Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-08-23
SUMMARIZING AT THE NORTH.

w A& I
OUT ON THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
PIER-FAsHIONABLE
T%EREsTINa Description OF THE TOWN.
PEOPLE, AND CUsTOMs-COsTLY BUILD
INGs,
Correspondence of the Staunton VINDIcAroR.l
NEWPORT, r. l., August f"
Leaving Philadelphia upon a DAY VI Socii
melting tenderness, that one could appre-
ciate the point of Sidney Smiths wlticlsm
in saying on one occasion that IL was so
hot that he would like to divest hlmsel OF
his flesh and sit down in. his bones aWhlle;;"
the mercury in Philadelphia n New
York ranging up in the ni%netles-alter
such IL d. y the writer arrived at Marta
garsett , ier early in the evening where
the temperature was about 75o during Ihe
day and several degrees cooler at hignle,
and had only to pass from the hrs1 OK
trenie to the last to thoroughly ENJOY Tile
transition.
NARRAGANSETT PIER.
A word now as to NaffasdliSeVI
Pier. 1t is in the Southeastern part OF
Rhode Island at the mouth OF the Maria
gansett Bay-in fact on the Atlantic ocean
! about . miles east of Newport. The place
is noted for the number of it's hotels ana Is
sometimes styed the ''city Of hotels prob
ably twenty Of them here-neat, clean,
white painted New England houses, all
facing the sea. The coast at this point Is
high and rocky, so different from the low :,
sandy Jersey coast. The bathing here IS
very fine and one of the principal amuse-
ments, most everybody is in the water
between the hours of eleven and one, and
all bathing at the same place makes quite
a lively appearance. The country around
is very pretty, though rough and billy, and
is devoted to grass with some little farm
ing in the way of potatoes, corn and bar
lev. no wheat as the climate is too cool
and damp.
The outlook from this place toward the
sea presents a picture unparalleled for..vari-
ETY. and beauty in a sea view. Away in the
distance can be seen the city of Newport,
nearer points of land jutting down into the
sea clothed with the greenest of YER
dure; upon several of these points the tall
spire of a light house rises aloft, the glls-
tening of the many white winged sails, the
occasional passing steamer, away out IN
the offing, and the never quiet ocean,
changing it's colors in all shades OF green
and blue. more rapidly than does our own
Blue Ridge in the last hours of a June sun
set-the whole makes up a perfect picture.
There is a quietness and sleepy feeling
engendered at this place, that one only can
compare to the poets ideal dream OF the
Lotas Eaters-in fact it's a verltable dolce
far miente, kind of a place-and yet there
are many ways of amusing ones self here
a sail out on the bay can be had at any
time, or fishing Of the rarest kind on every
hand, within a short walk from the pier
is a noted rocky precipice, called Indian
Rock. a famous place for musing maldens
and tender lovers, but still more famous
for the fine fishing at it's base-When the
sea is at high tide the sea bass Tor tautog,
IS to 20 inches in length and a very fine
fish, can be caught more rapidly than the
most expert disciple of Izaak Walton in
Staunton can draw the speckled trout from
the limpid mountain brook. We recon-
mend N~arragansett Pier as a delightful
place to spend a time to any Virginlan
northwardly inclined. At the Mount
Hope House, the proprietor has brought
the colored servants en- 4aasse from the
Planters Hotel of Augusta, Georgia, and
one Of Southern birth feels at home here,
more so than he does at some of the New
England resorts where he finds the Whlte
student from some of the numerous col
.leges, waiting at the tables and filling other
h menial positions.
NEWPORT.
After four quiet days spent at the pier,
I found myself at the far famed city OF
Newport, a full description Of which will
not be attempted at my hands, though a
few points may interest your readers. The
approach up the bay to the city is charm
ing i'm the extreme; the city, with a popu-
lation of about $4,000, rises abruptly from
the waters edge toward the West, on and
either hand are pretty islands with attrac-
tive summer residences. Near the en-
trance of the harbor the frownlng walls Of
Fort Adams rear themselves one OF the
handsom est forts in the country; near by
this Is the Torpedo Station, with the light
house. wherein dwells Ida Lewis, (now
married) who has lmmortalized herself by
saving IS persons from drowning at differ
emit times. Arriving at the old part of the
town, Newport presents quite an unique
appearance.
"We saw the port,
The strange, old fashioned silent town,
The lighthouse the dismantled fort,
The wooden houses, quaint and brown"
The streets of the old part are narrow,
winding and cramped. the houses low
studded, gambreled rooted and crumbling.
There are other quaint features, giving
one the impression of a foreign town.
Passing through this old part OF the town,
one soon comes to the new part, consist
ing of summer residences, hotels. and bus
mess houses. While the other part IS old
and quaint, this fashionable portion is of
the most improved modern style, a world
of wealth is expended in fitting up these
palatial summer houses-one can only
form an idea of the beauty of these places
by seeing them, some Of them costing we'll
on toward half a million. Of dollars, and
vet they are only summer residences. Ma
nv wealthy people from New York, Phila-
delphia. Baltimore and Boston, have
houses here. Among the very elegant