The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-09-10
SUMMER CORRESPONDENCE.
LEE AT THE PIER

rud the Ncw-Our COrrcspondcut
Speaks From Inner knowledge Of the
Eternal SprHguc TroubIcs-SOcinI
Festivities and Prominent People
Book Notes.
NNWtNDNNsErr PTEW September s.
lioriiuJte plnapt One ON the eve Of de-
parurc from THIS perfect climate and expecting soon
to encounter the smothering heat of the city, may
fairly compare himself tn " one about 10 dic.' And
SO salute you. For tho Season Is at an end. nv the
tlmc this reaches you half the hotels here viii he
closed aud there viii have occurred the annual seat
teriug Of guests as of the ie,vcsof Valambrosa Re.
fore go III let you know what i've seen here
some three weeks since the little train from King.
ston, consisting ot one passenger and baggagc-car
combined and locomotive brought your corro-
spondent to this place. As the train dragged along
was reminded Ivy way Of contrast Of my nrst visit to
Nartagansolt some ten years ago. Then made the
trip across In y strictly uncomfortable two-horso
stage brake-wagon by the side Of the traditional
| conversational dryor II took two hours to come
across theni now about quarter Of that time.
Temporal muidntur with the new railroad our
fashions have changed Instead OF tho old simple COS
tune Of blue nannel shirt aud trousers, wo have much
competition In dress among tho gllded youth
There Is the morning get-up Of whito flannel or
knickcthOCkefS, " for the beach, the three ~ clock
dress for thc rocks, " or for diving and the even
ing toilette for the nightly hops or germans. This
u you arc only man. II you belong to the better
sex, 1t ls much worse, aud Is tedious To rotate once
there was only Que place VI rcfrcshmcnt for the inner
man, called tie studio, wherc q devoted pa
trot sold Mcdtord rum-punches to the thirsty
bathcr during July and August and retired regularly
III september To the secusion of tho county ai the
option In this community being against tho traffic.
"W' peSlues bars in all the hotels there is an actual
oS''ht' called Blllington's Cafe, twIthout tho ao-
cont kept by giant uf some four hundred pounds
,,I. a
and eaten and much champagne eyaporated. Formerly
We were coniented with three straight meals day at
our boarding houses, and looked forward to an oc-
casonal hop with pleasure Now there IL continual
snccesSonot balls germans set-dnncrs, aud suppcrs
from which one extracts little but Indigestion and
veXation OF spirit. why, even our nomenclature IL
changed. once We acquainted with Rodman' 8
and fuckers and Hrowning q boarding houses. Now
we are proud to register names at tho Hotel
Mathewson the Atlantic Hotel, and the Atwood
House, albeit they are but the boarding. houses with
more pretcntiOus names. Verify, tho world moves
But one thing Is not altered. Mon may change and
change again, but tho ocean changes never. Indeed
AS listen now 1t seems the sound OF tho wave.
| nils my ears as remember 1t aforetlmc Tho surf
and the bath are now what they thcn--dcllght-
| full inyigorang, hard to leave. Indeed there In,
been improvement here. The bathing houses arc much
| more comfortable than remember thcm formerly
III the charges are somewhat higher, the attendance
Detter ana the means of performing ones toilette
after salty bath are almost adequate 10 the task
| But am getting ahead of my story. Before de.
scribe the Pier ought perhaps, to arrive there FIRST
My small railway train has rolled me oil Into rcmi.
nScence Instead OF To the little depot which the Jour
| ney should properly terminate Let me look back,
| You always know you are nearing the Tier by seeing
large hotel on high hlll 10 the left OF tho road
rms Is the Tower iIl House. 1t stands about mile
| back from the village and was built by Mrs. Kat,
chase-Sprague, or at her nstgation, In the days wher
| she was the brilliant chaielalne of CanOnchet. II
stands not far from the gatos of that once gorgeous
now ruined mansion, aud 1t was the lady, Intention
y means of the new hotel, (Which Is tho hest built an,
most spacions at the place, to bring society conye
nient to her doors aud hand. ut the schome failed
Guests would prefer the beach boarding houses TIN
| handsome hotel and fropinqnly Ia tho waves wa
| more sought for then contguity to the Spragues s.
the Tower HIN House fell into desuetule aud is to
| day almost AS much OF a ruin as Cononchet itself
but Ike II as "a landmark. 1t tells mo that an
| near my journeys end. And as Narragansett Pie
is an old stamp ing ground of mine, and always fec
at home there the sight Of this landmark CONVEYS
| me much the same home-like feeling as the sight o
| the Capitol dome viewed from the windows of q Il
ana F.R Rs,ar pulling in the Eastern Branch
| But here we are arrived and registered and In
Quoted into one of those seven by-nimc bed room
| with which these hotels abound We have cleanse
|
| loitered away the first evening and slept away tn
fl rst night, lulled TO rest by the glorious lullaby
| the waves. 1t is morning, brilliant with its am
| ethyst SKY and the deep azure Of Its ocean. witt
| the accustomed appetite of u new cOner, we hav
disposed of the plain but substantial breakfast av
| smoked our morning cigar, have whiicd away ;
couple OF hours ON the yerlnda, lazly cycling III
white sails In the distance moving In an ont of New
port ilarbOr, or watching with more Interest tn
| movements of nG viii i,,
nearer foreground, foraging among the Slnken ock
FOR their breakfasts now Skimming along tho crest
OF the waves, then rising into higher air aud beatin
up against iho wind, until suddenly one drops as
shot, souse into the water, whence he rises with
wretcbed 'chOdsit - gripped tightly In his beak
be presently deyoured upon the washed top of
nelghbOring rock.
And now begins the diurnal pilgrimage to tI,
beach. Along the road that las in front between th
houses and the they come from the hotels an
cottages Ia the south OF u.s. First In struggling two
ana threes then In groups, finally IN a COninuou
stream they come, men, women, and children al
trOopIng onward to tho beach, tho Omnium gatherUl
| of Narragansett life. We join tho current an,
presently ind ourselves gazing out upon lIvol
scene from the steps Of the Sudio the house of re
freshment already referred to, which guards til
| southern or lJwer end Of tho bathing beach.
II Is truly an animated sight. II Is low tide FrOI
tho doorway where We stand the broad, white Deao
| str.trIea I'm cnutInnnu, ,n.,,, a., Nr,,,,,,
o,o,,o,,,io o,,,.,, ~, . ' ,'
.,, ,'', - "ip'' u' :" """'" "
80 ~ ' ''' ''"'"" ,''H" "'lHho' all'
,,, ." w 6'''' WV" s"''," ''',"s mn
sand the remnants of what was once a sea. gon
sailing vessel There are the ribs and q portion {
t''o ','', '''', 'o''' ~ 70 ""o"" january aS H
" ""' 'o'''''" ""o sc''''"''S " 'hc Sko'etoh {
a,'"' "o'' an" Ro''o wv, "''"o'' rms Walk 10 ah'
ION, " :" ''"'" '"'"'on Wy young e""P"S n"'ih. IN
o""i """'' "'" J"" may see no" number o
'ool"' '"kp " III ."nps'' '"' uo'S upon lha pr"a
P'' HP."ap :" ,"'' ','''''p1 no"R i"o 'h'"f'"' Oetwee
,,o W'''H a"h 'ho ''l''o' soma arc fhnhihg
n''o ""l"'''Ss arc 'h' n'lh"'s lnf II Is iavorll
'''.o'''on '" come o''' p' 'he '"' embrace "t III
""'o' anu So''nPo' III tlo warm sunlight UP an