Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-09-19
OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT,
steamer WaccamaN-.Cap Eear
RiEer-SmithviIle-
distractions, &C., &c.


1t was On one of the hottest morn
ings of the late hot month of August, |
1873, that we found ourselves perched |
on high stool beside the pilot in the |
wheel house of the steamer Wacca-
NAV, Capt Julius Potter, and it was
to the politeness of the last named that |
We owed our peculiar elevation on that
occasion. The steamer swung out
from her wharf and after ssmakine up
her tow which consisted of barque
and brig foreign bound, she proceed
ed down the Cape Fear River, past
which we took our ice water past the
batteries on the left the wreck of the
steamer ''North East" on the right,
the remnants of distractions and Jet
tees past "Big Island" "Orton,"
Little Island, Fort Anderson"
"Old Brunswick" "Sugar Loaf"
Fort Fisher" and its dependencies,
''New Inlet that is, and is Lot to be;
round the ''horse shoe until we round
ed to in the noble channel at Smith
vile. The sun was setting grandly
behind majestic clouds, shining with
gold and silver and purple, darling
rays Of glorious light towards the ze-
NTH; the sea breeze was rolling the
waves up the channel towards our steam
ing city, as if anxious to carry refresh
ment and delight to the parting breasts
and fainting bodies of our citizens,
and the hoary live oaks on the hill
We're singing r1lstling song of de-
light as they tossed their giant limbs
here and there welcoming the invigor-
ating air with open arms. Already we
felt a new glsh of life in our veins and
/
tened to put our feeble self in a large
arm chair, on a piazza facing the sea,
under the aforesaid trees and inhale
great gulps Of the life giving messen-
ger from the old Atlantic.
Talk of Beaufort, Mays Head, Eue
dc l'Eau, Cape May, Old Point, Long
Branch, Rockaway, New Port, Cape
Cod, or any other watering place on
the coast from Eastport to Sullivan s
Island, and we know them al! There
IS not one that combines more of
what goes TO make up pleasant sea
shore place than mithTilic-Smitll-
Vile within thirty miles of Whining
ton. It's scenery is superior to that OF
any OF them, except perhaps the south
eastern shore of Staten Island. Let
any one who has visited the others go
there, sit down and make the COMPARE
son. For sailing it has the best adj
vantages for large or small yachts; fo1
fishing 1t has 10 superior its
oysters are plentiful and large
the places of interest to which
excursions can be made Tor pleasure
are sufficiently numerous to last sea
son III fact we have tried it ourselves
for three seasons in succession and
still find 1t interesting, and it has
this advantage over most of the water
ing places $50 Called that its harbor is
scene Of animated commercial life
During the time we stayed there three
days there passed and anchored ten
large ocean gong steamers, fourteen
large sea gong vessels, numerous
coasting vessels, while tugs and sal
boats were almost constantly in sight
We could not help contrasting the
scene with that at celebrated water
ing place which shall be nameless OF
TINS occasion. Yet with all these ad
vAntage5 Smithyille is almost aban
ioned by our own pleasure seekers
We could not help asking ourselves
the question, Why is this SO? The
answer is speedily found. 1t is because
those of our citizens who do MOI OWL
property there cannot obtain hotel &C
commOdations at such reasonable rates
as they can at other points !! Any per
son who has visited any of our interior
watering places knows that the hote
accommodations there are of the
toughest kind, generally. There is 9
central building, to1erably comforta-
bic, for ladies and children, then there
are rongh board cottages scat
tered about, with the plainest
kind OF standing furniture fo1
gentlemen, or for families that are
large and prefer being all together
The playground buildings at Whining
ton or Goldsboro' are palaces com.
pared ssto some Of them. I do not
wish to give names, but the facts are
notorious. Into these cottages, sc
called, (say of two rooms) are packed
at least eight souls; the whole cost oil
the house is not 5000, and they pay fol
themselves at moderate charges liz one
season. This plan ought to be pursued
for the present, at Smithville. Let
central building be plt up for dining
1oom, assembly room, parlors, offices
&c, and then build twenty or more
cottages i'll connection with it; not
Joined, leaving ample ventilation and
room, with an interior shaded court
for croIUet ground, &c. The build.
ing OF IL large and expensive hote1
with the necessary room would lead tC
certain failure, because while manv
1nen can build houses, few have sense
enough to run them properly, end the
capital invested in so large building
would require such large rents to be
paid that no hotel keeper could make
money by renting. There are two
principles entering into hotel keeping.
The first IS large and expensive build
inSs, run at extravagant charges,
accommodating those who go more for
Sho" then simple comfort, or who
have more money than brains, and
this, fortunately, is SO small Il portion
Of our community thai house on this
prlIciple could not succeed much, il
at all.
The second Is houses affordine
enough room and enough comforts at
charges that would suit the pockets of
land, tile grand majority of the coun-
Try; charges that would FIJI the house
&ll the season. As for provisions and
supplies 1t Smithville, they are album
tlAnt, near at hand and easily made
available, and those from the sea and
bays aro To be had at very low rates.
These are tie ciiblcs which visitors
% the SEA seek. They como to enjoy
them and can have them This is the
pan-ie large, cheap establishment,
cheap houses aid cheap rates. No
other plan can succeed, and such an
one would yield a fine income to the
projectors.
The bath houses, thc sailing boats,
The yachts, the fishing facilities, ali
viii follow. There are hundreds ready
t. step into the opening. The facili-
lies for pleasure always come when
pleasure seekers congregate. We have
not said hftt that We intended to say
on this subject, but We must pass on.
We spent our three days, spy-glass
IN 'l"nd, nearly where We first came to
- -E';-.lrrOus We're the invita-
il. -~ -. t. - sail, to go claiming,
.-.- =. laundering, grabbing and
bath. Dut We resisted the fond en-
tiacmeHts and sucked in the sea air by
=. 4 - I Gli -