The New York herald., 1878-07-11
THE JERSEY COAST.


LIaHrruL SUMNER HOMES FOR wILTED NEW
YoRKERs AND PHILApELl HANS.
SKA GIRr, NEW JERSEY COAST,
July s. 1878. !
The magnificent beaches OF the New Jersey coast,
now so accessible and 30 well provided with conven-
fences for summer visitors are among the best ad
vantsges which city seekers alter rest and pleasure
eau eujoy. Tne coast which stretches south and u
little the for 120 miles 10 Cape May. presents
indeed features OF rugged grandeur II Is Tor the
most part low lined with sand hills, covered In
some places with a scant vegetation ana shaded
by pines and evcrgreens The bases Of the
Neversink Higniands--so named before the days Of
tugboats by sailors working out 20 sea. 10 whom they
seemed never to sink teow the horizon-iorm an ex-
ception along the southern shore OF Rartap Bay and
from their u view mad OF tho bay and the
Narrows as New York, and OF u wide expanse Of
iand and sea in every direction.
The beaches bolow tho Highlands. formerly the
hrunts OF gangs OF wreckers, anord unsurpassed
facilities Tor bathing, driving, snipe aud
wild. fowl shooting and certain kinds of fish,
ing. Long Branch, which derives It's name
from the largest tributary oi the Shrewsbury
River, stream running in northerly direction
through tho town, was first frequcned and has been
gradually built up into the populous summer resort
for New Yorkers reverted 10 q recent letter. The
beach there ~ surmounted by q bluff about twenty
feet high, It's level top forming tho plateau whereon
tho hotels, with their lawns and summer houses,
stand ROCKING the THIS bluff extends five
miles In almost unbrokcn line; but tie beach
drive laid years ago upon verge, has been
lonasd tor twenty miies, commanding a view Of the
for almost The entire distance between Port Mon.
mouth and Squan. Between Long Branch aud SQuan,
to rho southwest, the blum Is broken up aud the and
trends gentytoward the shore, presenting. how
sver, charming variety OF slopes, curves aud pro.
jecuons Blue iniots winding inland for miles con.
meet with lakes formed by The drainage OF swamps
and marshes aud by brooks that dow down from dis.
tant hills the rich iarms OF Monmouth county
The elevations that lie only aew hundred yards back
from the ocean often ,hickly wooded, ana kline
wax fat meadow grass within rifle shot OF the
surf Acsped up on many psomontory
are rayonnant sand dunes that might
ravsh she cy and detain the travelling easel of
Homer Martin, II that rare dslineator should chance
10 ntermil MS studies on the shores OF Lake Ou-
tario for q sojourn by the sea. Children iroc on
them and turn summe rsauts down their sides; ana
on the level beyond. at low tide, wnen the
is low, the figures OF boys ana girls Grabbing cast
long fantastic shadows over the oozc. ,
1t Is not ton years this whole stretch coast
was dcsoiaie Now the Central Railroad OF
New Jersey, which has branch extending
past Long Branch down 10 SQuan, 10 beaded
between those two places. with halt
dozen stations, all attached to popular resorts Asbary
Park, Ocean Grove, Ocean Beach. Sea Psin, Spring
Lake ard Sea Girt have come 10 be shoVe haunts
OF first class convoncnces and reputation
Asbury Park the famous Ocean Grove camp
meeting grounds arc divided by Wesley Lake, which
flows into the ocean close at hand. Asbury PARK,
situated four miles below General Grants cottage,
near Long Branch. Is reached not only by rail, but
nv "a ri bofo q
directly on the ocean, between Wesley Lake
and another body OF called Great
Pond. In 1869 only twenty-five persons
resided there, and tho property assessment was
tho assessment amounts 10 between ssoO, QUO ana
$400, 900. Tue population Is doubled somotimes
boarding houses which are built every point OF
vantage. Among ths hotels arc the Coleman House
beach BY a broad, green iawn, AID which will
modate about tour hundred and hity guests. The
SsAn 10 rooms. U IN. s Grand avenue ne House, House. The
Metropolitan, tho Gramsrcy House. Sunset Hail.
