Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-03


| CONNECT II BIZ WATER WITH THIS cIry-A
A CAMP MEETING.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
! HOTEL HENLoPEN.
REHoBoTH, DEL, September 2, 1892.
What is said to have been one Of the most de-
lightful and evidently successful seasons i,
drawing to q close at Rehoboth Beach. For a
quiet, comfortable. restful, health-producine
resort it is doubtful if this place has an equal
| There is nothing Of the noisy, giddy whirl OF
Atlantic City about it, the restricted gayetes of
Asbury Park nor even the quiet diversions OF
Virginia Beach, but it has about it q delightful
quiet and easy-moying atmosphere that grows
like a charm upon one the longer he stays.
Searchers Of absolute pleasure otherwise than
that found along a magnificent beach, safe
and luxurious surf, dryness Of atmosphere. by
the sea though it is, and comfortable living need
| not come here-they will find disappointment
instead Of course there more or less
| diversions to be found manufactured, but
| its chief attraction is as O family resort where
| the elders can revel in quietude If they elect
and the children enjoy freedom without let or
| hindrance.
| Rehoboth as a place was originally devised
and laid out for an annual Methodist camp-a
| splTltuhl resort on the ocean GrOVe OrQtr-Dut
| the scheme was wrecked and stranded on the
beach. so to speak, between two lifesaving
stations of another kind, through the alleged
machination of the property owners, and it fell
into a terrestrial rather than celestial turn of
affairs. The force of the original purpose
seems, however, to have left footprints on the
sands hard or impossible to efface. for il is q
prohibition town without prejudice, and the
effect is noticeable Immediately upon arrival
Puritanical restrictions. however, do not OBJ
| tain. Those who come to enjoy themselves and
| have good time generally do not have noun
tains to climb nor very shaky bridges to cross.
| For families seeking rest and health it is a
| mecca, for children u paradise.
| The Washington contingent at Rehoboth this
| season has been a notable and numerous one.
! The Henlopen Hotel has been their headqusr-
| tiers. The hotel fronts on the beach, Surf ave-
| nue., within stones throw Of the ocean. The
beach is one of the finest. smoothest and safest
along the coast the surf rarely ever rolling too
| heavily for batting. This results from its being
protected by extensive shoals mile out,
which, while 1t affords protection to the beach,
stands a menace continually to navigation. 1t
| seems paradoxical that a bathing beach should
be so secure when fianked on either side by life
saving stations, but it is true nevertheless.
THE SETTLEMENT OF REHoBoTH.
As a town Rehoboth is considerably on paper,
notwithstanding its seventy-fve buildings. in
GLIDING church, post office, several hotels and
a number Of pretty and attractive summer cot
tages. 1t is laid ont in regulation town-lot
order and ,smajority of the lots have been sold
to parties who are building or will in the near
! future build upon them. Among the Washing
tonians who are now owners OF cottages here
are Commodore Shock, J. D. Marshall. Steven
son Il Baer and W. +. Clayton. while number
of others own lots and will improve them at an
early day.
THE PROPOSED INSIDE ROUTE.
And that day will not be very distant as the
plan of opening the inside route is well in
hand. The proposed scheme is to cut canal
for vessels of even considerable draft from Del
aware bay to Rehoboth bay and thence. by wav
OF Sinapuxent bay. Indian river. Assateague
bay and Chincoteague buy. to the waters Of he
Chesapeake. This line cuts short the route
around the capes some 200 miles. The Della
ware legislature passed an act acquiring and an
appropriation for paving for the right of way
for the caual-which altogether is not more
than miie-and Congress has appropriated
: 10. 0C0 FOR its construction.
This when opened. will give to Washington a
direct all-water route to the new place. Sina-
puxent Beach. Rchoboth and Cape iiay through
Il series OF beautiful lakes. bayous and bays. I'M
surpassed III America for sporting grounds and
beautiful scenery. instead of the rather tedious
all-rail zigzag journey over to, around and
down the peninsula.
The work in cutting the coral would doubt
i "a.
but for the opposition Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road. which controls the entire system Of
peninsula roads. Ii il alleged that a political
tlnge has been given 10 the face of the matter
il now stands and that it will crop ont in the
fall elections. The work has been DELAYED I'M
der the plea. it 10 sand. of depleted treasury,
that no funds are available. but the citizens of
this section interested claim that it is the Penn
sylyania and politics in which Senator Gray is
more or less interested that hold the key TO the
situation.
IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED.
In view. however. of the necessarily natural
result in the end the people of Rehoboth
are getting themselves together for a
general and practical improvement Of
the town-or city as the maps desis-
nate it. Arrangements are being made to
put in an extensive hulkhead along the front
outside the present one. thus making assurance
doubly sure; to lay wider plank walk taking
in mile or more than the present one in
length; to grade the streets; place electric
plant for lighting and car service and to oth61l
wise improve the town until it will be one Of
the most attractive resorts along the Atlantic
coast.
Rehoboth is neither an old nor a new place
As before stated II Was at the outset, q number
of years ago, devised as a place where the
Aethodists could congregate and wash the dust
away. A tabernacle was erected-the ruins of
which are still struggling against decay-tents
or camps arranged and large number Of lots
sold to the faithful, but when they came to call
for their deeds imagine their amazement when
informed that the owners Of the property con-
templated issuing ninety-nine-year leases in
stead Of recording deeds, disposal Of lots far
in excess of expectation probably being father
to the proposed change. OF course such an
unique. not to say unbusiness-like proposition
knocked the bottom out of the camp ground
scheme and the whole thing fell through
hence Rehoboth as a resort OF q more worldly
nature.
FAMOUS PLACE FOR WRECKS.
Right OFF the shore is the noted Hen and
Chicken shoal, known possibly to every navi-
gator in the world, and particles of wrecked
vessels along the shore attest the truth that it
was too well known to many poor souls. Cape
May is sixteen miles across the Delaware, Ocean
City, Nd, some thirty miles down the coast and
Lewes pronounced as though the second g was
an j, quaint old Lewes. on the Delaware bay
just FIVE miles the crows fly. 1t is between
1ewes and Rehoboth the canal will enter the
Delaware breakwater. Rehoboth bay, but
mile away, is q magnificent sheet Of water. offer
ing fine opportunities for sailing, full of gamey
fish and water fowl
Mr.. Barton, whom The STAR has mentioned
a. a purchaser in part Of the National Hotel in
Washington, closes his house here for the season
some what earlier than he intended on account
of that transaction, consequently his guests are
leaving. Among the WashingtOnians here this
weak ware Cen and Pau,il1