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IN  OFFERING  this  volume  to  the  public  the  puhHshers  feel 
they  present  an  unusually  attractive  field  to  the  many  admi- 
rers of  the  famous  seaside  resort,  Atlantic  City.  The  object 
throughout  has  been  to  introduce,  by  means  of  short  biographies, 
accompanied  with  portraits,  a  number  of  prominent  residents 
of  Atlantic  City  and  County,  making  a  permanent  Souvenir, 
which  we  feel  will  add  value  to  the  pleasant  past  associations 
which  this  delightful  locality  has  given  so  many.  As  a  matter 
of  history  and  local  interest  this  book  has  unusual  value,  pre- 
serving in  complete  form  memories  of  man\'  prominent  people 
who  have  stamped  their  individuality  upon  the  past  events  of 
their  town. 

The  publishers  have  aimed  to  secure  accurate  information 
and  to  arrange  their  data  in  such  attractive  form  as  may  increase 
its  usefulness  in  e\'erv  sense. 


PhiladelphiA,  Pa. 


ALFRED  M.  SLOCLlM  CO. 

PUBLISHERS 


•  I  t 


Introductoi^y 


S       S 
# 


"ATLANTIC  ClT^■  AND  COUNTY,"  biographically  illustrated, 
is  a  combination  uf  history  and  biography.  The  life  of  the  local- 
ity and  the  story  of  the  individual  are  inseparably  connected,  for 
local  history  and  biography  are  the  perfect  analysis  of  kindred 
topics,  and  in  a  general  sense  most  valuable  as  an  intelligent 
study  of  events,  conditions  and  people  which  constitute  a  nuKt 
comprehensive  view  of  the  national  existence  of  yesterday  and 
to-day. 

This  history  particularly  pertains  to  a  wonderful  and  original 
city  and  embodies  the  outside  influences  which  have  contributed 
largely  to  its  success,  and  attempts  a  summary  of  the  many  de- 
tails of  unknown  or  forgotten  events,  which  in  the  broad  light  of 
the  present  assume  their  proper  importance  as  factors  in  the 
fulfilment  of  the  Atlantic  City  of  i8q9,  and  lead  with  unerring 
judgment  the  progressive  movement  for  future  success  and 
greatness. 

The  history  of  the  past  is  the  record  of  the  few,  unfortu- 
nately forgotten  by  the  residents  of  the  present  generation,  uiio, 
in  their  earnest  struggle  of  to-day,  are  progressiveK'  pushing 
forward  against  tremendous  competition  for  that  substantial  ben- 
efit which,  in  the  opinion  of  philosophers,  if  successful,  creates 
a  like  advantage  to  the  community  as  well  as  the  individual  ; 


wherefore  the  history  of  the  present  is  the  record  of  the  many, 
»  to  whom  the  future  holds  out  its  infinite  promise  of  success,  and 

III  in  no  locality  does  that  future  seem  fraught  with  happier  con- 

In  Irocllirtor"/  ditions  than  Atlantic  City  and  surroundings. 

This  seaside  city  is,  without  doubt,  the  most  famous  resort 
in  the  fair  state  of  New  Jersey,  and  has  established  itself  upon 
a  permanent  basis  entirely  different  from  other  like  resorts;  in 
^  fact  the  historian  must  approach  conditions  here  without  the  ad- 

vantage or  use  of  former  time-honored  methods,  for  this  is  a  city 
created  by  unusual  opportunities,  readily  seized  upon  and  wrought 
out  by  "brainy  men,  who  have  builded  better  than  they  knew," 
and  to-day,  from  all  over  the  country,  deep  in  the  hearts  of  its 
countless  sojourners,  there  exists  a  warm  and  tender  regard  for 
the  City  by  the  Sea.  Romance  and  reality  have  both  been  im- 
portant factors  in  this  respect,  as  the  child,  maiden,  lover,  invalid, 
physician,  and  many  a  business  man  will  testify  in  their  unstinted 
praise  for  the  special  relief  they  represent. 

A  careful  study  has  been  given  to  the  medical,  political, 
judicial,  financial,  educational,  religious  and  social  matters, 
principally  compiled  from  articles  furnished  by  eminent  local 
authorities. 

Produced  by  a  vast  amount  of  careful  and  diligent  labor  this 
work  supplies  a  general  and  permanent  need,  and  its  information 
will  not  become  obsolete  through  future  change  and  progress,  as 
it  preserves  the  value  of  the  past  and  present  for  the  advantage 
of  the  future. 

