The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-22

taffy is thrown on a marble table, draw4f
out slowly as 1T cools and clipped or
in small pieces with the shears. Girls
in white aprons deftly roll these pieces
twice or thrice under their hands on the
marble. Each piece is wrapped in "a
square of white tissue paper, and when
there is an accumulation 1t is heaped in
pyramid form on platters. Again and
again in the course of tha day the plat
ters are filled and emptisd. There are
varieties of salt water taffy The differ
enee is only in the dash of fiavoring *
tract or harmless coloring added as the
syrup boils. A man and half dozen
girls will turn out great quantity of
this simplest and purest of candy in a
day, but they will not get far ahead
of the demand, no matter how indus
triOus. The product is a matter of tons,
and there is no waste People who pass
the confectioners' windows without Sec
ond thought when at home, stand fasei-
mated before the taffy factories on the
board walk, and then join the army OF
consumers.
Midway of the boardwalk's length pro-
jects th= pier, another of Atlantic City's
features. All seaside cities have PIERS
None other has a pier to compare with
this, reaching out so far into the ocean
that it is a good trolley car ride to the
end. Twice a day a great square net is
drawn up from the depths at the trolley
car terminus and all manner of marine
life is on exhibition. Near the shore end
of the pier is an immense aquarium into
which the strangest things taken in the
Semi-daily catch are put. Facing the
glass front of the great aquarium are
arranged rows of chairs, as for per-
Torrance, and people sit there all day
amused by the movements of tbs salt
water population. At intervals q shape
ly woman in diving suit descends to the
bottom of the aquarium and essays ia
miliarity with the inhabitants But the
phase of pier entertainment which nisyer
grows monotonous is the view length
wise of the bathing beach. While the
orchestra plays thousands sit and see
the bathens CONS out and disport them
selves in the surf. A mile and more the
beach extends straightway to the north
from the pier. Back from the inner line
of the board walk are the bath houses,
few feet wide, several hundred feet
are passagewiays under the board walk
Atlantic City has IDEAS of propriety. APP
pearance in bathing trunks and jerseys
on the walk is not encouraged So out
from under the walk the bathers flock
until the looker-on wonders at the stock
of suits and the capacity Of the dress
ing rooms. From this vantage of the
pier it is nothing unusual to see 10000
sets of bare limbs on that mile and a
half beach.
The bigness of Atlantic City, seen from
all points Of view is impressive. Such
crowds, such provisions for crowds, are
to be found nowhere Else. But the sum-
mer of 1897 will go upon the calendar
as the worst Atlantic City has known in
many seasons. This is not that the
glory of the place is waning. From
mountain and seashore have been COM
ing reports of dizziness and lack of pat
ronage. AT first the backwardness. of
the season was the explanation. Then
it was the rainy weather. Now, those
who have studied closest the causes
which have affected the midsummer
movement realize that the east is still
feeling the weight of depression VIII V l
has been lifted off the west. On the
Atlantic slope of the Alleghanies, times
have been too hand for the usual travel
and stay at the seaside. Those who
come to stay a month in the years of
regular incomes now find week all
they can afford. Many family is miss
ing entirely the heretofore usual Atlantic
City visit. On the piazzas the talk
among friends is of the economics which
curtailed dividends have made inevita-
BILE. In the offices of the Atlantic City
hotels are hung the returns of the stock
markets Men who never risk an option
scan the quotations hourly. The crop
news from the west is watched and COM
mented on daily. When hot winds blow
there is gloom: when drought is broken
by Pinch rains there is thanksgiving by
the sea, just as there is beyond the
Mississippi.