Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IV.djvu/323

 CHARLESTON 316 Charleston, from tke Bay. to each, and 9,098 families, with an average of 5 -38 persons to each. There were 18,705 per- sons engaged in mechanical occupations, 9,949 in professional and personal services, 4,929 in manufactures and mining, 3,496 in trade and transportation, and 331 in agriculture. The corporate limits of Charleston extend from Battery or White point, on the extreme south- ern verge of the city, to an arbitrary line on the north, fully three miles above. The city cov- ers a large extent of territory. The dwell- ings are generally isolated, having large open grounds on every side. The city is laid out with tolerable regularity. The streets, with few exceptions, cross at right angles. The two principal, K^ng and Meeting, run N. and S., nearly parallel, the whole length of the city, but converge to intersection near the northern limits. The cross streets extend from E. to W., from Cooper to Ashley river, and are generally narrow. The principal streets are well paved and lighted with gas. The houses are mostly of brick or wood. There are few regular blocks or rows of buildings, and no uniformity ; but what is lost in this respect is gained in variety, and, with fine gardens, open plats of shrub- bery, shade and fruit trees, creepers, vines, the magnolia, the oak, the cedar, and the pride of India, girdling the white dwellings and the green verandahs, the effect is highly pictu- resque. There are few public squares, and these are generally small. The Battery is a popular promenade, lying near the water's edge and commanding an extensive view of the bay ; it is surrounded by fine private residences. The principal public buildings are the orphan house, with its spacious grounds; the new custom house, which has been in process of construc- tion for several years ; the city hall, corner of Broad and Meeting streets; and the medical college and Roper hospital, in Queen street. The academy of music, corner of King and Market streets, which was converted to its present use in 1869, is one of the finest theatres in the south. It has a front of 60 ft., is 231 ft. deep, 75 ft. high, and cost $160,000. Besides the theatre, with accommodations for 1,200 persons, it has two large halls for concerts, lectures, and public meetings. St. Michael's church is a noted edifice, built in 1752. A fine view of the sea and the shores may be obtained from the tower, which contains a chime of bells, and can be seen far out at sea. St. Philip's church (Episcopal), in Church street, is the oldest church establishment in Charles- ton, but the present edifice is not quite so old as that of St. Michael's. Interred in the adjoin- ing graveyard are the bodies of many noted per- sons, including Gadsden, Eutledge, and Pinck- ney. Here also is the tomb of John 0. Cal- houn, consisting of a plain granite slab sup- ported by walls of brick and bearing the in- scription " Calhoun." Just outside of the city, on the N. boundary, is the Magnolia cemetery, in which there are some fine monuments. The railroads centring in Charleston are the Sa- vannah and Charleston, the Northeastern, ex- tending from Charleston to Florence, and the South Carolina, extending to Augusta, Ga. There is a tri-weekly line of eight steamers running to New York, and there are two steam- ers each to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Bos- ton. There are also steamers to Savannah and Florida, and to various points on the South Carolina coast. The different parts of the city are connected by lines of street cars and omnibuses. Charleston is the nearest of the important southern ports to the northern cities, and is the first harbor having ample room and good an- chorage reached by southward-bound vessels on the long stretch from the Chesapeake. It is the principal shipping port of the state and ad- jacent country. For the year ending June 30, 1871, the value of imports from foreign coun- tries was $621,559 ; exports to foreign ports, $12,387,524. Included in the exports were 5,084 bales of sea island cotton, valued at $829,892, and 172,643 of upland cotton, valued at $11,195,972. There entered from foreign countries 51 American vessels, 12,039 tons, and 106 foreign vessels, 36,065 tons; cleared for foreign ports, 64 American vessels, 25,813 tons,