The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-07-05
CAROLINA BEACH
A Charming Summer Home
'Twixt River and Sea.
a WAVE WASHED BEACH
One of the Gems of the South
Atlantic Coast.
THE STEAMER WILMINGTON.
The Swift Gliding Queen of the Lower
Cape Fear, and Capt. j. w. Harper,
Her Genial and Clever Owner
and Captain.

summer rest and recuperatlon, COM
mend me to the gllttering strand OF the
beautiful Atlantic, where waves ana
wayelets break into liquid atoms, anu
surcharge the brmy and braclng
hreezes. where the winds are never
weary and the lull of the singing SEX
sweetens the midnight dreams.
/ recently spent day at Carolina
Beach. | stood on the broad Veranda OF
the Carolina Beach Hotel and watched
a million waves chasing each other up
and down the sloping shore. looked
out ON the waving world beyond--a
thousand leagues across-and as
uvriads of little pillows broke into
rlititering foam. | saw the many RIP
pies in mid ocean that never break on
the shore" | saw in the sunlight the
xilvery clusters of broken waves, ana
as | looked, a muse of is 10 ] stole up
beside me and whispered:
aThere is silver in the fields and hills,
It's song has swept the lea,
There is silver in the rocks and rilis,
And there is silver in the sea.
Tell Whitney that his fights in vain,
His plans gang aft aglee':
For there's silver in the minds OF men,
And even silver in the sea.
Carolina Beach is nearly midway
between Wilmington ana southport.
and the hotel and cottages are built on
little plateau of drifted sand that
stretches along by the side OF one OF
the nrandest beaches on the South At
lantic coast, along which hundreds Of
merry bathers go rolHcking and frol-
licking among the breakers, diving UNI
der the approaching pillows and riding
back and forth, these foaming furious
steeds of the sea.
Along ibhe beach 90 strolling maid
ems and laddies, children and matrons
and men. basking in the buoyant
winds. Away out beyond the shoals
and the breakers are floating sea guils
of the merchant marine, '5helr ponder
Gus white wings leaning, NOW to the
windward. now TO the leeward, some
with Northern freight bound for
Southern ports. others with Southern
freight bound for NortherIt ports.
There is a charm in it all.
The Carolina Beach Hotel is under
the management this season Of MIR. K.
A. jenkins. of Salem, n. c. Mr.. Jens,
ms is d prince Of hotel managers, and
a very genial and clever host As q
summer home, the hotel is thoroughly
equipped. and the services superb. The
tables are supplied with the most
tempting viands of land and sea. and
attest the excellence of the catering
and cooking. Half a dozen pretty
yong girls, daimtily aosired, fit from
table to table, lending a charm to the
dining hail.
4 good number of charming and
very agreeable people are already here
for the summer, and others are daily
arriving.
THE STEAMER WILMINGTON.
This gliding queen of slhe lower Cape
Fear is one of the swiftest and most
comfortable steamers that ply South
ern waters. 1t is owned, piloted and
managed by Capt. j. W. Harper, one of
the eleyerest men that ever stood at a
" heel III is a model of marine arch;-
lecture. with tidy carpeted saloons
and decks as clean as a matron's bou-
dcir. affording the delighted passen-
gers a ride on the deck, where the
winds are bracing, orinside the saloons,
where there is quiet repose.
This steamer makes three trips n
day between Wilmington and Carolina
Beach, going ON one of trips as far
down as Southport. 1T goes laden with
merry passengers. who ENJOY to the
fullest extent the ride up and down
the beautiful river. On either side of
the river are dozens of places of his
toric interest, and as the gliding steam
er bends around the curves of the pic
turesque stream, stately old mansions,
noted estates, little mountains of drift
ed sand and other attractions come
into view. Before you pull out from
Wilmington, you see Negro Head Point,
the point at which the northwest and
the northeast branches of the Cape
Fear river How together.
= Hilton Park, a beautiful wooded
bluff, is just beyond. A few steps from
the wharf stands the old residence OF
Colonial Governor Tryon. and near this
the residence in which CORVALLIS had
his headquarters Opposite this stands
the famous DeRosset residence, in
which the Confederate Generals had
their headquarters, nearly hundred
wears later.
Old Dram Tree a dozen centuries
old or more, still stands as grim SEN
rinel 10 the outgoing and incoming
mariners
Hospital Point is little further on.
Here was built a pest house during the
smallpox plague tht followed Sher-
mans army TO Wilmington. Near this
lies the eharred remains of a fleet Of
Confederate war yessels-'the crippled
feet Of Commodore Lynch
Clarendon" IA splendid rice pianta-
ton, owned by Messrs. Fred kidder
and Harry Waters, comes next, ana
then old Town Point, where, in 1868,
the first town on the Cape Fear was
built. There is nothing left but few
ruins of the on churches and other
buildings.
Big Island. three hundred acre is
land. stands in the middle of the river.
Its inhabpints are rice birds, and 9th
CT species of the feathered tribe.
Todd's creek is opposite Big Island.
Here was the scene of the famou.
exploit of Cushing on the GARD of Hume