The Portland daily press., 1893-08-05

More Than a Score of Hote1s-A Woman's
! Opinion of the Efficiency of the Liquor
Law-The Religious misunderstanding
About the Railway Station.
Especial Correspondence.1-
! OLD ORCHARD, Me-, Aug. 3.-The Sun
day aspect at Old Orchard differs radi-
cally from that at the ocean summer re-
sorts in the vicinity of New York. There
Sunday is the liveliest day-the day of
all days so far as the music of bands and
the miscellaneous sideshows are con-
serned. Here these things are not al
flowed to operate on the first day Of the
week. But on other days the steeds Of
the merry-go-round and the breathless
ilescents of the raEzle dazzle are enjoyed
here as much as elsewhere.
| It is hard to fix on the most individual
characteristic Of Old Orchard. If you
come here for a. considerable sojourn
and have plenty Of money, its summer
hotels, Of which there are more than
score, will overshadow every other fea-
ture. These hotels are, in way, all
alike They differ only in degree Of vast
ness, ak being SO simple in design as to
suggest the adjective tbarnlike," in
which regard they are not alone among
summer hotels. But nearly all command
excellent sea views, all are supplied with
spacious verandas, and some Of them can
accommodate half a thousand guests
apiece. When filled with pleasuring
people, they are undoubtedly delightful
places to be in. But this is not good
year for seashore hotels, nor for any
other sort either, for that matter. Bush
ness has picked up somewhat over the
stagnahon of the early season at Old
Orchard, but as late as the middle OF
July the dinner was regularly served in
one Of the largest Of the caravansaries
here for less than 30 guests.
/ As a consequence the transient throngs
become of greater Importance than the
hotel crowd. The transients come from
Portland, Biddeford and Saco and other
nearby Maine and New Hampshire
towns. There is also, especially on Sun
days, noticeable admixture of farmers
and their wives and children. What
seems very peculiar to the stranger here
is the almost total absence of the Eu-
ropean countenance and OF any accent
save that of New England.
/ A curious tendency among the tram
sient visitors to DAD Orchard, especially
on Sunday, is to devote more time to the
railroad platforms than to the magnifi-
cent beach. Last Sunday, for instance,
more than half of the people in sight for
hours promenaded up and down the plat
forms increasingly just as they might
have strolled along the sidewalks in front
Of their homes. The only advantage
these short distance pedestrians found in
being at Old Orchard, SO far as I could
see, was that here they could breathe the
sea air and hear the surf, even if they
would not look at the ocean. But they
seemed to count it much that they were
in a crowd and that every few steps they
might stop and buy some sweetened
water drink or some fruit or popcorn
glued with molasses into snowy and pink
spheres. The hot sausage does not -four
ish in Old Orchard because it's needed
accompanying drink-beer-is not al
lowed on Sunday or any other day, for
this is in Maine, the home state of pro-
hibition. I asked the woman who, with
her son, sells cigars and soft rotations in
the shadow of the depot if prohibition
actually prohibits.
'.No, sir, it DON'T" was her reply.
"There's some low down places here
where you can get beer, and whisky,
too, for that matter. When the races is
on, it's sometimes perfectly scandalous.
But they have to be pretty careful, sir,
and they sometimes gets caught, no mat
ter how sly they are"