Daily Republican., 1879-10-04
WILMINGTON, DEL, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1879
OUR CAPE NAY LETTER.

OUR CAPE MAY LETTER.
Fall Life at the Eea.ShOre ~ Seen
and Pictured ~ . Resident.
Special Correspondent Of the Republican.
CAPE MAI, N. j., Sept. Both, '79.
Fishing from the piers is the excite.
ment here now, more than so persons
assembled on Denizot's yesterday, half
Of them having lines out catching little
swapping mackerel, chiefly, plenty Of
Cape May goodies, aud few perch and
hake. One lady hooked a slender,
graceful little dog-shark, foot long,
and set it at liberty again. Men, wo.
men and children are fishing, most Of
them being permanent residents here
and few are from hotels, visitors and
cottage folks, still lingering. The
small mackerel caught are excellent
eating, being about to II inches long
and very tender and juicy. They bit
quite briskly and nearly all caught
enough for use. To-day they are busy
fishing again. The surface Of the sea
was churned up with them swimming
about in schools and lots Of little min
nows leaped and skipped above the
surface. Sinkers are used and they
fish on the bottom Of the sea.
As l write, several persons pass the
door taking home strings of two to
three dozen and the crowd still re-
mains. The weather is beautiful and
the full moon at night on the sea Ii
very lovely, but Sunday night and last
night slight haze in the sky dimmed
at times its superb brilliancy. Bath
ing is kept up every day and Sunday
We saw one group Of twenty fronting
the Stockton and another of fifteen by
Congress. p
They are taking down both piers.
Congress being removed to the midway
covered arbor and they commenced on
Dsnizot's this morning. 1t was partly
wrecked by gale and sea, August 1S
and csreens slightly for 100 feet from
outer end, 40 much SO we feared il
wo1ld topple over with the severaI
tons of fishermen and ladies leaning or
the canted side.
The new Columbia Is open for al
winter and attracts many OF tho visitors
who are more numerous than ever be
fore at this date, owing no doubt to th'
lovely weather we are having. Mr.. A
P. Hildreth is managing the house. HI
was for many years in the Office of Con
gress Hall and more recently at Seagrovt
House as proprietor its first year, and
Superintendent Of the old Columbis
during the proprietorship Of George j
Bolton and George C. Ward, coming
with the latter t. the new Columbis
this summer.
The Chalfant, Col. Sawyer, Marine
Villa, Mrs. Nallenbeok, Miller's cottage
Mrs. Hoffman, remain open also, al
winter. Mr.. Kings hot baths are ir
operation yet. The United States Ho
tel, c. Reeves proprietor, is still open
The Arlington, Windsor, West End and
all others have the inevitable slat nail
ed across the window blind, denotinl
duty done for the season. A beach par
ty as they are called went over to Fiv'
Mile Beach recently. They are annua
affairs INDUCED in by our residents
every summer and the proceeds froll
this were for the benefit of the M. r
Church here and was participated in BY
its pastor and many eminent members
and their families and others Of oul
citizens. They go in the swift yachts
from Schellinger's Landing near the
edge of our town, sail over to the beacf
which is a finely wooded tract of beach
and upland, five miles long, whence its
name, by mile or so broad, facing the
Atlantic Ocean on one side and the
sounds or inland bays are in the rear.
They 60 there by the still waters of the
sounds, as to go outside and land over
the surf would be always dangerous
and sometimes impossible.
On the Beach, which is an island, are
two life saving stations, No. 36 at Here.
ford Inlet, and No. 81 near Turtle In
let, which separates 1t and Two-mile
Beach this side Of It. Hereford Light
House is also at its east end and the
keeper and his family are the only per
manent residents. The two life saving
crews and lots of gunners for geese and
ducks are there during the fail, winter
and spring months. Our beach party
each provides themselves picnic
dinner and pay small fare to the
yachtman. They have fine time all
day and return in the afternoon. The
only drawback to their fun was diff.
Guilty in landing over the wet grassy
mud at edge Of water extending shore,
ward square or more, and returning
in dead calm having to pole
the yacht nine miles, arriving in some
cases near midnight. But these mis-.
haps count as fun in the days adven.
ture, and the good appetite the salt ail
and rambles on woods and beach give,
anG the novelty CT a dinner there, and
the dashing sail to and from the picnic
grounds are long remembered, especially
BY the little folks. These trips are al
ways popular and it is not unusual for
over one hundred persons to go. We
went to see them off and the "Roxana,
"Harriet, "Agnes," LILLIAN" "Ger-
trude" and others were sailing with the
swift tide half mile away when we got
there.
We took batteau and with lady
companion pulled after them to inves-
tigate an ark like vessel anchored in
the marshy reeds mile from the land
ing and has been here this two months.
As We approached, a large fishing
skiff left it, pulled by four sailor look
ling, rough dressed men with the long
sweeping we'll timed oar OF man-of'
warsman and steering with the rudder
ropes was shop-keeper looking man.
None resembled officers or sailors in