New-York tribune., 1901-07-07
A NEW WHITE CITY.
WERE 1900 ROCHESTER, PEO-
PIE LIVE IN TENTS.
rpE UNIQUE SUMMER RESORT AT

Pochester. N. Y. July CspeciaD-In this age of
uuicipal experiment and social study, the City
= prowers feels that il has solved one question
.,sfactorily TO 1900 of its Inhabitants at least
THAT is how to spend the torrid term Of summer
tn health, happiness and economy. The answer
nsrls the name White City The Columbian Esx-
s,tion installed that designation into the vocabu-
- of the day. That White City was a creation
:, astafr'; this newer is constructed of canvas
rents have been considered the most temporary
nd rather primitive form Of human habitation
rbat was before the City of Tents the bluffs
:, windsor Beach conceived. The poets epit-
,,e of reslessness is the Bedouins, who fold up
,beir tents and silently steal away" The tents of
che White City pitched in April and folded in
November. This may seem an exaggeraton to the
-ssder who pictures the cold winds of autumn sag
ring the frail walls and sweeping under the flies
put these different from the kind which
sot the shores OF Canadian lakes on August nights
and are packed in canoes when the sun rises The
White City has called into existence form of cam
vas tents which, cool in summer and warm in
autumn, marks probably the furthest advance IN
the manufacture of tents and has given to
the make which distinguishes 1t from all others.
Windsor Beach is stretch of high bluffs and
shallow. sandy shore, mile east OF Charlotte
across the Genesee River. 1t faces the north and
lies open TO the winds. Below. the lake rolls on
the slopng sand To the south stretches the broad
boulevard. with its finely kept bicycle tracks and
its electric railroad to Rochester, eight miles away
On the west the Genesee River. the long piers
Ontario Beach and Charlotte. To the east the
shore line winds in and out, past the narrow
mouth OF the Irondequot Bay; then. swinging out
ward, ends in the Juttng wooded promontory
called Nine Mile Point. To the north lies the blue
level OF the lake The official of the
national yacht races is staked out directly before
the thresholds of the tents. The site is like that
OF miniature Newport.
The White City came into existence about ten
wears ago. The Summerville trolley line was built
and Windsor Beach Hotel achieved fame. Between
summerville and Windsor lay q level line of
bluffs, heavily grassed and prettily wooded. A
small party OF Rochester folk decided to spend the
summer there. A few cottages had already been
built These were too expensive for short sum-
mer's outing. Somebody suggested tents. That
fall the campers returned Rochester, tanned,
triumphant and tenacious of their resolve to re-
turn year. They enlisted the sympathy Of a
few Thus the White City founded
The men who owned the tracts of land which
the tents were pitched suddenly fortunes
awaiting them. Rents went up. Each summer
brought an increase in the number of campers.
The tents spread further east and west Streets
came into being. AS the encampment grew, a
name was sought. Viewed from the distance in
the bright sunlight OF summer afternoon. the
name easily fixed upon. White City it was
called. and White City it has remained
The present year records the high water mark OF
the city. Its inhabitants number 1900 and its tents
crown the bluffs for a mile and a half east and
west and half mile north and south The streets
are named after the Presidents of the United
States. Harrison and Lincoln aves are the abid-
ing places of the aristocracy. The city is sur
prisingly like real permanent municipality 1t
has its cliques anG its sets. Many campers do not
know the names cf their neighbors in the next
street any tnan they would in New-York
itself They come and go. and live their own man
ner of life. Early in the morning the men start
for their business in Rochester returning at night
In the White City may he found the tents of bank
ers lawyers, ministers college professors and. in
deed people in every calling in life. They rent the
plots OF land erect their houses, and enjoy life in
cooneSs and health.
The tents marvellous creations. First, a
framework is erected, like that of Indian bunga-
low, in its apparent frailty and slenderness. on
this stretched the walls. Sometimes the
cloth is pure white; sometimes striped pattern
gives touch of color to the almost universal hue
Most of the tents double. That is a large tent
is used for living purposes Behind that little
distance is another smaller one. in which the cook
ing, washing and other domestic duties DONE
Within the living tent one finds luxury and COM
fort little dreamed of. The tents spacious
enough to allow three sleeping rooms sitting
room and a dining room. The largest are being de-
scribed now. They OF all sizes. as the number
of occupants demands. At night the flies are
caught up, and the cool lake breezes, which al
ways fitting about the hottest nights of
summer, penetrate the innermost recesses of the |
canvas houses Visits are paid, cards are left, |