The  compilation  of  this  work  has  been  entrusted  to  Mr.  Frank 
H.  Taylor,  whose  reputation  as  artist  and  author  requires  no 
introduction  from  us — and  the  publishers  are  confident  that  the 
following  pages  will   constitute   not  onl_\'  an  attractive  souvenir 


of  descriptive  art,  but  also  an  invaluable  record  of  lasting  useful- 
ness. We  beg,  also,  to  express  our  appreciation  of  the  valuable 
assistance  of  Mr.  A.  M.  Heston,  City  Controller  of  Atlantic  City 
and  publisher  of  Heston's  Hand  Book  ;  for  the  aid  rendered  by 
Mr.  A.  H.  Mueller,  of  Philadelpl:ia,  publisher  of  the  very  accurate 
atlas  of  Atlantic  City  recently  completed  ;  and  our  thanks  are 
also  due  to  the  many  officials  and  citizens  who  have  bestowed 
upon  our  undertaking  their  aid  and  patronage. 


Introcluctorv 


ALFRED  M.  SLOCUM    CO. 
PUBLISHERS 


Philadelphia,  Pa. 


^ 


CoRteiAts 


CHAPTER  I. 

Historical  Sketch Page  17 

In  Olden  Days — The  Harbor  of  Eggs — A  Highway  of 
the  Revolution — The  Story  of  Commander  Somers — 
Our  Early  Navy — A  Naval  Exploit  of  Note — A  Sad  but 
Heroic  Ending — The  Gallant  Hohson  —  St.  George's, 
Bermuda — People  of  the  Coast — A  Legend — The  Drinks 
of  our  Forefathers — A  Shore  County — First  Hotels. 

CHAPTER    II. 

The  Old  shore   Road Page  29 

An  Early  T\pe — Natives  Inland — Quiet  Highways — 
Jersey  Arcadia — Along  the  Road. 

CHAPTER    111. 

The  Birth  of  a  City Page  33 

The  Camden  &  Atlaniic  Railroad — .A  Gloomy  Prospect 
— When  Speech  was  Golden — The  Opening  Wedge — 
The  First  Through  Train — Through  by  Rail — Success 
Assured — The  Survey  and  Naming  of  Atlantic  City — An 
Early  Impression — In  1879 — Nature's  Great  Physician. 

CHAPTER  I\'. 

First  Administration Page  45 

Early  Hotels  of  Atlantic  City — Railroad  Progress — The 
Present  Era — A  Noted  Comfort — Atlantic  City  Twenty- 
five  Years  Ago — Happy  Days — The  Higbee  Club — The 
Border  of  the  Deep. 

CHAPTER    V. 

The  Restless  Sea Page  54 

Rivers  of  the  Sea — Facts  from  Heston's  Hand-Book. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Boardwalk Page  59 

#  ^  #  The  Pleasure  Piers — Boardwalk  Glimpses — The  Sum- 

mer Multitudes. 

COntCnLs  CHAPTER    VII. 

Atlantic  avenue Page  67 

A  Great  Business  Thoroughfare — Pacific  Avenue — In  the 

#  1    #  Suburbs — A  Pleasant  Round  Trip — Room  to   Spread — 
!  A  Friendly  Call — About  Advertising — Bygone  Discom- 

•  forts— A  Forecast— Cycling  to  the  Sea— A  Port  of  Entry 

— An  Aquarium — A  Port  of  the  Manx — An  English 
Resort — Make  People  Talk. 

CHAPTER    Vlli. 

The  Pleasure  Fleet  at  the  Inlet Page  82 

Upon  a  Summer  Morn — Old  Favorites — The  Fleet  of  '98. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

A  Refuge  from  Illness  and  Care Page  86 

A  Health  Record — Winter  Hospitality. 

CHAPTER    X. 

In  Private  Cottages Page  88 

Ideal  E.xistence — Palatial  Homes. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Country  Club Page  90 

A  Social  Centre— Many  Comforts— The  Stables— The 
Pines — Varied  Sports. 

CHAPTER    Xll. 

The  Lenten  Season Page  94 

The  Awakening — The  Joyous  Sea — Cycle  Road  to  At- 
lantic City. 

CHAPTER    Xlll. 

Some  City  Matters Page  97 

Values  and  Finances  from  Report  of  1898 — The  Fire 
Fighters — Light  and  Water  —  Sewerage  — Military— At 
the  Nation's  Call. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

Children's  Seashore  House Page  loo 

A  Splendid  Charity— For  Young  and  Old— Tl:e  Story  of  ^       ^ 

an  Old  Man — Return  to  Simplicit\- — In  Business  by  the 

se^»-  Contents 

CHAPTER    XV. 

