Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-07-14
dence o. THE EVENING srAn.


Special Correspondents o. THE EVENING srAn.
ABOARD THE CRUISER SENECA,
SHREWSBURY RIVER, July l3.
can't write THE STAR letter from New York
this week, because am not there. The Atlantic
Division Of the American Canoe Association is
holding It's first "meet" down here on the Shrews-
bury River, and as a good aud true member OF
that institution am taking part In it. The Wash
ington Canoe Club, at whose birth in 1884 stood
sponsor Is a part Of the Atlantic Division, but
there isn't washington canoeist In our camp.
There are some thirty odd canoes from New York
and other cities, however, drawn up on the strip
OF sand no wider than Pennsylvania avenue which
Is called Sandy Hook, and which separates the
shrewsbury River on the west from the Atlantic
ocean on the east. The Washington canoeists will
De interested In learning that we have been afoat
on the cruise since the Fourth OF July; that we
sailed from the rendezvous on Newark Bay down
staten Island sound and across the lower New
nork Bay 10 this point just opposite the Atlantic
Highlands; that We held our races and elected
new officers Tuesday, and that we have had no
accidents or disasters yet worth chroncllng. And
1t may be added that we are all as brown as
Arabs, as chronicaly hungry as ostriches, and as
dlSreputa6le In outer appearance as tramps.
Having fun? Yes, tons OF IL.
It's fun for the healthy civilized man to lapse
for season into state OF semi-savagery; to five
out OF doors with as Few clothes on as poSsbe to
cook his own slapjacks and coffee or a morning
Tor breakfast, and eat with the ocean breezeS as
proyoker OF appetite. It's great fun TO discard
stin "boed shirts" for awhile In the dogdayS and
lounge around in iannes aud old clothes. It's
fun TO catch fish and crabs in the morning and go
spashing about In the oceans surf in the evening"
ItS fun TO be careless OF appearance ana It's jolly
10 Oe grlmy and dirty when everybody you meet Is
grimy and dirty, too.
Oh, yes; We're having fun.
And It's cheap, this sort OF an outing at the sea-
shore. I've kept a day-book or expenses since
starting and to-day footed 1t up. struck an aver
age-and discovered that am summering at the
seaside for twenty cents a day. And living In
comfort, too, mind you. The aboard the
''Seneca'-which isn't canoe, but a small sail
boat with portable canvas cabin-has been exten-
sve and varied. The dining table-a soap box
turned bottom up-has groaned beneath the
Fish, meats, veg tables OF the season have been
served in satisfying quantities IL not in the acme
or style, and dinners eaten OF agate ware dishes
have tasted better than any served ON choicest
sevreS china with hand-painJed pictures on II in
the realms OF enete civilization. wonder that the
city clerks and the hard-wOrking people or little
means don't take their ions IN this way instead
OF going of to summer hotels with hign-prlced ac-
c0nnodations and htghfautin demands in the
way or dressing. Or else to country boarding
houses where the food Is badly cooked and the
beds badly put together Let city bookkeeper
Will say, get hold OF a small sail boat or even
scow with house built on it nat-boat STYLE
anchor IL here on the Shrew Sbury where lie hasn't
any rent TO pay, and put aboard Of 1t a mattress,
Then let him SO I'D for his wife and the youngsters
There's no dressing for dinner to be done, there's
saltwater bath ming in the surf or in still water
every day without paying bath-hOuse charges;
there are health happiness and contentmenL ut a
less price than living at home in the city would
cost. III MI and Mrs. Bo0kkeeper want to go to a
hop at Long Branch or sermon at Ocean Grove
they can take the cars night here on the Hook and
be whiSked away to either resort in from twenty
TO thirty minutes. In ninety minutes they can
reach New York by rail or steamer, and yet here
they are as apart from the civilized world as II
they were in Zanzibar. It's the incest and the
cheapest way or Sumnerng, aud am going to do
missionary work in making II known 10 the JoilerS
OF New York city.
In my bundle OF mail which came from town
to-day was a letter from a man who appreciates
the value OF The EVENING STAR as an advertising
medium. He says he has received letters from
the District Of Columbia, from Virginia, Maryland
and states more remote from Washington, aSkinS :
him 10 buJ advertising novelties to manufacture,
and referring 10 an article about him IN THE STAR
he wants me To tell The STAR that he owns now
more advertising schemes than he can push, and
can buy any more for at least six months.
And all this came from a little story about him
and an advertising puzzle that wrote for this
column some weeks ago. II. II. SOULE.