Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-07-07
Rocky RIVER, June 10. Is

Letter from Rocky River.
ROCKY RIVER, June 10, 1869.
EDITOR CHRONICLE.-Dear Sir =
Thinking that letter from thispleas-
ant resort, even though written on
the spur of the moment, might not
be uninteresting to your numerous
readers, l now proceed to indite one.
Moved thereto by the beauties, natur-
al and artificial, of this famed resort
for the tired business men, and the
ennuied pleasure-seekers and FASH
ionable Iounger of the beautiful city
of Cleveland.
To reach this place one has but
to jump into the west side street cars,
at the foot of Superior street, and
soon reaching the suburbs of the city,
take the cars of the Rocky River r.
R., which leave every forty minutes
throughout the day. The little en-
gine which seems, along side of one
of our coal engines, like the elephant
Baby Annie beside old Hannibal, is
fully equal to the occasion however,
and whirls us rapidly along through
meadow and grapery; through miles
of cultivated grounds where the sub
stantials, as well as the delicacies, for
the supply of the neighbOring city,
are grown in abundance. At the en-
trance to each vineyard or strawberry
patch, we see notices posted, warning
all persons off the line of the road
Ever and anon at the beckOn of some
passenger, with surprising quickness
our rate of speed is abated, and almost
from his own doorstep he joins US,
and again we resume our rapid rate
Soon the eight miles is passed over
almost regretfully, and we alight at
the terminus of the road, on the
banks of the river which is called
Rocky, which can be seen far below
us as it winds its glittering way, soon
to merge its waters in those of the
broad lake.
Some of our passengers proceed on
a picnic excursion to the grove, 9TH
ers to the point to hire fishing boat
and tackle, while we, the favored ones,
some of us friends of the old time,
knowing that warm welcome awaits
us, proceed to domicile ourselves for
the time of our stay, under the hOspi-
table roof of our friend Patchen,
whose major-domO, Hopkins, greets us
cordially, as spent and out of breath
from our toilsOme way out of the deep
ravine we reach the welcome thresh-
old. After a few minutes inquiries
after each others health, &C., and lit
tie time spent in refreshing ourselves,
while recalling some of the reminis-
cences of the past, we ask for the boat,
and the paraphernalia thereuntO ap-
pertaining, in view of a contemplated
fishing excursion. "With all my
heart the jolly host replies" and we
are soon descending to the river, pro-
vided with tackle, bait, &C., for the
ensnaring of the unwary inhabitants
of the deep. Just as we were about
to shove off, as usual, with the un-
practiced in the art, we had forgotten
something, and that the most impor-
tant of all, namely, an anchor. Ye
Gods thought /, what kind of fishing
is this? The said indispensable was
soon improvised in the shape of 4
heavy stone, to which 20 feet of stout
rope was attached and we were off at
haste. For awhile every thing went
''merry as a marriage bell" But as
we approached the mouth of the riv-
er and began to encounter the swelling
surges of old Erie, "a change came
DER the spirit of my dream,n and 1
was perfOrce reminded of the galley
slave of the SANITY days of yOre;;"
for as the Impractical muscles of my
back and shoulders testified next day,
there was some labor to be done there
anent, and to add to my perpleXities,
my stomach must needs begin to re-
volt against the ceaseless motion of
the tireless pillows. There was "borne
in upon my mind" as the Puritans
were want to say, a few lines of the
famed nursery chant, "now we go up,
up, up, and now we go down, down,
down" as our boat was tossed on the
waves.
The mothod of fishing here diseards
the rod entirely. The line is lowered
over the side of the boat to within two
feet of the bottom, and must be con-
stantly raised and lowered. This is
a famed fishing ground-but to-day
the fates are unpropitiOus the water
being muddy from the late heavy
rains. Still our luck is far better un-
der all these discOuraging surround
ings, than we ever experienced in the
'palmiest days of our youth, when we
fished every rod of the Mahoning
from Leavittsburgh to Adgate'spond,
for in two hours we caught a fine
mess of perch, bass, and pike, all of
good size. Then with a ''yO! hcave
no." the capstan (?) was manned, the
anchor was shipped (?) and we pulled
slowly back, delighted with our trip.
Then the reward of labor! How
sweet it was! Hungry and tired, we
sat down 10 bounteous repast, enliv-
ened by the enjoyable chit-chat of
our worthy host and hostess. When
we had discussed a meal which the
veriest epicure could not have found
fault with, we proceeded, book in
hand, to the e;Isy-chairs on the Yeran-
dah, overlooking the windings of td
bella river, and its mOuth-and in the
far distance the heaving waters of the
lake; while nearer, yea, within reach,
as our hosts found to their costs, was
the garden, where grew in profusion
the choicest flowers, the very pertec-
ton of natures handiwOrk. Soon we
had culled an enormous bOquet, and
then hearing the warning whistle of
the evening train, we bade adieu to
our kind entertainers and started on
our way back.
''Verily" thought I, where would
the disciples of the gentle and Joyous
science which the quaint IZaak Wal
ton, so loved, find a prettier place in
which to exercise their craft, than
this of Rocky River. And to crown
all, without which the other is shorn
of its attraction, where could we find
kindlier welcome or better entertain
ment than at the house of our genial
hosts, Hopkins and Patchen?
Yours, &c. II. w. l..
A NIiddletown Conn. undertaker's