ALONG  THE  Boardwalk Page  104 

#    I    # 
A  Healthy  Spot — The  Unprofitable  Sign — On  Rollers — 

The  Gamins  of  the  Beach — E\ening  Scenes — Love  by  -^ 

the  Sea. 

CHAPTER     X\l. 

Off  Days  at  the  Shore Page  in 

In  the  Drifts — The  Flow  of  Enjoyments — Sunny  Corners 
— Rainy  Day  Philosophy — The  Stormy  Sea. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

The  BOROUGH  OF  LONGPORT Page  115 

A  Great  Drive — Advantages — Beautiful  Homes — A  Re- 
view— Natural  Science — Hotels  and  Clubs — The  Ferry 
— Borough  Officials — Seashore  Joys — In  Spring — Au- 
tumn— Winter — Joys  of  Longport — The  Thoroughfare — 
The  Lower  Inlet — In  Late  Autumn. 

CHAPTER    X\lll. 

Light-houses Page  135 

.Antiquit\-  of  Beacons — A  Noble  Beacon — \'iew  from  the 
Tower — Little  Egg  Harbor  Inlet — Channel  Leading  into 
Great    Harbor    Inlet   and    Bay  abo\e    Somers'  Point. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

The  Life-Saving  Service  and  Wrecks Page  141 

The  Atlantic  City  Station — Statistics — Ship  Ashore — 
Famous  Wrecks— The  Love  Letter — The  Message  in  a 
Bottle  —  List  of  Casualities  to  Vessels — List  of  Life- 
Saving  Stations — Absecon  Inlet  and  Bay  above  Anchor- 
age to  Brigantine  Wharf. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

ABORIGINAL  Footprints Page  156 

^  ^  ^  -^'i  Indian   Home— Reading  the  Past — Wliat  Did  They 

I  Eat  ? — A  Lotus  Land — A  List  of  Game. 

Contents  chapter  xxl 

II  a  Plate  of  Absecons Page  162 

'  The  Struggle  of  Life — Ancient  Oyster  Beds— Some  Cal- 

ais   I    #  cuiations. 

^  CHAPTER   Wli. 

A  Pen  Picture  of  the  Beach Page  167 

The  Tides  of  Life — A  Word  on  the  East  Wind — A  Bois- 
terous Friend — The  Floor  of  the  Sea. 

CHAPTER    XXilL 

The  Fastest  Train Page  173 

A  Run  to  the  Shore — The  Big  Engine — The  Start — hi 
the  Cab — Over  Seventy  Miles  an  Hour. 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

ATLANTIC   CIT^-  as   A   WINTER  AND  SPRING  RESORT  .     .  Page  I78 
The   Gulf   Stream  —  The  Music   of  the    Surf— A   Pen 
Picture — A  Round  of  Pleasure— For  invalids— Schools, 
Churches  and  Charities. 

CHAPTER    XXV. 
Penna.  R.  R.  Routes  to  the  Coast Page  184 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Atlantic  City  Horse  Show  association    ....  Page  187 

CHAPTER    XXVIL 
The  Climate  of  Atlantic  Cit^'  and  its  Usefulness 

in  Disease Page  189 

Distinguished  Testimony  —  A  Mistai<en  Idea  —  Com- 
parison of  Temperature — Days  Bright  and  Sunny — Pro- 
fessor Bache's  Conclusions  —  Formation  of  the  Gulf 
Stream — Evaporation  and  Precipitation — Tonic  and  Al- 
terative Climate — Immunity  from  Hay  Fe\er. 


