The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-24
The season I'm saratoga.

Saratoga Cor. New York Times, July lS.I
This week may fairly be called the begin
Mug of the Saratoga season. None of the
hotels are full, but visitors are coming in in
swarms. The registers at the principal no.
tels-the Grand Union and the United States
number about 60 a day. At this rate il
will not take them long to fill up. There is
not much doing yet, socially, but the first
ball OF the season, which Is to be given at
the Grand Union hotel this week, will open
the social season. There are a great many
visitors here-families who do not seem to
be acquainted with anybody else. But 90
or 1902 will make brothers of them all.
1t does not take long for visitors to learn
that the great points of Saratoga are the ho-
tells, the springs, the drives and the park.
Beyond these and the incldentals connected
with them there is nothing worth mention.
The hotels are certainly the finest in Amer
lea. Some OF the city hotels may be more
elegant, but they can not have the great
court yards, covered with grass and flowers,
anu Ornamented with fountains and statu-
airy. which are among the most pleasant fea-
lures of the Saratoga houses. Toe Grand
I'm on hotel, owned by the Stewart estate,
holds 1000 people comfortably, and
seats $500 in its endless din
ing room. The United States
holds 1900 and seats 1000 in the dining
room. Tne Mansion house and Congress
hall are also immense. And they are all
luxury to be had in any hotel in the world
that is not to be had here. But it has TO be
paid for The Grand Union and United
States, the two great Saratoga rivals, charge
s. day. Congress hall has reduced its
terms to So; but it can not compete with the
two first named in elegance, although it is
fully their equal in comfort. But what's
the use of coming to Saratoga without
making the money fly? A man might
as well make up his mind to it him
self before he comes as have some
body else satisfy him of the fact before he
goes away. Still, it is no more expensive
than Long Branch, and cheaper than cot
tags life in Newport And speaking of
cottages life brings up the fact that there are
no COttsge here, much to the satisfaction OF
the noted hotel pro- rietors ButSaratogais as
full of boarding houses as Waverly place.
They can Re found at any price-from s. a
week TO $50 The advertisement of one of
them, in a Saratoga paper, is good illus
tration of the alleged style" of some of
them:
Mrs. of - place, receives bOarders for
the season. Her object is to combine the com
forts of private home with the society of per-
Sous Of high social standing. First class refer
ences given and required.
All Saratogians insist that ii is the springs
that bring people to the hotels; but l am
quite sure that 1t is the hotels that bring
people 10 the springs. The spring water is
all catharnc, tonic or alterative, and, no
doubt is very good medicine in many cases
if properly taken. But anybody must have
a very peculiarly constructed interior who
can 90 to the Congress springs and drink two
or three glasses of cathartIc, then TO the
Columbian and take as much tonic and then
to the Hamilton and finish off with glass
or two Of alternative. This is what they all
do A SaratOgS visitor considers the day
wasted unless he has a taste of all the
springs, and there are eighteen of the large
ones, including the Geyser, which is mile
out of town. The old story that a man can
drink Saratoga spring water all day is very
nearly true. There is no trouble at all in
drinking FIVE or six glasses before breakfast.
But If these glasses are all out OF the Con-
gress springs, look out for trouble.
Many of the drives are beautiful, and there
are great many Of them abont Saratoga.
There is coed one to the race course,
mile: another to Glen MITCHELL another
mile to GIeenridge cemetery; very fine
one 10 the lake, Jour miles, graveled and
constantly sprinkeled all the way: another
to BalIston Spa; another to the White Sui
phUr Spring, ten miles, past the lake. and
long one, twelve miles to Schuylerville and
the battle ground. These roads are almost
as full of fine equipages in the cool hours of
the day as CentTai park on fine afternoon.
Carriages are hired for 81 an hour, the same
as at the other summer resorts, which is
reasonable enough under the circum-
stances, but daily drive soon runs up
heavy bill.
The park-Congress Spring parks very
pretty little place, looking much like some
parts of Central park; but | can see no reeso1
why It's owners should charge ten cents for
admission to it in the daytime and twenty
cents IN the evening. The Congress and
Columbian springs are both in 1t, but by
an ingenious arrangement OF the fences
they can be reached without entering the
park.
Ssratoga's ten churches are all open on
Sundays, but they are not oVerrun with at
PENDANTS. There is, besides noon day
prayer-meeting which is better attended
than might be supposed. 1 went in yester-
day, expecting to see some of the hotel pro-
prietors there, but there were none, and not
even a railroad man.
There is more life and hustle about the
streets here than have seen in any water
ing place this season. And the same may
be said Of the hotels. In the cool of the eve
ming the long piszzas are full, and the streets
are lively with carriages, a majority of them,