The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-08-19
Maine Watering Places.
Delights Of CushIng's Isiand-Tub Race
Hotel Life.
CUsHING's ISLAND,
lfsIl

OUSHlNG ISLAND, [
near Portland, Aug. 10th.
To the Editor Of the Press:
The noisy accounts of life at Old Orchard
Beach, do something to obscure the less turbu-
lent proceedings at other fashionable watering
places Yet at no great distance from that re-
sort, now SO much in vogue, is established the
respectable colony, who choose for their sum-
mer residence the place from whence this letter
is dated. We, the inhabitants of the island, do
not make SO much STIR within or without but
we value our selves and our territory in proud
kind of way that rather accepts our position as
one of acknowledged excellence than put in
claims as if on matter subject to possible dis
pute.
Our bathers do not go to the edge of the
ocean, hold hands and look up and down; but
youths and maidens launch out fairly on the
broad bosom or back, of the sbriny," each on
his or her own hook, swim half q mile or so be
fore returning to the bathing house. And
here for moment become poetical You
have read that affecting elegiac composition in
which we are told of too venturesome marine
who could not return to his disconsolate mess
mates, because
He was married
To mermai-ed
AT the bottom Of th@sleep, blue sea-
We all have mermai-ed whose capacity
for aequatics we would match against that OF
any individual of that interesting species and for
her sake there are many inhabitants of Cush-
ings Island who would not object even to the
sub-cerulean Punishment, which was the lot OF
the British mariner. We are not like the beach
ties. confined to the view of what Disraeli once
called the melancholy sea-" We have ground
nicely carpeted with turf instead of d Sahara
like expanse of hot and binding sand, for
our promenades. In the distance we see Mt.
Washington and his fellow giants, and in the
middle distance We have the fair city of Port
land, with the smiling islands of the sound,
set like gems in the smiling water which is
made more lively by the constant movements
of crafts under sail.
Life here is passed in leisurey manner,
varied mainly by three excellent meals fur
nished daily by Our host, Mr.. Allen of the OF
tawa House, and relieved by nine-pins,
euchre, whist, crbbage, draughts and other in
nocent amusements, when dancing is not in
order. But during the last week the younger
portion Of the community, having had their
nautical tastes aroused and their ambition fired
resolved that something considerable must be
| done in the way of sport worthy of the island,
| of the Ottawa House and of the dignity of the
senschal Mr. Allen. Ut took some time to le-
| solve upon the particular ceremonial that
| should be adopted, but at last tub race was
| voted the correct thing, and the tub race ac-
cor1ingly came off on Saturday last.
The scene of this grand exploit was the cove
| used for the bathing place, and the course was
| somewhat short distance from the shore,
| round raft and back again. Five nautical
| experts took their places in the match. They
were Messrs. S. L. Coolidge of Boston, w. W.
Morong of Boston, G. Gushing of Montreal, e.
| G..Penny of Montreal, and Mi.
| The entente cordidle between the great nations
| of the United States and Canada is well estab-
| lished on this island but it will be seen that
honorable competition brought menof both
| countries into the field if that figure may be
| used to describe q watery plain. There was
| the usual excitement aud curiosity as to the
| vessels; and the fine lines" "baoyancy in the
| water elegant s'shear' and so forth of the
| tubs were the subject Of much comment before
| the match began.
The soemnity of the regulations accorded
| with the importance OF the occasion. A rev.
| erend divine was one of the judges at the goal
and a distinguished lawyer was the starter
| Maritime adventure is never wholly free from
| mlsadventure and some OF the heroes were
capsized and had to depend upon their powers
of natation more than once before the fleet was
| fairly under way. When that took place Mr..
| Coolidge had the weather gauge and after q
very lively squirt, aud a few gyrations at his
| embarkation, be successfully rounded the f1ae
| and arrived first at the landing. He was
| speedily followed by Mr.. Morong, after whom
| came Mr.. Gushing, followed by Mr.. Penny,
Mr.. Blank distanced. 1t is to be regretted that
the time of this unequalled race was not accu.
| rately taken as a criterion of speed for tubs
men" all over the world, but all that can be
| safely averred on that point is that the winner
| did not make more than twelve knots. Loud
| cheers greeted the competitors as they success
| sively came to the beach and proceeded to re-
| place their yachting costume for the habili-
| ments of civil life. The youth and fashion of
| two nations were there to applaud, and proud
must have been the recipients of their repeated
cheers.
The conclusion of the ceremonies took place
| in the evening, when MISS Louisa Coolidge vi
Boston, being the greatest maritime authority
on the island, distributed the prizes to the
| victors-two gltterDg pieces in the shape oil
| electro-plate mugs The pre-
| sentation by very neat speech, to which the
recipients with knighty grace repliedlby an ex.
| preston of their sense that the great value OF
| the prizes arose from the hands through which
| they had just passed.
| / cannot close the heroic and Homerc part Of
| this narrative without saying one more prosaic
| word in praise of the manner in which the
| Ottawa House is kept. There are here none of
| the d:scomforts, which we, fortunate people
| know, from tradition only, to be the usual
| concomitants OF life in seaside hotels. We not
| only have everything that can fairly be de-
| sired in the shape of clearly lodgings and well
| provided and cooked repasts, but we have an
| ample and willing attendance at table as well
| as elsewhere. 1t is pleasant to add that the
census of the island, which is the same thing
| of the hotel shows q numerous as well as
| contented population.