Index 

Biographical 

Sk6fches 


PAGE 

ADA.MS,    1.    G cli 

Ada.ms,  Lewis  R c.xxix 

Albertson,  Daniel  I Ixxjii 

Albertson,  Levi  C xix 

BanEV,   H.  C clxiii 

Barton,  SA.wuel clix 

Bell,  William  A ' cLxxiii 

BR^'ANT,  Major  Lewis  T Lxv 

CoNROw,  Roland xcix 

Crandall,  Dr.  J.  F Ivii 

CuRRiE,  George  F xvii 

Daley,  James cxxxv 

Darnall,  William  Edgar,  a.  B.,  M.  D h 

Devine,  Michael  A xxxvii 

Dickinson,  Thomas  J cxivii 

Donnelly-,  John cxix 

Down,  Lorenzo  a xxi 

Edge,  Walter  E L\i 

Edwards,  Devol'x  B xcv 

Eldridge,  Henry  C cxiii 

Endicott,  Hon.  allen  B xiii 

Evans,  Hon.  Charles xv 

E\'ans,   Hon.  Lewis xxiii 


Index 

(3i()cjm|)lvc(:il 

5Uerclie:> 


PAGE 

FEDIGAN,  Rev.  J.  J.,  O.  S.  A cxxxvii 

Felker,  George  C cxiiii 

Gale,  Samuel  P cx.wii 

Garrabrant,  C,  M.  D clxvii 

Generotzky,  William  G.    .   . cxxxi 

GODFRE^■,  Burrows  C xxxi 

GODFREY',  Carlton,  Esq xxix 

Gorman,  John  L clxxiv 

GouLDEY,  John Ixxi 

Gross,  Theo cixv 

GUTTRIDGE,  0LI\ER  H cvii 

Harris,  Howard  G.,  C.  E ciii 

Heston,  Alfred  M xxvii 

INGERSOLL,    JUDGE   ROBERT    H xxxix 

Irelan,  Emery  D cxlix 

JOHNSON,  C.  G.  .    .    .' cxi 

JOHNSON,  William  N xliii 

Jones,  William  P ixxix 

Jordan,  Albert  M cix 

Kelley,  Samuel  Hastings xxx\- 

Lee,  Edward  S cxxxix 

Leeds,  Chalkle^'  S v 

Leeds,  Robert  1 Lxxv 

LONG,  George  H clxi 

McCann,  Herbert cLxxii 

McLaughlan,  William ixiii 

Mehrer,  John  E Lxxxi 

Merchant,  Oliver cxxv 

MiDDLETON,  Frank cv 

Moore,  L  Wilden xcvii 

MOORE,  Samuel  W cxxi 

Morris,  Daniel vii 

Mueller,  Jacob cxxiii 


PAGE 

M'lERs,  Charles   R xlix 

MVERS,  Daniel  W Lxxxix 

Myers,  Jacob  C. xci 

Myers,  John Lxxxvii 

NORTH,  James,  M.d.,  D.D.S iv 

Perkins,  Col.  George  H xlv 

Reed,  Thomas  K cxiv 

ROCHFORD,    J.    J clv 

Rose,  S.  B cliii 

SCHWEISFORT,  S.  A Ixxxv 

ScoTT,  Lewis  Pennington xii 

Seeds,  Dr.  W.w.  Francis iix 

Sherrick,  Harry  W xciii 

Shreve,  John  G Lxix 

Smith,  Edwin ci 

Smith,  Frank  A Lxvii 

Smith,  J.  C clxxi 

SouDER,  Frank   A cLxxv 

SouTHWiCK,  James  D xxxiii 

Speidel,  Charles    M cxvii 

Stewart,  Vv'M.  Blair,  M.  D liii 

Sti.wson,  Gilbert  S Lxx\ii 

Stoy,  Hon.  F.  P cxii 

Taylor,  S.  C clxix 

Thompson,  Hon.  Joseph xxv 

Voelker,  Cari cLxx 

Wahl,  William  F cxxxiii 

Walton,  M cixxvi 

Williamson,  Benjamin cxv 

Wilson,  Thomas  K civil 

WOOTON,  Harry Lxxxiii 

Wright,  Elias ix 

YOL'NG,  John   L xlvii 


Index 

Biographical 

5l^e.rcl\e5 


atlantic  Citij. 


Cbapter  IF. 


"S-'it'? 


The  story  of  Atlantic 

City  is  a  part  of  tlie 

annals    of     our    own 

generation  ;      it      Ibistorical 

cliro nicies  an      ^''2^^<^t' 

'i>%'^^^t\<JZh.»'■:i^■^'::ili>.x^&^  '      acliievement,    typical 

in  its  magnitude  and  character,  of  the  resistless 

second  half   of  the  greatest  of   all  the  centuries. 

Summer  resorts  have  existed  from  the  beginning  of 

civilization.     Beside  the  purple  bays  of  the  Orient,  for  thousands  of  years, 

tired  humanity  has  been  lulled  to  rest  to  the  music  of  splashing   waters. 

Babies  have  disported,   while  youths  and   maidens   have    loved,   and   men 

and  women  have  forgotten  the  vexations  of  life  in  the  sensuous  allurements 

of  the  passing  hour.      But  there  has  never  before,  in  all  the  ages,  existed 

an  Atlantic  City. 

As  an  effective  background  to  the  picture  of  our  great  "  City  by  the 
Sea,"  it  is  proper  to  sketch,  in  the  briefest  way,  the  outline  of  the  develop- 
ment of  a  Commonwealth  from  the  crude  materials  of  a  region  which 
remained  essentially  a  wilderness  for  more  than  a  century  after  the  Colonies 
of  the  Cavaliers  were  well  advanced  along  the  James  River,  and  the 
Puritans  of  Massachusetts  Bay  had  established  there  the  foundations  of  a 
Province  of  enduring  influence. 

