The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-09-27
SPORTS OF THE SURF.

A lady correspondent of the Washing
ton Union, who has been ''going down
to the tean at Cape Island, gives the fol-
lowing description of the aquatic enjoy
ments of the place. ~ @
The attendant upon the bath was ta-
king Appointment part in the conyersa-
ton, as usual, while Immediately behind
her, .crouched her daughter, a negro girl
of twelve or thirteen years of age, laugh
ing, and rolling the whites of her eyes
in ecstacy at allthat was going forward.
Beside a large tub of water in the centre
of the floor, knelt or sat several ladies
just from the surf, in all the various
stages of. disrobing, each intent upon her
own, arrangement, and utterly regard
less of what was passing around her.
Others were preparing for the bath, lay
ing aside their dresses, or rather suffer
ing them to be laid aside by their maids;
whilst the latest comers were removing
their shawls and bonnets, and exchang-
ing greetings with their acquaintances
For the first few moments we we're deaf
ened and bewildered the sight of some
dozen females only partially dressed, and
that in garments perfectly saturated with
sea water-the busy waiting maids pass
ing and repassing, or drying and comb
ing the streaming hair of their mistress
es-the subdued laughter and whispered
gossip ofa beyy of lovely, chatting girls,
murmurimg along in an undercurrent of
sound parties of romping children, ap-
parently quite Indifferent to the dense
atmosphere; which made us struggle for
breath-and to crown all, the sudden
bursting forth of chorus of girlish
voices into one of the widest, sweetest
of negro melodies, that was caught up
and flung back by the roar of the waves
without all combined to form pic
ture odd indeed.
Following the example of others, we
exchanged our double wrapper for wool
en- bathing dress, covered our hair, and,
with the friend who had accompanied
US, we hastily made our exit from this
crowded Babel, and on crossing the
Threshold we were met by our male es-
cort equipped for the sea. The sight
outside that met our vision was, still more
bewildering than the one we had left.
: The sight Of nearly one thousand per-
sons in various costumes-the shrill,
laughing cries of the bathers, heard above
the roar of the surf-parties of children
in the arms of nurses, struggling for
breath-the ladies, many in bright plaid
dresses, with fancifully trimmed straw
hats on their heads-and, to end all, the
appearance of the bathers as they came
out, looking. like congregation of re-
L.suscitated corpses feYered into life, all
combined to form a picture like the illu-
sion of dream, almost leaving the be-
holder in doubt whether that on which
he looks is indeed reality, or the mere
creation of a distempered brain. There
is nothing very exclusive in the bath
here, where the belle is placed in juxta-
position with her waiting maid indeed
it would bedificult to distinguish them,
as no costume in the. world lends itself
more readily or more conveniently to the
purpose of disguise. One popularity is
the utter dis egard of many of the male
bathers to being knocked down by the
breakers and drowned. They will move
out and out, and when warned that they
are almost outside the breakers, they
look as though they wondered at the
wanton waste of words bestowed upon SO
insignificant piece of information
How many of these reckless -bathers es-
cape drowning, we cannot take upon our
selves to explain. - -z-,. y. 49,.