ocean view house, the rh,aaslpna Mouse ane
House Sea View Cottage are adapted TO from
Az 10 l2O guests each The streets running at right
angles TO the are ron 100 TO 200 iect w,dean ad
vantage possessed by NO other seaside resort the
New Jersey coast They are lined. moreover, with
pretty cottages and tasteful grounds There two
cnurcnss IN the piace--Episcopsiian ana Baptist-a
Tree reading room weekly paper with n circulation
oi 2, 400 copies and public halls Tne n the
hsau vi Iho appear to be persons OF phenomenal
energy and shrewdness, aud have pushed the
.aIe Of lots on ths well known PniladcI-
phia lease plan, with the difference that It
is expressed IN mortgage. whea parties buy ami
do MOI build one-!h,rd OF the purchase money 10 re-
Quired 10 be paid down, the balance ~ hve years.
Wusn the purchaser builds no money is required to
be paid Gown. out mortgage is taken, payable IN ton
years. with priv iiego OF ten Ike Renewals AK
ing the priucpal sum due NJ The termination Of 100
years. the purchaser however, rescrvlng the right TO
pay on the mortgage a. any time. But all pdr-
chasers vi lots Astury Park have to covenant
The promises TOR the sale OF intoxicating
Grove (wherc there now similar prohibition) arc
par,,cuiarly attractive to convivai people. Says sn
ocean Grove authority: :-'At first Ocean Grove
ceived nut slight rrcog nion from practical IN inds
this nsighoornood. Camp meetings had been looked
upon AS something IKE gypsy encampments, that had
O local habtatiou name for brief periods and
wore gone. But farmers, milkmep, butchers and nsh-
ermen soon learned that an Immense market had
sprung up hero 10 consume their products Tho
blacksmith came, the wheelwrigbt came, the shoe
maker uud otner artisans came, and were welcome.
But tho devil came also una made good deal Of
trouble He was concealed IN bottles ana aemuohns;
he. came labelled wuh u we'll known brand,
our peaceful neighborhood. Happily the authorities
were enabled TO scotch, II they could kan, tie
snake ana so slroug is tho sentiment OF the people
against The sale lquor here that the wbo tor
the sake Of money, Introduces II, secretly or otner
ind imprisoned, and to have iilgotten gains used
GROWTH OF OCEAN GROVE
In 1869 twelve ministers and twelve lay mon sub
scribco SO eacn making up capital oil $500 Win which
tie first purchase was made OF q rude camp meeting
groupd Ocean Grove. Hundreds OF were bought
subsequently. and tue personn properly oi the Camp
Meeting Association pow amounts TO $5o0ou From
single cottage built IN June, $780, the place has
grown into town win more than i've hundred
houses, and tho nuDbor Is constantly increasing
From nteen twenty thousand visitors spend parts
OF their mmsrs there. Many thousands more 90
down TOR day or two or week. especially In the
catnp meeting season Tnree hundred thousand rail-
road tickcts sold for Ocean Grove aud Asbury
Park last summer. During the neat OF July ana Au-
gus. Ocean Grove becomes a. village Of tent:
as wei. cottsses and hotels. Rooms may be had
| with or without board, or tents may De nired
aud housekeeping practissd ON suIa scaic. Indeed,
the problem o nvng may mere be solved, or At least
| investauled. In many ways, and NJ comparatively
| slight expense. the narrow and translucent lake
separating tho two towns when would else DO one, is
linod both sides with cottages, the iasns IN front
| Of winch slopc genuy 10 the wa,ers edge. AZ the
foot OF almost every lawn a skin ~ moored. Nearly
i've hundred oi these graceful little craft owned
| along tho lake, and rowing Is n iavorts aniuse-
mcut with iauies well with the young
mon. On bright a'tsrnoons or IN moosht