New  Jersey  has  a  history  peculiar  to  itself.  All  of  this  domain  having 
been,  in  the  first  instance,  held  by  right  of  discovery  by  the  English, 
was  wrested  from  them  by  the  energetic  mariners  of  the  ships  from  the 


17 


Holland  States,  who  dominated  the  territory  from  the  settlement  of  Niai 

Ainstel,   or  New  Amsterdam,  the  Dutch  immigrants  spreading  forth  from 

this  citadel,  as  they  came  in  frequent  shiploads,  into  the  present  counties 

of  Bergen,   Essex,  Monmouth,   Somerset  and  Middlesex,  a  portion   of  the 

State  which  carries  the  impress  of  their  influence  to  the  present  day. 

In  1664  the  English  came  in  force  and  expelled  the  government  of  the 

Dutch,  and  Governor  Stuyvesant's  "  New  Netherlands"  was  blotted  from 

the  map  of  Holland's  Colonial  possessions.    Closely  following,  was  written, 

^     „,^      „  by  the  hand  of  Charles  II,  the  all  important  Royal  Patent,  granting 

1Fn  ®l^en  ©ate  t  j  ,  b  t, 

this  broad  territory  to  his  brother  James,  then  Duke  of  York,  and 
afterwards  the  successor  of  Charles.  All  titles  to  lands  have,  in  this  trans- 
action, their  foundation  stone. 

In  turn  the  Duke  of  York  conveyed  this  far-away  wilderness  to  Lord 
Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret,  in  payment  of  the  political  debt  due  their 
loyalty  in  the  course  of  the  Civil  War.  Carteret,  who  had  been  Governor  of 
the  Isle  of  Jersey,  proposed  the  name  of  New  Jersey  for  their  joint  domain. 

In  1675,  John  Fenwick  and  Edward  Byllinge,  who  had  settled  at 
Salem,  had  succeeded  to  the  rights  of  Lord  Berkeley,  and  upon  July  ist  of 
the  next  year,  at  a  conference  in  the  City  of  London  between  Sir  George 
Carteret  upon  one  hand,  and  William  Penn,  Gawden  Lawrie,  Nicholas 
Lucas  and  Edward  Byllinge  upon  the  other,  as  Trustees,  a  line  was  agreed 
upon  defining  the  boundary  between  the  Jerseys.  Said  line  running  from 
a  point  upon  the  upper  Delaware  River,  below  the  site  of  Port  Jervis,  "  to 
the  most  southernly  point  of  the  east  side  of  Little  Egg  Harbor  Bay." 
Sixty-seven  years  later  this  line  was  corrected  and  reaffirmed  by  John  Law- 
rence, Surveyor,  its  location  being  upon  the  longitude  of  4i°and4omin. 
These  sections  were  denominated  respectively  East  and  West  New  Jersey. 
The  Executors  of  Sir  George  Carteret  eventually  disposed  of  this  property 
to  twelve  persons,  who,  in  turn,  sold  a  half  interest  to  twelve  others,  all 
of  whom  were  known  as  its  proprietors. 


An  interesting  old  map  of  tlie  Jerseys  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  extent  to 
which  European  civilization  had  leavened  the  lump  of  New  Jersey's  wilder- 
ness in  the  year  1769,  when  it  was  prepared  by  Lieutenant  Bernard  Ratzer, 
of  the  60th  Regiment,  Hnglish.  A  vast  tract  to  the  west  of  the  division  line 
drawn  between  Hast  and  West  New  Jersey  was  an  untrodden  wilderness. 
Within  the  present  confines  of  the  County  of  Atlantic,  a  single  pathway, 
the  Old  Shore  Road  extended,  having  its  beginning  near  Little  Egg  Harbor, 
where  it  joined  a  cross  country  road  from  Burlington,  and  extending  down 
the  coast  to  Cape  May.  The  only  settlement  was  Leeds.  It  was  here,  per- 
haps, that  the  early  settlers  lived  who  attracted  the  first  oltkial  notice  of  the 
Provisional  Assembly,  the  record  of  which  appears  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
session  of  1694,  in  the  following  words:  ''Forasmuch  as  there  are  some 
families  settled  upon  Egg  Harbor,  and  of  right  ought  to  be  under  some  juris- 
diction, be  it  enacted,  that  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  the  inhabitants  .of 
said  Egg  Harbor,  shall  and  do  belong  to  the  jurisdiction  of  Gloucester,  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  till  such  time  as  they  shall  be  capable  by  competent 
number  of  inhabitants  to  be  erected  into  a  count)',  any  former  act  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding." 

