The Portland daily press., 1873-08-02
The Summer Season on the Coast.


La HANCOCK NECK, Aug l, 1873.
The close, hot air of ''dog days" has sent al
most everybody reeking to the sea shore. The
city is dollhouse which cannot be cooled by
beverages lawful or unlawful, nor even by the
big, new fans that ladies carry dangling from
their belts. But we can escape all this dscom-
fort and WEAKNESS to the flesh. The coast of
Maine, the beautiful, historic coast, offers
plenty of avenues, by which we may get out of
the din and dust of the city streets to enjoy the
cool comforts of the most delightful shores in
the land. lHusrs1
Most of our people have not time nor money
for three months campaign of summer junk
citing; and so the glories of trip to Labrador,
or to the st. Lawrence, are out of the question;
and the mad whiri of gaiety at Saratoga and
Newport is a sealed book to almost everybody
But if we do not see the coast of Maine we are
without excuse. We can pass by the watering
places and the Northern Newports' and spend
quiet, inexpensive summer, or make hasty
weeks trip ON the shores of this
beautiful Frenchman's Bay,:and drink
in new health and vgor every hour.
/ do not know whether this Bay is like the
Bay of Naples as is said by tourists; but
1 know that from Gouldsboro and Sullivan,
round thIoush Franklin and Hancock to Nc
Farland's Hill, the views are changing at every
mile: but each view fills and rests and satisfies
the eye.
These three towns that have mentioned were
terra incognita to the tourist ten years ago, but
now dozens of families and hundreds of people
take their summer quarters here. Many hire
xxr.tL fbn.p e.
summer at home; and many others live at the
quiet hotels and boarding-houses along the
coast where the men who look out for your
comfort haven't learnt to charge exorbitant
prices and give poor fare. You have not space
in your columns for detailed descriptions, and
1 could not do justice to the wonderful views
that hold you enchanted as you drive along the
shore in Gouldsboro and sullivan, When l
think of Mcfarland Hill and Hancock Point,
L cannot, to be sure, quite adopt the extrava-
gance of the Italian traveller. and say that
these varied views are capable "of putting
a heart under the ribs of DEATH" but
they certainly would put pencil into
coarser hand than even old Captain Cuttle's.
One of the most striking places in Goulds-
boro is Barney Hills, as it is always called in
the peculiar Technology of the people. Uncle
Barney is an. old man of more than ninety,
straight and 1.-THE as a boy, with face which
it is a blessing to look upon, a face much like
that of Andrew jackson, but with all the as.
perities softened and relieved. Old Mr. Hill
has always had deep interest in the politics
of the nation, and has been and is power in
eastern Maine. From his house you can see
the whole bay, from Bar Harbor to Hancock.
Here at Hancock Point the view is not less
striking. This Point is the extreme of Ham
cock Neck, a wedge of land less than mile
wide, driven down six miles into the sea. 1t is
only twelve miles from Ellsworth, by level
road, most of the way as hard as if it had been
exposed to the devices of the late Mr.. Mead
am. From this place it is only five or six miles
across the bay to Bar Harbor. The Porcu-
pines are right in front of us, the Narrows
and Trenton Point at the right, and Sullivan
to the left, whose barbor is being perfected by
busy crew of dredgers, acting under orders
from General Thom our distinguished fellow
citizen.
In sounding the praises of Frenchman's Bay,
and the country which it pierces and indents at
so many points, far be it from me to neglect
the city and shire town. Ellsworth is known
to everybody who has ever set foot east of the
Penobscot River. 1t is celebrated as the place
which has grown rich and prosperous without
the aid of railroads; but now, in the fulness of
its strength, it calls loudly for connection by
rail with the other portions of the State. 1t
has not yet accomplished its desire 10 this re-
spect, but it has larger number of fully devel-
Onpd railroad schameS than anv otbar bnrol in
the State. 1t has 5000 as busy and lively inhabt-
ants as can be found anywhere outside of
Chicago. 1t has five churches. 1t formerly
had some ministers; but it now has Demo-
crtaic mayor The city government is Demo-
cratic owing to certain local disturbances last
spring. These law-abiding, rum hating fnnc-
tionares enforce the liquor law in q way which
the bummers despise. The rum shops are shut
up for a season, under this Democratic "spurt"
of virtue, and the mourners-good Democrats,
most of 'em-go about the streets.
The Inequalities and genial good fellowship
of Ellsworth citizens are things to be ever re-
membered They have the art of entertain
ing to perfection, because with them it is no
art but the natural life of men who are full of
good feeling and bon homnaie.
There is more fun and humor and more ap-
probation of "a good thing in the Ellsworth
gentleman than in any other class of men 1
have found in our State. One of the delights
of a weeks visit was trip up river to Days
Landing, to Perch fry half of our party
started early in the afternoon and caught the
Perch at Brmmer's Bridge; from Brimmers
they pursued their way laden with fish to
small shaded nook alta bend of Union river in
NO. 8. They call the spot Bill Days Landing
AL agree that this same William Day is or was
"FeS es"maoie person, but whether he is
real l'ing presence at this date or is long since
deceased do not know: but the LANDING ;s
good place, and the fry was a qraat
success; it was prepared by skilful hands and
received ample justice from hungry co,,nan,
We attacked the food-some folks wor,d onr
it "viands," but it was good frv owl
won't abuse it that way-at precisely the riobt
hour of the day, after the sun was down, and
the meadows looked greener than ever. and the
river looked deeper and more grateful than an
hour before, and even the logs that choked the
stream looked benignant After the fry had
been eaten and the tea drank and the persona,
"reminiscences finished we started for Ellsworth
with brown faces and hearts made stronger and
truer by half day of good hearty enjoyment in
the open all, VANCE.