Morning journal and courier., 1890-07-05
AyARIETY OF sURJEurs.

n tAHlHTt OE SUEtJ EUES.
nIr. wakeman on the Beauties OF New
port-Some Comparisons Made with
European Shores-Roscoe Conkling
In the Great Bllxxard-Famous Cock.
lofs HaIl-A Pathetic Tale OF n Sen
shipped 20 Europe-Jay Gould at the
Mercy OF Beggar.
NEWPORT, r. l., June %.
To the Editor OF the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
There are many very lovely spots along
the sea in Europe where people idle and
bathe. Our own coast has countless witch
ing places for summer enjoyment. But after
one has experienced all their delights, /
think there is an excusable longing in the
heart to get back here to noble old Newport.
In q former time the commerce of this
splendid harbor was but second In America.
No spot facing the aggression of the old
world is SO historically sacred to coastwise
thrilling scene and incident. Percy and
Clinton, Howe and D,Estaing, Wallace and
Burgoyne, all brought dismsy or glsdness
here. History, legend and romance Of still
earlier days glow with piracy, prizs and pri-
vsteersmen, around which q breezy and stir
ring renaissance in American rale-telling
| might be haply built. In Brenton's Cove
there is half hours pleasant idling, when
the cat-yawl skipper will spin you many an
olden yarn; and at Fort Adams, where an
interesting stroll may be commenced, tho real
seaward outlook of the splendid old city ID
FIRST enjoyed.
From this point q sunnya days ssunterins
| is delightfnl, as are the clamberings from
| cliff to shore past ancient Castle Hill and its
| dimly distinguished revolutionary Tamparts,
around to the southernmost portion of the
island, Graves Point. From here along the
entire southern reach OF the island, and
thence by the eastern shore for miles, there
are point and promontory, ledge and reef and
cove and bay innumersble at your feet; witt
noble villas, grounds and avenues bshint
you, and countless craft far aud near upor
the sound with their white sails cleaning
against a matchless horizon of blending eel
and sky. Soft and peaceful as may be th'
sea, this whole shore-line is forever soundfu
with its hearse songs and refrains. all thu
more enhancing for The sense of beauty ant
res: so near their rythmic alarums; and vheI
one stands by the far-famed Spouting Rock
the muttered thunders of the serf within tn
caves innsrmost caverns are portent with al
the magic and terror of the furisd deep be
yond.
| All along the eastern shore are grandeur
| beauty, rest. Taking Into no account wha
| wealth and art have done for the histori
hilled city behind, you cannot elsswher
come upon such wealth of scene in shor
| and bay, island and reef, headland and light
house spectral and dim; and when the beacl
is gained, recall all reaches of wave-whippe'
ocean your eyes have rested upon, and ther
will be none that ever pictured to you tn
| insxpressible, II almost unseen, magic o
| Newport's surf.
From Ochre Point across to Cormoran
| Rock or Sachuset Point, a bit to its north, 1
perhaps two miles. Across this distance q
| most times can be seen only ehimmeriHg rip
. pies dancing Ia the sunlight. A mile and
half to the north lies the beach, q perfec
semi-circle opening to the south. Let tn
sea at the mouth of this sunny cove hav
but face of ripples, mile from the beac
, the eye can trace the forming of gentle IN
. | dulations, far separate az first, but movin
l forward with increasing height, volume an
, nearness. and, as they advance, as gradual
but regularly shaping from parallel to COT
. | vex lines. Soon these have become tremel
dous waves. Suddenly at the crest of ii
foremost one, as If an electric spark had
! the whole cosstwise advancing disc, SPUN
D | and almost detached crest seems to how,
1 above In quick succession this catches II
| delicate rim upon scores and scores whic
follow. Seen obliquely from the shore. IL
4 all as msssed column after column of so
r diery In blue, with O million tremendol
| cockaSes of white above. But from Il
> beach, or with the bathers in the gleamir
sands, It Is as though thousands of mill
!. | white changers with foam-aecked heaS
1 | reared before you for final onslaught.
= calm or storm 1t is ever the same. As theue
| the spirit of the ocean itself had contrive
r with all genial artiice fogofhe winning
0 man to pleasant dallisnce within Its lovir
. embrace, this beach and this grandest OF q
j surfs seem to WOO the earliest comings ar
| the latest tarryings. And little wonder it
B that the Newport tiseason" is still at
3 height when all other cosstwise places a
, drear and lone, and that 1t does not clsse nj
r ill long after the leaves have turned to Grin
a son and gold the shores of Narrsgansett ba
!, As strong O motive and purpose ss OF
move any man to highest physical effort toe
me through the great March "blizzard" stor
: : of 1888 from Harlem TO the Astor House,
. New York. think am one of less tbs
!, half dozen who performed the feat, but
$ rsminiscential interest now chiefly lies in
!. single incident of the seven hours struggl
: leaving the vicinity of one Hundrsdth sire
. | at two In the afternoon, fought my way
my destination by nine O'Clock at night;
n speed of about one mile per hour. The hol
and despair, the effort and vanquishment
or the struggle are Unnecessary TO recoun
> but I shall never forget one meeting on Il
way. Pounded, torn and all but overcon
n by the storm, had been dashed against q
"a building at the southwest corner of Unio
= Square and Broadway, and while holding
its vindow-frames with freezing fingers,