Egg  Harbor  had  gained  its   name  from  the  vast  numbers   of  eggs  of 

wild  fowl  noted  there  by  the  Dutch  explorers,  who  called  it  "  Eyer  Haven." 

By  the  early  English  settlers   it  was   also   known   as   New  Weymouth,   but 

time   has   perpetuated   its  quaint,  and   doubtless    earlier  cognomen.      This 

ancient  "  Egg  Harbor,"  set  upon  the  winding  channel   back  from   its 

Che  Ibarbor 
bay  some  miles  to  the  north  of  the  modern  station  of  the  name,  may  ^f  Eggs 

be  counted,  therefore,  as  the  first  seat  of  white  settlement  wilhin  the  present 

county.     A  few  years  after  the  issue  of  the  foregoing  edict,  tithing  officers 

were    sent  to   the    Egg   Harbor   settlement    by   the    Gloucester    Count\' 

authorities,    although  the  legal   right  to  do  so  has  been  since  brought  into 

question,  as  the  coast  district  was  not  regularly  engrafted  upon  that  county 

until  1 7 10,  and  for  a  long  period  all  of  what  is  now  Atlantic  County  was 


19 


known  generally  as  the  "  Egg  Harbor  region."  The  townships  of  Galloway, 
Gloucestertown  and  Woolwich  were  created  therefrom,  the  name  of 
Galloway  first  appearing  upon  the  county  records  in  March,  1775.  This 
name  is  believed  to  have  been  derived  from  that  of  a  tongue  of  land  at 
Solloway  Firth,  Scotland,  called  Galloway  Mull. 

One  Gabriel  Thomas,  an  early  traveler  through  this  strip  of  coast, 
wrote  that  ships  of  two  or  three  hundred  tons  might  navigate  the  great  Egg 
Harbor  River,  and  that  the  country  round  about  was  famous  for  plenty  of 
corn,  as  well  as  horses,  cows,  sheep,  hogs  and  other  evidences  of  prosperity, 
but  preacher  John  Fothergill,  who  labored  in  this  wildwood  vineyard  in 
1722,  called  his  experience  a  "journey  through  a  desart,"  having  had  a 
particularly  rough  time  by  field  and  flood. 

Over  upon  great  Egg  Harbor,  a  group  of 
settlers  was  huddled  around  Somers'  Point, 
and  a  considerable  business  was  doubtless  done 
in  the  cutting  and  shipping  upon  small  vessels 
of  timber  and  firewood,  for  George  May  built 
a  store  at  the  landing  still  bearing  his  name, 
in  the  year  1710,  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
skippers  and  crew.  May's  house  was  still 
standing  as  late  as  1830,  upon  the  bank  of  the 
winding  little  stream,  a  few  rods  above  Babcock's  Creek. 

During  the  period  of  the  Revolution,  Egg  Harbor  seems  to  have  fully 
maintained  its  reputation  as  a  lively  spot.  Richard  Westcott  and  Elijah 
Clark  built  a  fort  upon  Chestnut  Neck,  dominating  the  stream,  and  manned 
it  with  cannon  at  their  own  expense.  It  was  called  "  the  Foxburrows  ,^  ij^jai^^yav  of 
Fort."  The  New  Jersey  authorities  bought  it  from  them  in  1777,  for  tbc  IRcvoIutton 
£430  IS.  3d.  sterling.  A  British  force  landed  here  in  1778  and  effected 
considerable  destruction.  Privateers  sailed  in  and  out  of  these  harbors,  and 
there  was  much  coming  and  going  of  both  royalists  and  whigs.      British 


prisoners  escaped  from  the  cantonment  in  Virginia,  later  in  the  war,  were 
harbored  here  and  helped  on  their  way  to  New  York.  There  was  much 
thrifty  traffic  with  the  British  masters  of  Philadelphia  in  supplies  carried  in 
stealthy  expeditions  through  the  woods  to  the  Delaware  River.  The  majority 
of  the  people  were,  however,  sound  rebels,  and  the  rolls  of  the  Revolutionary 
forces  contain  many  names  of  the  men  of  Absecon  who  played  the  patriot's 
part.  For  some  time  a  company  of  Continentals  w  as  stationed  here  to  close 
this  gateway  of  traffic  and  travel  to  the  enemy,  and  some  skirmishing 
occurred. 

