The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-07-19
AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD.

A Famous Summer Resort-PolntS OF Inter
ost-Scencs on the Coast.
Special Correspondence Of Re IHteRi0neE.
MARrHA's VINEYARD, July l5.--Ithinl
this is the prettiest place I ever saw, a
least the part OF the island called Cot
tage City, the Highlands, and Vineyard
Haven. The island is about twenty
miles in length and about an average
width Of ten miles. They say it was
once as bleak as Nantucket, but man
has done much for it. There are mum.
Der OF fine hotels here, and hundreds OF
beautiful cottages. The Methodist
Episcopal Church developed the place
by having campmeeting here nearly
fifty years ago, and have kept it up ever
since. They have an iron circular audi
torium, capable OF holding about 1000
people, situated in the centre OF grove
OF scrub oak, all tastefully laid out in
walks, lawns, flower beds, etc. The
streets are all paved with asphalt. They
have no sidewalks, and, II walk you
must, take the streets for it, and on some
OF the thoroughiares, unless you look
about four ways at once, you are in dan
ger OF being run over by carriage or
fish cart. These fish carts are queer We.
hicles-a cross between milk wagon and
q peanut stand. They are usually haul.
ed around by sad looking pony, and
owned by the fishermen. But, assure
you, they sell nice fish, and such a vari-
ety-haddoCk, sword, blue, cod, sea bass,
sea trout, bonito, salmon, soup, mack
erel, place, halibut, CLAIMS, ETC., and, as the
Irishman said about whisky, these fish
are all good, but some are better than
others. The hotels have fish three times
a day. Old fish men say fish are beconl-
ing scarcer every year, and they are
compelled to go farther out after them:
They have a narrow gauge railroad
running from tho pier at Cottage City
eastward along tho beach, sixteen miles
to Edgartown. A horse car line also
runs from Highland pier to the camp
grounds. At the extreme southern end
Of the island is Gay head, where Sa-
vannah steamer was wrecked two or
three years ago, and over sixty people
persisted. There are few Indians here
who make rude kind OF pottery and
sell it to their confding white brother as
something rare.
From the Highlands here one has
magnificent view. You can look over
the Sound and see the villages, towns,
cities and summer resorts along the
Massachusetts, coast from Woods Hole
to Hyannis, or farthcr-a distance OF
fifty miles. Almost the entire Massa-
chusetts coast is asummer resort, and in
fact almost the entire coast from Bar
Harbor, Maine, to the Virginia capes is
one vast summer resort, and growingall
the time. 1t Is estimated that over 600,-
900 visitors 60 to the sea shore every
summer,
There are boarding houses and hotels
to suit all. The man OF moderate means
can get boarding for from IS to S. per
week, and then you can pay $40 per
week-provided you have the money.
To see the great crowds at these places,
YOU would believe that the inland is de-
serted. The hotels, trains, boats, every
thing and place, arc full, except the
churches.
am forced to believe n good many
people leave their religion at home when
they go summering, us though it was
rather unhandy to have around these
resorts. At least but few go to church
on the Sabbath-in fact, on Nantucket,
they do not seem to know when Sunday
comes. The hotel keeper Mt 'sconsit
said yesterday morning he did not know
it was Sunday until he saw the baked
beans como on the table. Our hotel man
there was quite big man and gloried
in the cheerful name OF CoAin-was
born on the island, and is simon-pure,
unadulterated Yankee. He has spent
most OF his life at sea, and can spin yarns
faster than you can listen.