseer spent it, no doubt, in the best manner known to him, but the road is worse than before. The attempt to drain it was an utter failure, though it was ditched at great expense -- but as it is not a continuing ditch does not draw and has no outlet -- it takes no water off. When it reached the church belonging to the colored people there was no ditch cut, in front of Absalom Lewis' outlet and Asa Prescott's gate there was no ditch cut, the ditch is then cut down to Wesley Bloxom's gate, and there it ends without any outlet. The clay from the ditches was spread over the road and is now a first-class mire. The $100 was just thrown away.

Mr. Editor who is responsible for this work and waste of money? If no officer of the county is now, the legislature will be if it does not change this law. Anything is better than what we have.

F.

Jenkins' Bridge, Feb. 25.

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Transportation -- Road - Maintenance

MR. EDITOR -- Will your contributors never stop talking about our roads?

It is right amazing that intelligent men, among whom stands conspicuously our excellent countyman Capt. Browne, can't see but one side of a question.

Bad roads have their advantages. -- They keep the people home, which by long usage, will make home and the fireside an attraction, which otherwise might possibly never exist. Bad roads will prevent children from going to school, and being over educated, as they are not in great danger of being, or should they persist in going, their minds will be diverted from too much book lore; and they will be brought in contact with philosophical speculation and gain a practical knowledge of mud, ice and water; which in time may develop thin crude ideas, make them world renowned as brick makers, Arctic explorers or navigators. It will be seen that there are great possibilities, to be the outgrowth of this system, that there is a broad and varied field of usefulness, and no contracted ideas or selfishness connected with it. They are the means of saving doctors bills, which certainly is an economic thought. True, people get sick occasionally, still the roads are not to blame for that. Some people are disposed to magnify and pick at every little "cat's paw," so as to make people believe they are right. Noah and daddy Abraham, and Methuselah, had no doctors, and they lived almost a thousand years.

Bad roads have further advantages. They keep people from going to church, thereby offering the clergy, recreative rest, a highly important matter, while the people may be enabled to become fonder and fonder of the Sabbath sports, compatible with that foolish thing people call modern civilization. Further it will do away with the use of horses, an animal of vast value we all agree. Still if our roads are impassable what do we want with our horse? Doing away with the horse, will certainly be a vast blessing to those people called farmers, their lot always having been a hard laborious one, while under the suggestions as we propose, they may sit by warm fires in winter and bask in the sunshines of summer. There is another class of our people from whom the writer certainly expects a "chromo" for his useful suggestions, and that is the land-owners -- collecting rents has always been a source of aggravation to land-owners. Now this new idea will dispense with all trouble of that sort, and leave him in immediate possession, in the language of Robinson Crusoe, as "monarch of all he surveys." It is hard to tell how any body can be better fixed under our present system of roads than the owner of lands.

With the earnest wish that my suggestions may meet the views of a people walking backwards, and if they are approved, will continue my practical suggestions in your next issue. I am

Yours truly,

ADAM.

Peninsula Enterprise
Accomac Court House
March 3, 1888