In  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  beginning  in  1812,  the  Somers'  Point 
people  distinguished  themselves.  In  181 3  the  sloop  Nczc  Jcrstr  from  that 
port  was  captured  by  an  armed  British  schooner  off  Cape  May,  and  a  prize 
crew  put  on  board.  Captain  Barton  and  his  two  men  o\ercame  the  captors 
and  brought  them  into  Somers'  Point,  doubtless  with  great  fc/at. 

The  summer  loiterer  at  old  Somers'  Point  may  wander  from  the 
huddle  of  hotels  and  club-houses  at  the  wharf  back  among  the  pines,  along 
a  winding  and  sandy  by-way,  until  he  comes  into  view  of  the  old  Somers' 
homestead. 

This  was  the  birthplace  of  a  hero.  It  is  generally  said  to  be  the 
oldest  house  in  Atlantic  County.  It  is  a  quaint  and  rambling  trio  of  struc- 
tures,   still   occupied   upon   rental.      The    "new  part"   was  built  about  a 

century  since,  and  the  oldest  section,  with  its  huge  chimney,  was         Ibe  Storg  of 

Comman&cr 
doubtless  reared  by  John  Somers  soon  after  his  purchase  of  this         Somers 

plantation  of  3000  acres  from  Thomas  Budd  in    1795,  and  it  was  here  that 

Richard,  his  son,  brought  his  beautiful  young  bride,  Judith,  the  daughter  of 

Sir  James  Letart,  of  Acadia,  whose  adopted  father,  Peter  White,  had  moved 

to  Absecon. 

The  Somers  family  always  held  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 

central  New  Jersey  coast,  and  the   French  strain  in  their  blood  impelled 

them  constantly  to  that  abundant  field  of  adventure,  the  convenient  sea. 


THE  OLD 
SOMERS 
HOMFSTFAD 


whose  breakers  were  ever  within  sight  of  their  windows.  Colonel  Ricliard 
Somers,  the  second,  was  active  upon  the  side  of  the  patriots  in  the  period  of 
the  Revolution,  and  it  was  during  this  fateful  era,  September  15,  1778,  that 
the  third  Richard  Somers,  the  lost  hero  of  Tripoli,  was  born.  Like  all  of 
the  amphibious  youth  of  the  coast,  this  member  of  the  fourth  Somers  gen- 
eration took  to  the  water  almost  in  his  babyhood,  and,  as  a  handy  boy,  he 
sailed  upon  coasters  to  and  from  the  ports  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
Then  he  took  to  the  navy,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  had  won  his  warrant 
as  midshipman  upon  the  grand  old  frigate  United  States,  of  forty-four  guns, 
the  flagship  of  Commodore  John  Barry. 
®ur  JEarlv;  1Ha\n:  In  that  year,  the  Ganges,  twenty-four  guns;  the  Constellation, 
twenty-eight  guns,  and  the  Delaware,  twenty  guns,  had  hastened  away 
ahead  of  the  flagship  in  hot  chase  of  the  French  privateers,  which  ravaged 
our  coasts.  The  United  States,  built  and  equipped  in  Philadelphia,  sailed  in 
July.  A  messmate  of  Somers  was  the  midshipman,  Stephen  Decatur.  In 
the  following  year,  after  many  adventures,  Somers  was  made  third  Lieuten- 
ant, and  in  1800,  second  Lieutenant.  The  "Old  Wagoner,"  as  the  United 
States  was  called,  cruised  far  and  wide.  Many  of  our  early  naval  heroes 
were  graduates  of  her  decks.  In  the  year  1801  this  famous  ship  was  laid  up 
until  a  dozen  years  later  she  was  called  into  service  by  the  exigencies  of  the 
War  of  1812-14.     Upon  her  retirement,  young  Somers  became  first  Lieuten- 


ant  of  the  frigate  Boston,  a  tvventy-eighter,  celebrated  at  the  time  as  the 
captor  of  the  heavy  French  corvette  Bercean.  The  Boston  was  sent  to  the 
Mediterranean  with  orders  to  join  the  squadron  operating  there.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  Boston  came  home,  and,  under  the  reduction  law  then 
applied  to  the  navy,  through  the  workings  of  the  economies  of  the  time,  she 
was  laid  up  to  rot  in  her  berth.  But  one  vessel  below  the  rate  of  frigate, 
the  Enterprise,  of  twelve  guns,  was  kept  in  service,  but  of  four  new  ships 
of  war  ordered  by  Congress,  Somers  was  given  command  of  the  Nautilus. 
She  was  a  beautiful  schooner,  mounting  twelve  carronades  and  a  couple  of 
sixes,  with  a  crew  of  from  eighty  to  ninety  all  told. 

