The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-06-23

THE SEASON Al ASBORY
Great improvements Both
in the Park. and
Grove.
No MORE HYMN TUNES
The Sacred Concerts to Be IN
adulterated Popular
Music.

The hotels at Asbury Park are opening
their doors to summer visitors. Last
week the Ocean and Brunswick were
opened, this week, the West End and
Coleman. A number of improvements
have been made along tae beach,. Elk.
Senator Bradley has a rang of fifty men
constantly employed strengthening the
board walk and ~bulkheads. He believes
in the old saying, In times of peace pre-
pare for war Although there is no
Immediate danger on account of storms,
THEY are certain to come next fall and
winter, and when they do arrive he wants
to be prepared for them with a bulkhead
that even old Neptune cannot shake.
There will be just as much boardwalk
this summer as heretofore,l3 but where there
Isl danger of some of the planking being
torn up by high seas. the founder will
have an open space and rail it in on each
side. From the east side of the opening
tokthe end Of the row of piling there will
be a stretch of walk twenty-five feet wide.
The old fight the so-called sacred
concerts was brought up two weeks ago
wiaen a committee of ministers and other
church people went before the Mayor and
Council and protested against the con-
certs on Sunday evenings. Senate Brad
ley promised them that the character of
the programme would be changed, and so
it was last Sunday night. All the old,
long drawn out hymns beginning with
"C,ld Hundred were played. The band
made a selection Of the least pleasing
hymn tunes. The people were dissatis-
fed. Even the Ocean Grove visitors who,
1t was expected, would appreciate such
q programme, started to leave the
pavilion. Mayor Ten Brock and Coun-
Gilman Kirkbride, the latter of the Music
Committee of Council, appealed to Band
master Barlow to give the people some
thing lively, as they were going home in
large numbers. Sousa,s famous march
'sEl CAPTAIN with trombone duet, was
put on. The change was instantaneous.
Applause followed it's rendition, and it
was necessary to repeat the selection. 1t
is likely, therefore,, that the programme
Sunday nights will be interspersed with
something besides hymns.
The fishing along the coast is good.
striped bass are running WE'LL At Long
Branch on Thursday James F. Edge,
Fish Warden of Monmouth county,
caught a beauty weighing 27h pounds.
Mr.. Bradley persuaded the lucky fisher
man to get in his buggy. and he was
driven through the principal streets of
the city with the bass hung over his
shoulder. King fish are also biting well,
and large numbers of them have been
taken from the pier within the past
week.
Ocean Grove is not behind her twin sis
ter. There fave been many improvements
in Ocean Grove this season, and scores of
wo@kmen are still busy with the hammer,
saw and paint brush. The association is
doing much in the way Of laying. out
small parks, regarding and fixing up the
avenues, and painting in bright fresh
colcrs all its possessions. In fact, it is
putting everything in a condition which
h~espeaks present and prospective pros
Beside the work OF the associa-
tor, Individual cottagers and hotel keep
ersl have lone and are doing much. The
magnificent new pavilion and accessories,
which has been built on the site of the
old one by the managers of the Ross es-
tate at q cost of something over $25o,o0o,
was thrown open to the public about ten
days Ago.. The establishment has its
own electric plant, running about five
lighted up at night is one Of the pretty
sights of the board walk. One of the
most notable improvements in the Grove
this. summer is the substitution of cleo
Ocean avenu for the old thirty-two can
die power incandescent lights. The plant
are about one hundred of the lights. They
were put into use for the first time last
week. They are lighted early in the
evening, and ex~tinguished With remark
one minds that. because Ocean Grove folk
arelalI off the board walk before IL o'clock
and for the most part in bed.
IN n NortP Pla asb ol w9 PanK' Is 1l t. pc b 0Renea
which formerly served as the railroad de-
pot there has been located OH Sunset ave-
nue. and fitted up by Mr.. Bradley. Its
care will be undertaken by the Rev. and
Mrs. F. M. B~ogardus, lately of Mont
rose, on the Hudson, but now of Ocean
Grove, and the object will be the offer
and conditions of life, without regard to
denomination. This is another example
OF Mr. Bradley's use of old buildings. He
changes them SO that they are unrecog-
nizable. The Park Auditorium is a no.
tab1s example of this. The old station.
it id charge and turned it into a model
church.
There is a lively CONTROVERSY going on
charter. The feature of it which has
created the most disturbance is that re-
garding the assessment or licensing of
representatives of out of town concerns
which do business in the Park. One New
York grocery concern. Hamblet's, has re-
fused to pay the $50 license and has taken
the matter into court for a review of the
charter. The firm was on Tuesday grant
ed al writ of certiorari by Judge Collins
in Trenton. h case will lie argued in
the Supreme Court in November the
city will fight it to the end. Ex-senator
Bradley, who is an Asbury Park Council
man, declares that no means too severe
can be taken to fight the New York con-
Germ, which has by it's action threatened
the very existence of Asbury Park gov
%ernnIent, and he'll be one of the hardest
fighters.
q