The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-09
WHEREOLD OCEAN R0ARS
GETTING READY FOR THE SUMMER
SEASON AT TYBEE.


vannahians to Have the Long Branch
of the South Within an Hours Ride
What the Railroad and Beach Com
panies are Doing New Cottages
Being Built.
Tybee Island as place of resort, gives
promise of being to the South what Coney
Island, Long Branch and Cape May have
been to the North and East. All yesterday
the island was thronged with visitors from
the city. They strolled on the beach and
gathered sea shells and star fish, or pic
nicked under the outrageous foliage Of the
palmettoes and live oaks which almost
reach to the waters edge.
If any one has been under the impression
| that Tybee is a desoate island-as so many
islands area visit will soon dispeI the de-
fusion. Vegetation is rank on the island,
and the tropic verdure is equal to that Of
South Florida Wild flowers bloom luxu-
riantly beneath picturesque palmettoes,
and vines whose tendrils cling to the live
oaks and pines overarch groves of romantic
beauty, while hooking birds fit from
branch to branch singing the songs of
spring, which has clothed the island in the
green robes of beauty.
HISTORIC SURROUNDINGS.
The surroundings and the island itself are
historic. Here France England, the Fed
erals and the Confcderates recognizing its
Importance as key to Savannah, and the
interior occupied it. One of the oldest forts
on the continent, the Martello Tower, built
in the early part of the century, is on the
island, while just across the south channel
| Fort Pulaski, with its Scared walls and
! frownlng guns, are reminders of the days
| that tried mems souls. The Tybee light
house is a massive structure about midway
between the Savannah and Tybee railroad
and the north beach From its summit a
magnificent view of the islands, harbors
and ocean is obtainable, while its light can
| be plainly seen for twenty miles in every
direction.
The residence part Of the island commands
| a magnificent sweep OF the sea, and incOm-
ing ships under full sail, walking the waters
hike thAgs of life, have a strange fascina-
! ton to tourists and visitors, who watch
| them for hours as they sail out of the blue
waters into the golden that breaks upon the
| beach.
The beach extends for miles, and is as
smooth and compact as an asphalt pave
ment, and all yesterday bicycists and
pedestrians passed and repassed in pleasure
| able enjoyment. The bathing season will
soon be at hand, and no watering place in
the country excels Tybee for surf bathing
and few equal it in extent and safety.
DEVELOPING THE ISLAND.
The railroad completed to the island last
fall has already done much for it, and what
| it will yet do cannot be overestimated
| The Ocean House, the Seaside Pavilion, and
! many handsome cottages are only a begin
ming. "A cottage by the sea" is the dream
| of tn usandS, and now that excellent rail-
| road facilities have been furnished the work
Of building will progress rapidly, and as a
summer resort Tybee VIII, in the course of
few years have wide reputation.
A MORNING NEWS reporter, who was
among the excursionists to Tybee yester-
| day, noticed that tine resident portion of
| the island has been staked off into lots, and
new cottages ar nearing completion, while
piles of lumber in different places evidence
! the fact that building is to be prosecuted
vigorously. In fact, Their need be no Occa-
sion for the people Of Savannah and the
| South to go North during the summer,
when at a small expense they can hive a
| home by the seashore near at hand where
| their families can spend the heated term,
and where the man Of business can in a
three-quarters of an hour ride go to and
| from his counting room, and have all the
healthful benefits derived from an ex-
pensive summer vacation in the Mort
THE BEACH COMPANY.
An inquiry developed the fact that the
Tybee Beach Company has laid of the lots
alluded to, and, to encourage the rapid
building up of the island, is Offering them
ut very low rates and in small cash paw
ments so that the man of small means can
| have his family at the seashore in the sum-
mer, who v Ould not otherwise be able to
send them out of town during the hot
months of the year.
But it is not only As a summer resort that
Tybee is destined to become famous It's
deep water harbors mean something beyond
place for pleasure-seekers. Savannah
must have enlarged harbor room for the
largest draught vessels. This is what Tybee
offers, and her railroad facilities will be the
| auxiliaries to bring about a commercial
boom on the island. just above the western
end of the island and protected from storms
| is deep water harbor, with an extensive
frontage of miles that can be utilized for
railroad wharves.
A CoALING STATION.
The cheap coal from the Alabama regions
can be transported by rail to deep water
within sight OF the ocean and the harbor at
Tybee made great coaling station fon the
South Atlantic seaboard The ballasl
wuarves, which will probably be buil5 bv
the city on McQueen's Island, will be the
beginning of a system from which the port
must derive great benefits in the near flu
ture.
To those who remember the Tybee Of
eighteen years ago it is difficult to realize
in 1t the Iybee OF to-day. The old Tybee
Improvement Company made beginning
TO rescue it from the innocuous desuetude
of nearly seventy years and this beginning
has been ably seconded by its successor, the
present railroad and beach companies which
fully realize the advantages the island pos
sesses, not only as a resort, but as a shipping
port and safe harbor. The United States
government also secs the value of the island
for land aud naval defense, aud has pur-
chased twenty acres upon which it is pro-
posed to erect a large fortress for the pro-
lection of the harbor, aud TO more success
fully repel invasion.