Middletown transcript., 1881-08-19
Correspondence Of the Transcript.
From Down by the Sea.
OCEAN CITY, Nd, Aug. 18th, 1881.

OCEAN CITY, ND, Aug. 18th, 1881.
DEAR TRANSCRIPTS =
On Saturday, when the mercury was
trying to crawl out of the top Of the
thermometer to get cool, we left you
for breath of salt air. We packed
our other paper collar and Sunday
toothpick, hung our editorial scissors
on nail behind the sanctum door,
and-we are here. 1t is cool here.
though there was a land breeze on
Sunday. If there is only one land
breeze in season at Ocean City we
always manage to strike it, and if there
is only one mosquito it manages to
strike us. The land breeze was here
when we arrived, and the mosquito was
sitting on the railroad bridge across the
Synepuxent waiting for us. 1t rained
Saturday night and Sunday morning.
1t was very refreshing shower, though
there is not much here to refresh. We
notice that the ocean is about as sloppy
as usual, perhaps little more SO since
the rain. There is a new Episcopal
Church here, called &C st. Paul's by the
Sea-. ;" Bishop Beckwith, of Georgia, a
very eloquent divine, preached there
Sunday morning. 1t was a splendid
sermon. We were not there to hear it.
but friend of ours who is a Judge of
sermons was. 1t was raining, and
after several unsuccessful attempts to
steal an umbrella we concluded that we
would stay in the house and read
pious book we had brought along. We
are a dry weather christian. Soft crabs
are ripe down here. The waiter brought
us one on a dish. He probably thought
we were 8sthetical. We assured him
that it was very fair sample, and that
he could bring us few more on the
same plan. He soon realized that we
are not down here in search of an ap-
petite. We have our appetite with us.
There are many people here from Balti-
mort and " 5tsi1i1l ton, 5Ifd there are
more ladies than gentlemen, some of
them handsome enough to make man
strike his grandmother if they should
ask him. A few are so thin around the
waist that you fear one good, solid,
old-fashioned squeeze Of masculine
arm would break them in two. But it
wouldn't. At least none of them have
been broken in two up to date. The
girls play ten-pins, and they think it is
just too awfully funny. You have seen
woman throw a brick at a chicken.
Well, when a woman does throw a
brick at chicken you want to stand in
front of her or you may get hurt. She
is not quite SO dangerous when she
squares herself for ten strike with the
biggest ball on the alley, but you had
better give her plenty of room. The
people here are immensely fond Of ten
pins. They play until every finger on
their hands are blistered, and they
think it's splendid sport. If they had
to do it for dollar day they'd resign
the first morning before nine O'Clock.
The bathing was trough" yesterday,
and bathers were few. A lady bathing
in front of the Atlantic House got
frightened while standing in water up
to her waist, and created a sensation
by yelling for help. She was promptly
rescued. Timid ladies should always
do their surf-bathing in a wash-tub,
where there is usually a smooth sea.
Two Ocean City hotels have done well
this year. Congress Hall, which has
grown to be the most popular hotel on
the beach, and, under the prophet etorship