Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-03-24

REPAIRING DAMAGES FRoM THE LATE flRR-tRE
PARTITIONS FOR THE COMING eEAsoN-THl
GREAT DRIVE,

RFPAInIyG DAMAGES FROM THE LATE FiRE-fRE
| PARTITIONS FOR THE COMING eEAsoN-THl
| GREAT DRIVE.
CARE MAY CRY, N. j., March II, 1870.
MEssRs. EDrroRs Your request for note o
improvements by myself and others since th,
late disastrous Cape May fire Is at hand. II
compliance would state that have erected {
new Atlantic Hotel building on the site of tht
"Old Atlantic Hotel"-the unburned one Having
cut away md removed across the street portion
of the old to admit the new. The hotel is 80 feel
wide On the ocean front, SO feet deep inland or
street leading to depot four stollos high, con-
| taining hity large airy bed rooms with lofty
ceilings, gas, and every room back or front com.
mnnding superb ocean view and located within
twenty steps Of the shore, nothing but the hotel
| lawn being between the house and beach. The
new building with the remainder of former hotel
VIII accommodate 200 guests; our former ca
pacty was $50 persons. The new building Is the
wing only of capucious hotel to extend along
the sea front Of the Atlantic lawn about 200 feet
The designs are drawn and In the builders hands
and the present building adapted aud arranged
10 Join the main hotel when erected. II Is the
desire to begin 1t the coming autumn If possible.
The ground hOor OF new hotel il arranged in n
large parlor on the SEA front spacous and elegant
stairway IL feet wide 10 top OF house, Office aud
reception room combined, reading, writing and
columns to roof surround tue house on sea and
street fronts. The new hotel is nearly complete,
being now ready for plasterlng
The portion Of old hotel removed to site OF
former Atlantic is fitted up US Winter hotel,
supplied with ample heaters fpr rooms and range
Tor Kitchen by ysur townsman. Robt. Morrison,
and is now ready for guests. In summer il Is to
be an Ice cream and dining saloon for ladies and
gentlemen.
Tie burned districts contain Is to 20 new
buildings completed and uader construction,
some of them Of fine appearance and oil superior
10 most Of those destroyed. The site Of the
United States Hotel was sold at auction 10 build
Ing lots and commanded high prices. reaching
abonl S27,000. Al least 80 new and handsome
cottages have gone up this Winter, mostly to be
rented out as Summer residences.
Congress Hall has erected large and hand
some wig about $50 feet by 40 FRET three stories
nigh, containing 100 rooms and spacious parlor
with ceiling 30 leet high. A grand piazzi, 25 feet
wide, extends along the lawn facing the ocean,
making m excellent promenade, and with orna-
menlal balconies To the windows above making
fine Improvement The entrance front aud offices
arc rcmodeled, and, with massive columns and
carved heads, make ono of the most imposing
fronts on the Cape.
The beach drive is completed from half mile
above the Stockton House to the Columbia House
'front.'. The plan is space OF 60 feet wide re-
claimed from the sea by driving piling on the
beach below high water mark and filling In
between IL and the fast land with sand, crowning
with hard gravel. A read and bridge at right
angles with the beach drive has been made for
three-fourths OF mile across the marshes to the
main land. The piling il driven from Columbia
Il Congress Hall, but the late severe gales and
tremendous waves have stopped operations until
the equnoctal storms subside. II will then be |
decided II they construct or abandon the rest of
the road for this season. If the plans of the pro-
iectors arc executed, and their theories prove
correct, the drive will be magnificent feature,
drawag many splendid teams to the Cape and
adding new attraction to visitors At present
the affair Is humbug, as it prevents tue pilots
from landing except at low water, prevents you |
from Wishing the strand ut ALL and in Its position
renders bathing out OF the question: but these
objections may not hold on completion OF the
work.
We had violent gale here Tuesday night and
Wednesday lashing the sea into great roughness
and making grand spectacle. Last evening
large steamer went by, close In, under steam,
blowing through and over the bllOws In fine
lyle. II Is still blowing and freezing cold, with
slight snow squalls, and thermometer at Thirty
degrees. john McMAKIN.