The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-22
Atlantic City Offers an Object
Lesson to the Nation.
HARD TIMES BY THE WAVES
Empty Hotels and Tenantless Cottages by the
Score and Taffy for Everybody-The
Pier and the Beach.

GRAFT.
Atlantic City, N. j., Aug. when
times pinch in the west the cry of ca
lamity is raised. The east suffers and is
less demonstrative. On a thousand cot
tages of this ten miles strip of sand the
sign for rent is still posted. A dozen
hotels, which opened In June, are closed.
AS many more have not opened. On the
books of the butcher, th= baker. the
huckster are unliquidated accounts
growing longer day by day. This is the
height of the season. Yet reduced rates
are announced in the advertising col
unrns. HIRE and there the old-estab
1shed hotel is able to display proudly the
notice, standing room only" but the
most of the places are turning nobody
away Such a season Atlantic City has
not known since it became the resort of
the American multitude. Tt is this echo
of the hard times.
One section of this country can not be
affected alone. OF that fact Atlantic
City is today mighty object lesson.
When depression spread over this west,
the east was slow to realize what was
impending The burden of the farmers
seemed more than they could bear. The
country rang with the story of agricul-
lures grievances. The west held the
east responsible for it's woes. The east
disb4lieved the representations, because
1T did not feel the oppression. In the
west, the values of lands and farm pro-
ducts settled and settled until it seemed
as if bottom could not be found. Slowly,
but surely, the inevitable sequel came in
the east. Securities began to shrink.
Manufactures were curtailed. Incomes
were reduced. Vastly more in the aggre-
gate, because 1t has more to lose, the
east has suffered more than the west.
In proportion to possessions, the east has
sustained losses fully equal 10 the west.
The west is young and noisy. Its cry
of calamity was like unto the howl of
the coyote. Older and less given to ex-
preston, the east has walked the floor
In silence. If any one doubts that the
the economies, the evidence is here. A
hurrah of prosperity is abroad in the
land. 1t is loudest in the west. 1t was
raised there earliest. AS the west was
the first to founder into the slough, so
1t is leading the way out. The east trails
after. 1t hears the glad shout, but 1t
does not yet share, save in a limited de-
gree, with the better times of the west.
Securities have barely begun to regain
some of the losses. Dividends have not
been resumed, but are promised Manu-
factories are only starting up, now that
the crops and prices in the west insure
the ability to buy. Something of the
buoyancy of this west is reaching the
east. AS the east followed the west into
the depths, SO it feels that it will come
out on the solid ground in time The
sections should know each other bet
ter after the bitter experience. They
should realize more than ever before how
completely independent they are. No
enemies country lies between the At
lantic and the Pacific
At close range the extent of the de-
pression's effects in the east can be best
understood. Some time during the sum-
mer months the almost Irresistible de-
sire to renew acquaintance with Father
Atlantic reaches every town and ham
let this side of the Alleghanies. 1t sends
down to the sea countless thousands
Along ths- coast provision well nigh con-
tiuous has been made to accommodate
the growing summer inclination. Here.
where the shore line bowls out farthest
into the ocean, a city Of hotels and cot
tags has arisen. 1t has met the swell
ing throng of each succeeding season
with more accommodations, until now
100000 arrivals in single day could be
entertained with no evidence of over
crowding. Easily Atlantic City has dis
tanced rivalry. The facilities have as
sumed proportions which are marvel
GUS. When the railroads centering at
st. Louis or any other interior city de-
diver $4,000 people in a day, congestion
and tha severe taxing of facilities re-
suits. 1t is not an unusual thing on a
holiday for the Pennsylvania road to
carry down from Philadelphia to AT
qantic City that number of passengers
and to return them safely at night. All
day long there is a quick succession OF
trains on the double track across the
sandy fields Of jersey to the shore. Sud
denly, as from the door of furnace. the
train leaves the gardens, the fruit
patches, the scrub cedar ridges and
passes into different temperature upon
"the meadows" The flats, a few inches
above tide-level, are covered with high
grass and broken by frequent narrow,
winding channels. Through these water
pathways boats are. always going and
coming with nothing visible but the full
spread white sails They furnish Gu
rlous sights, and, while one looks, the
saH-laden breezes, ten or fifteen degrees
below the temperature just left behind
sweep In from tbs ocean and cool the