The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-05
FAIR BOURNEM0UTH
Edgar L. wakeman's Third Letter
About the Great English
SEASIDE SUMMER RESORTS.
Ono Place That is Unique Among
Them all.-A Real Boom Town
Where an American is Made to Feel
ut Homc-.ourlous Features About
the Notable Surroundings.
EcopyrIsht. lsgl.l


Spscidl Correspondence Of he Inteli9Retr.
BouRxEMourH, ENGLAND, Aug. 24.--
Regarded from almost any standpoint,
Bournemouth is unique among the
great seaside resorts of England. 1t is
truly health giving spot without GER
titlcation. It's senic, outlook Is grandly
beautiful without appeal to guidebook,
which it does not possess, or to tho
imagination, which it lovingly prompts.
1t is rich without being vulgar; aristo-
cratic, though not insufTerably SO; pop
ular, and yet dreamfully quiet. The
omnipresent AIRY, 'Arriet and "Tommy
Atkins" Of every other known resort In
England are here unknown. And,
more noticeable than all else to the
American loiterer, it is in England and
vet CLOVIS with newness and progress.
While it ever recalls the brightness
and sunny gaiety OF our own best re-
sorts, We have not any one to which it
can properly be likened. Take the al
most matchless foreshore OF Old Orch
ard Beach, put behind 1.-THE picturesque
and rugged surroundings OF Bar Harbor,
add million pines from the trackless
forests OF Maine, give these the tender
somnoIence Of dear old Newport and
then permeate the whole with that
breezy spirit of endless unrest which
has wrought the magic in such places to
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis, Denver,
Spokane, Seattle and Tacoma, and you
will have something like the delicious
composite that wins your steadfast al
lection here.
There is something in the very dash
and yigor OF Bournemouth that lays
hold OF the American heart. 1t gives q
tingle and glow to know that our hearty
Western word "boom" is known and
applied here with pride. To find any
where in England such radiant Nctiyi.
ties is feast OF delight in desert OF
conservatism, inertia and antiquity.
They say that but o trile over fifty
wears ago the beautiful situation Of
Bournemouth was still undiscovered,
although some years before George the
Third held his court at Weymouth, but
little distance away, and the military
band played "God Save the King"
whenever His Majesty emerged from his
bathing-machine to indulge in IL sea
bath. It was in 1896 that Sir &. w.
Tapps Gervis plunged In the pine forest
and made a clearing. He built house
here and there, leaving the pines with
their saffron-colOred cones standing be-
tween. The lnterlacing valleys lent
themselves to the formotion OF roads,
which were made iir-fringed and pine
plumed. Other builders extended the
settlement and dotted their villas among
the pines, until q grGndly beautiful
and widespread city OF nearly 10000
inhabitants, the greater portion being
members OF the English aristocracy and
nobility, has been planted in pine
forest, slipping down to the "chines," or
tiny canons, which open out to the
circling cliffs of sand for the wash Of
the mighty sea.
SOME BOOMERS.
Many romances OF sudden wealth have
been written in Bournemouth's grow
ing. Sidney Brown, one OF the men
who helped to rebuild Chicago after the
flames had swept that city into world.
heart fame, learned there his lesson OF
opportunity 20 well that in building
here he is now become one of the mil
lionaires OF this paradise OF Pines.
The great Durant estate, comprising the
entire Bourne valley, three miles long,
running through the centre OF Bourne.
mouth, and covered by its most princely
buildings and lovely pleasure gardens,
is owned by one marriageble maiden,
Miss Durant. This lady's father came
into possession OF the property after
years of litigation and discouragemcnt
so great that he finally offered his solic-
itor, one Fox, an attorney at Norwich,
$1,000 to accept his equities In the
property, pay the cost and rid him OF
responsibility. The honest or hGsitant
Fox refused, but has made in fees and
commissions hundred times TINT
amount out Of the estate, while the
lonely heiress Is worth millions, The
Shelley estate, formerly q few hundred
ncrGs OF sand dunes and pines, now
owned by Lady Shelley, widow OF the
lata Baron Percy Bysshe Shelley, the
poets son, is valued at q million pounds
sterling, and is receiving ESQ annual
ground rents for countless half acre lots.
II lies between Bourncmouth pier and
Christcl.urch head, on what is known
as East Gill.
The present Lord Malvern, one OF the
Bank Of England directors, though al
ways a man Of great wealth, added mil
lions to his properties through the PEE
culia, influence he exercised over two
old ladies--LaGy Talbot and sister-who
both died within few months period
Mt above ninety years oil age some seven
years since. They owned 500 acres OF
thia once pine wilderness Lord Nal
vern accc;nmodntingly became their
business "adviser"-R sort OF financial
lady's maid to tho eccentric old couple,
On their death the community was
startled to learn that every iota OF tho
vast estate had been bequeathed to
Lord Malvern, who Immediately made
ahnrt shrtft of all the old servants and
other dependents.
Pages OF similar romances and TRACE
dies in the marvellous increase OF values
in Bournemouth, though the city's histo'
nv is brief one, could be related. The
practical side OF the development Is
also curious and entertaining. The
city has no streets" All its thorough
fares arc "roads," Avenues" "cres
cents" and "quadrdnts They are al
winding and there are no Squares.
The splendid improvements have been
almost exclusively made by speculative
architects and builders. As values adj