Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-09-18
Letter from Southwest Harbor.
Southwest Harbor-Its Attractions and
Needed improvements.


ly prosperous season. The weather has
been superb The facilities for driving
and for excursions by small steam yachts,
As well as for sailing and rowing, have
hotels, although receiving many more
guests than ever before, have been kept
with such an eye to comfort, and so gen
erous a provision for the table, as has
called forth enthusiastic praise from well
pleased patrons.
To praise the scenery of Southwest liar
Dor is in no sense to disparage that of any
other part OF the Island, but we think
none deny the greater breadth and free
dom of its noble mountain views, its
superior opportunity for rowing In shelter
cd and picturesque Somes Sound, or that
its outlying islands, Sutton's, the Gran
berries, Ducks. and Baker, afford points
for unique and delightful excursions.
As cottage life has not yet GENE in at
Southwest Hsrbor to any appreciative ex-
tent, 1t looks as II its hotels had a long
and prosperous career before them. But
in order that 1t may be SO. the residents of
the place have to consider that with all
Its attractions 1t is in many ways long
distance behind Its neighbors; and one of
the inconvenience this summer has been
the way in which the little steamers run
ming between the different harbors and the
adjacent islands have made their trips
II has been amusing as provoking,
that while from almost every point, YOU
could get to Southwest and back the same
dsy-from Southwest you could not 20 10
q single place and have any time. without
staying all night
II the Mt. Desert was on time YOU
could depend upon exactly an hour at Bar
Hsrbor. not long enough 10 do. or see
anything worth while, but quite long
enough to convince you that its shabby
plank walk is the most unntcresting
plank walk in the world
And even the tiny Agnes. whose ahii-
ing place Is at lslefurd. managed 1t
that YOU could not 60 over 10 Little Gran
berry and return the same day II the eN
cursion She secured for the afternoon hap
pened to come 80 she could take YOU Ia
Southwest, She would: otherwise YOU
must STAY all night at The hotel lslefurd.
II YOU, won by its comfort and by the
beauty of Little Cranberry did So then the
Agnes started at such an UNREASONABLE
{,t h.. hot Las
awake half the night for fear of missing
her. |, seems a. II, with three or four
little steamers running hiihcr and yon, and
each one of them declaring that she makes
no money, they might, hy a mutual agree
ment. not only Accommodate distracted
public bat build W good business sud
direc, attention to many very beautiful.
but little known points
A telephone service has been imperative
" demanded jhi. year. We were told that
should not expect one; it did not pay
Remembering the way In which Il was put
in, and the way In which 1t was managed.
We DO not wonder Il WAS Improbable. But
good >-ryice INTEL gently operated.
would pay well for the unsatisfactory
condition ~ the telegraph at South West
would give it practically all the business
II, A. We arr told. telephone poles and
wires are sin up. what binders any one ~
the telephone companies from putting in
an instrument: We are answered that pri-
,ste parties and lines object So long As
haf fpI. a3trh ~ rsl,.
lie long shall W. be the laughing
stock OF our neighhors in far more re-
mote parts OF the Island
The mail service. too, has been very In
adequate North EAs, Harbor. jus; over
the narrow water, has had not only is
morning, but noon mail for Boston our
only mail leaves a. eight O'Clock ID the
morning, takes all day 10 jog TO Bangor,
and % is not In Boston minute before
that which left North East four hours
later
As matter of fact, our letters lie In
the post-oifice whole night before start
ing II the residents OF South West
would he,tlr themselves, there Is no doubt
that the government would give u two
mails in and two mails out every day be-
tween June and October
Another great disadvantage at South
IVES, Is the condition OF the steamboat
wharf. To call il inadequate and un>aiis-
factory is 10 say nothing. The truth i,
II possesses no accommodations and i, a
disgrace 10 the place.
In the nature Of things steamboat trav-
el i uncertain. involving long waiting
and veNatious delays Upon our wharf al
Southwest Harbor. where not only men.
but delicste women and young children
must wait, sometimes for hours the wait
ins room is mere she'd, where Il strong
draught always blows; and where are on
II rough uncomfortable benches for seats
Upon bad day no more di>sgreeable place
can be imagined. The accommodations
for passengers being thus inadequate. what
shall We say Of these for freight;
Four steamers use the wharf regularly.
each having an especial agent Il Is to he
presumed each ssest knows where his
freight Is housed. for certainly nobody else
does The space is so confined, that to an
outsider everything appears huddled To-
gether, and you use all your time hunting
up your particular agent. only to be told
/ the KEY is somew here else. and you must
either go there with him and get it, and
Afterwards your parcel. or wait until you
can catch him al the wharf. II is singu-
lar that the owners of the wharf do not
see how bad state of affairs tins is for
themselves. The Boston and Bangor
Steamship Company pay them 80 small
rent yearly compared to what they pay at
Bar Harbor that it would be a shame to
name it. Why not repair the wharf. give
them the required accommodations and
ask them 8 reasonable sum: Talk about
driving the steamboats, from South West.
1t is nonsense. Steamboats, come here be-
cause II pays to do so, and they will con-
tinue TO come as long as it puts dollar in
their pockets.
If the situation of the present wharf
had not been so convenient, it would have
long since been superseded-and ii does
not take any great sagacity to see il 1t Is
not soon improved that it will be.
IL cannot be thst the puhlic will rauch