New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-20
WATERING PLACE CORRESPOND.
ENCE.
folne CIear-lts indians and ludustrfeH-
Its Legends and Luxurfes.

Ab Ac8cnOS ana LuXufteSs
POINT CLEAR, Ala, July l6, 1875.
Folnt Clear is on the bay of Mobile, abo,
three hours' ride, by boat, from that cit,
E Ihe principle industries of its inhabitan,
, are fishing and draw poker. There is
small tribe of Indians encamped in th
vicinity, who are called by the people ther,
Modocs;" but. of course, this is absurd 9
there are no Modocs so far South. The
are, probably, Crows or Black Feet. As
rule, they are peaceful and inoffensiye. an
some of them have even been known to ar
proach the haunts OF civilization, and en-
gage in friendly game of "draw."
The recommendations of Point Clear a
watering place are many. At the ex
IRENE point there are absolutely no mo.
quitoes at any time OF the year, and mos
quito nets are unknown. Among othe
negative blessings there are no sand fies
no reaches, no ants, no house flies even, an(
no mice. rats or cats. 1t is warm there fo
two hours of the day only-from $50 tt
1880 A. M. At 1890 A. NJ sharp q south
erly breeze springs up. You can see i,
| AAAAASo away Uy Uu0 Slup6
which moves across the face Of the BAY
Whit! and though the wind may swing
around north, east or west before evening
it never once let's NJ till long after sunrise
next day. Many nights the westerly wind
blows so heavily that in some OF the rooms
OF the hotel overhanging the water the
roar OF the waves all night is enough to
prevent nervous people from sleeping, and,
| with all the doors and windows closed, it
is found impossible 20 light . match
or keep naked candle burning But then
! it should be mentioned that the airy style
| OF architecture prevailing at Point Clear
dispenses with lath and plaster and cell
ings. and the guest, as he lies in his breezy
bed, is comforted by the knowledge that
between the walls Of his room and the
overhanging roof there is space enough for
the sea guile to pay him friendly visit.
should they be 80 disposed, and that in
case OF lire he can pass from room to room
along the rafters without inconveuiencine
his neighbors.
There was at one time much better
built hotel. 1t had asphalt walks and
grassy lawn, gas works and water works
Of its own. and hot and cold v ~ater in everv
room. This statement il made on the au'
thority Of every male person of mature age
now residing at the Point. That hotel was
burned down, and its pas, gIories form the
political creed, the religious belief, and the
sole mental solace Of the citizens Of Point
Clear. Long and reverent cont temptation
has in vo1ved even the date of tho catas-
trophe in dim obscurity. 1t lis yarious1y
stated by eye witnesses to have occurred
in 1862. "the first year Of the wah." in 1865,
in 1867, and even as recently as 1869. Three
cbimneys, a fragmentary asphalt pave.
mept, an empty gasometer and water pipe
and stop-cock remain to attest the fact that
the fire did occur. no matter how great the
uncertainty as TO the exact date.
No loyal citizens Of Point Clear over tire
Of speaking the praises Of that hotel. They
bear rather heavily ON the regular monthly
boarders, usually narrating TO them tho
story of the burned hotel once, at least. in
twenty four nouss; but it is upon the trans.
lent Sunday excursionist that they pour
the full vials of their regrets. Mark Twain
at Gibraltar Rock scarcely suffered moro
acutely than these poor travellers do, when
seventeen courteous strangers walked up
TO him. one after the other said:
That high hill yonder Is called the Queens |
Chair; it is because Queen of Spain placed |
her chair there, once, when the French !
and Spanish troops we're besieging Gibraltar.
and said she would never move from
the spot till the English flag was lowered
from the fortxesses. If the English hadn't
been gallant enough to lower the flag for a |
few hours, one day, she'd have had to break |
her oath or die up there.
There was one sad eyed dyspeptic who
came over BY the boat last Sunday morn
ing for few hours' salt air and sea bathing. /
In an evil moment his eyes lighted on the |
three chimneys and the old gasometer. !
'Whas place is that" he asked, Of jovial
Van Gunnison. THAT. sir, is where the /
hotel used to be when we had hotel here.
Why, sir. we had gas and water in every
room, ard ! have seen as many as three
hundred people entertained there at once"
The stranger bowed his thanks, and took
urn on the wharf, where wiry. energetic
fom Franklin, whose hands are
never Idle. was busily mendine his
lets. He caught his foot in one of half
dozen suitable sized holes, left there to
rap the unwary, and was pulled up stand
ng by the remark: ''Take care of them
,oles, sir. Your first visit to the Point!
lb! 'taint the place it was before the hotel
,urned down. Why, sir. we had gas and
vater in every room, and l have seen as
many az 400 or 500 people entertained there
t once" He made tor the bath house and
COX Q plunge in tho salt water, striking
gainst Q post, frescoed with sharp barna-
les. A voice from the deep admonished
i'm: Take care of barnacles. sir. You
ONE down by the boat to-day! All! this
lace isn't what it used to be. You should
ave been here before the war. Why, sir,
70 had q hotel then with gas works and
and gas and water in every
oom. and I've seen as many as $40 or 6Oo
ersons cit down to dinner at once" i
With melancholy meip the stranger fin.
he'd his bath and strolled into the bar
Dom to take corrective cocktail. Then
hen Henry told him the same story, but
aised on him to 1900 guests, the measure OF
nat mans unhappiness was full. He Dor.
owed pencifand paper and carefully paced
"a site of the burned hotel, taking in the
asometer and the watercock. Returning
, tho bar, he ssked: "How many people Z.
id you say p Fifteen Of sixteen hun
red,- said Henry, without wink. "Ihank