The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-30
A LITTLE VENICE V,
~ IN NEW YORK
Oddities Of Ramblessville on .
Jamaica Bay Cseek-Com-
fort on Stills.

IL one sits In the grand stand at Aqueduct
and looks toward Jamaica Bay he VIII see
q circuslike collection Of queer wooden
houses, waving mass OF flags and forest
Of Tapping sails. That Is Ramblersville
In summer II Ia q colony ora thousand souls
In winter, scarce dozen. 1t Ia bit OF
Holland and Venice jumbled into one. lts
streets are canals, It's houses clubs, Its car
riages boats, it's life aquatic.
Built on stills, II resembles centiped
4 when the tide Ia out. It's inhabitants have
solved the problem OF living cheaper than
they can In the city. In fact Ramblersvllle
n q poor mans paradise.
It Ia within the city limits. on the Rock
away branch Of the Long Island Railroad,
and thirty minutes from Long Island CITY
Built on q creek that winds through the
meadows from Aqueduct TO Jamaica Bay,
the place Is a medley Of color.
The inlet was once called Hawtreys
Creek. It Is thirty feet wide when the tide
does not flush the village. The first shanty,
. little dog kennel Of boathouse, was
built thirty years ago. Then others we're
added, clubhouses more pretentious sprang
up and 1t grew steadily to its present pro-
portions. A few of the houses are sub
stantial three story dwellings in which
workingmen and their families live the year
around. Most, however, are clubhouses,
and the real life does not begin there until
summer. Then the streets, one main one
and couple Of little tributaries, are choked
with boats Of every description. Broad
bottomed punts, rowboats, dories, catboats,
sloops, skipjacks, pumpkin seeds through
the whole scale up to expensive launches.
Every house is built on piles driven into
the mud. The houses all face the stream,
and hinged stairvays lead from the front
doors to floats at which are tethered the
ownsrs' boats. In the rear Of the houses
there are narrow board sidewalks, also on
stills. riokety. unsubstantial' affairs that
sway and totter as you walk
Nearly every house and boat in this
peculiar village Is painted brilliant and
gaudy color. The result Is startling, yet
not unduly abtrisive. A violet house will
shoulder q brilliant carmine one; a vivid
cerulean boat with orange stripes will hold
you fascinated. Even the fat. lazy cats
that doze in doorways. fish fed to repletion,
and the yelping dogs are yellow or intensely
black and white. Nothing Is neutral.
Other things are striking-the weather vanes
for instance, and every building has one.
AUb JUe bttIlle WIFI tllc CLlulIcyb, IIOIuo
made affairs of ashes and cement. Every
house. too, has name prominently dis
played.
In keeping with it's Venicelike aspect
Ramblersville has Bridge Of Signs 1t is
q wheezy wooden structure straddling the
stream in the heart Of the town. The bridge
has draw which is raised by pulling a
rope. There is no bridge tender. The sailor
has to open the draw himself.
The Inhabitants of Rapblersville are
strong on batteaus. Every house Of any
size has one. They are conducive to COM
fort on summer nights, especially II Melted
In.
The inhabitants OF Ramblersville are as
peculiar as it's houses. They are repre-
sentative Of no race in particular, but Ger
hotels Of the place. the only Earring note
In an otherwise harmonious architectural
whole. But even these are redeemed In q
utilitarian way. for here the clam lures it's
votaries on summer Sundays. Fish din
ners in Ramblersvile are worth long pill
grimages. Tho cheapest way to live In
Rsmblersville 10 to build your own house.
! Ground can be leased for from SSto SO q
year and . good enough house can be
erected for $500 There are few houses to
rent. Fish is cheap and vegetables from
nearby farms are hawked about the streets
by quaint old market women In boats. The
butcher and baker also make daily trips
to the place from other villages, so the
problem Of living Is not q difficult one and
foodstufs are cheaper. too, than in the
ryttv