The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-08-28
LBrrER FROM NEW YORK.
IrnoW our RrGULAn coHREsroyDENr.

CoNEY ISLAND. August II, 1879.
To rIE EmroE oF THE NEW NoErHw ,sr;
The great metropolis, like the rest Of
the world, IL enjoying a spell Of tie dog
days. Fifth avenue is desolate lot Of
locked. barred and blank windoWed
houses, aud even busy Broadway roar-
in a Modified, limp sort Of way. So
eiety is spending money at the sea
shore, and Coney Island is the great at
traction for the New Workers at pres
eut. Chicago has heeu said TO be the
model OF thrift aud enterprise Ia this
cnuutry, but wonder If Couey island
il not entitled to a rival claim. Take
Fairmount Park, with its outlOoks, gay
buildiHps, railways, merry crowds,
music, lunch stands and flying banners;
place it on the sea-coast, with the surf
beating up upon long stretches OF
golden sands, with giisteuing sails in
| the ofiing, aud you have a better idea Of
tie place than columns Of newspaper
/ letters could give. Take the eircum-
stances Of the place. a long island,
only separated by little creek from
Long Island proper, brought by the i'm
proved means Of transportation within
an hours ride Of New York. Tue pro-
moiers Of its success have gone to work
| ia way that is sure To be substantial
Several companies have built narrow
gauge railroads communicating with
/ Gotham, running TO the Brighton
Beach and Manhattan hotels respect
lively The same corporatious that have
built the railways have also erected the
two hotels. Each house has connected
with it large bathing facilities, the
largest on the coast; restaurants aud re-
sorts wherein bands Of music play all
day, aud in front Of each a music-stand
on the most improved plans, fan-shaped,
acting as sounding boards, increasing
the power Of the orchestra and deepen
ing the volume Of sound. Here large
aud complete companies play every
afternoon from four to half-past five,
aud evening from seven to niue o'clock.
A marine railway connects the two ho-
te's, less than half mile apart.
] have been To Newport before james
Gordon Bennett bought villa there;
bathed at Long Branch iu the palmy
days when President Grant made il the
Summer political Mecca; took water at
Atlanta City aud Cape May, along with
Philadelphia's fairest daughters and
most rollickiug sons, but never have
had such surf bathing as at Coney
Island. The beach is a. far ahead Of It's
rivals as Is a haih-tub superior for bath
ing purposes to q wet towel. Every
where tie descent into the water Is even
and regular there is 10 uudertow per
ceptible, all the room you want, and
breakers to toss you high in the air or
rock you gently up upon the sands.
You can lie in them, roll in them, swim
in them, jump over or under them, dive
, through them, and, il you can swim on
your back, ride over them. Here are
thousands Of all ages, sexes and eondi-
tions doing these thincs, from the
/ three-year- old, sticking its ruby toes in
r the sands where the billows just lightly
, Kiss the shores, to the champion swim
mer, riding like a dolphin where the
greatest breakers flash up their spray in
the sunlight. In the middle grounds
are thousands, jumping, playing, roll
ing, swimming, trying to swim, prac-
e ,icing fraud by digging the toes Of
ones foot into the sand. Ar,emus
Ward would say this is great place to
study nature, particularly that portion
= Of it that relates to the anatomy Of the
e human leg.
The police regulations Of the island
: are such that IA surf bathing there i;
b perfect freedom aud abandon to the de.
. lights Of old Neptuue's embrace without
, license. \ pretty girl screams an,
4 clutches your arm, aud you are at per
e feet liberty to half embrace her Will,
guiding her shoreward, only I advis,
, the young men not to attempt to EN-
| brace pretty girl before she gets scarce
r at Neptune's pillows. An old bachelo
= friend Of mine asserts that the prett,
= girls scream, not because they ar
= alarmed, but TO secure some attention
y from the sterner sex. The assertion
J. may be true or false, hut one thing i
\ very certain, most gentlemen Civ
2 themselves the benefit Of the doubt.
n AUGUST.