It  was  Preble's  squadron  that  sailed  away  to  chastise  the  pirates  of  the 
Algerine  coast,  and  the  Nautilus  led  the  expedition,  followed  at  brief  intervals 
by  the  Constitution,  the  flagship  ;  the  Philadelphia,  the  Argus,  the  Siren,  the 
Vixen,  and  the  Enterprise.  All  met  at  Gibraltar,  then  over  they  sailed  to 
Morocco,  and  the  Philadelphia,  with  the  Vixen,  was  sent  on  to  blockade  Tripoli. 

Presentl\-  the  whole  fleet  were  sailing  up  and  down  in  front  of  -^  IHaval  Exploit 
the  capital  of  the  troublesome  Bashaw,  all  but  the  Philadelphia,  which  ^^  '^^'^^^ 
had  been  bagged  by  the  old  pirate,  and  her  crew  sent  into  bondage.  The  reefs 
of  the  dittlcult  harbor  gleamed  through  the  breakers  like  the  teeth  of  a  tiger 
in  a  cave,  and  many  were  the  projects  born  in  the  cabins  of  the  American 
ships  to  get  at  the  batteries  and  gunboats  of  the  corsairs.  In  the  course  of 
a  hot  fight  one  August  day,  the  frigate  John  Adams  came  sailing  into  view, 
bearing  certain  promotions,  one  of  which  constituted  Lieutenant  Somers  as 
full  Commander. 

Four  attacks  were  made  upon  Tripoli,  and  then  Commander  Somers 
persuaded  the  Commodore  to  authorize  an  experiment.  A  certain  ketch, 
which  had  been  employed  in  bringing  supplies  from  Malta,  was  a  tender  to 
the  fleet.  Built  originally  by  the  French  as  a  gunboat,  in  an  expedition 
against  Egypt,  she  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Bashaw,  and  was  now 
a  capture  of  the  Americans,  who  called  the  little  craft  the  Intrepid. 


23 


Commander  Somers  proposed  to  fill  this  craft  with  powder,  load  her 
deck  with  projectiles,  and  sail  at  night  into  the  midst  of  the  Tripolitan  fleet 
and  blow  the  whole  collection  out  of  the  water. 

Elaborate  preparations  were  made.  One  hundred  barrels  of  powder 
were  poured  into  a  central  compartment,  fuses  and  port-fires  were  carefully 
arranged,  shot  and  shells  were  piled  above.  Lieutenant  Henry  Wadsworth, 
of  the  Constitution,  volunteered  to  go  as  second  in  command,  and  ten  brave 
Yankee  seamen  made  up  the  crew.  Lieutenant  Joseph  Israel,  of  the  Con- 
stitution, joined  at  the  last  moment.      A  couple  of  boats  were  taken  in  tow 

to  provide  a  possible  means  of  escape. 
a  SaO  but 
THctoic  EnCtiiut  The  entire  fleet  was  pervaded  with  a  tense  feeling  of  sadness  and 

admiration  for  the  little  group  of  venturers  which  reported  upon  the  Intrepid 

at  8  P.  M.,  September  4,   1804.      An  hour  later  anchor  was  up  and  the  sails 

trimmed  for  the  narrow  gap  in  the  reefs  several  miles  away.     The  long  line 

of  ships  was  peopled  with  the  silent  spectators  of  this  fearful  undertaking. 

A  long  hour  elapsed,  and  then  those  who  had  marine  glasses  saw  the 

flicker  of  a  lantern  far  away  across  the  breakers,  and  a  moment  later  a 

great  gleam  of  light,  flecked  with  flying  wreckage,  and  finally  a  "sound 

like  thunder,"  the  bursting  of  shells,  and  the  silence  which  closed  over  a 

failure  which,  perhaps,  meant  death. 

And  all  night  long  the  crews  watched  for  the  coming  of  the  boats  and 
the  cheery  shouts  of  the  seamen,  but  when  daylight  spread  abroad,  there 
was  no  dot  upon  the  heaving  reach  in  front,  only  the  surf,  and  behind  it  the 
gloomy  castle,  the  low  town  and  the  scattered  huts  of  the  fishermen,  with 
the  gunboats  of  the  pirate  huddled  together  like  frightened  ducks. 

But  over  upon  the  shore  that  morning,  Captain  Bainbridge  and  Sur- 
geon Cowdery,  of  the  Philadelphia,  found  the  fragments  of  the  Constitu- 
tion's cutter,  and  as  the  bodies  came  in  upon  the  tide,  blackened  and  torn, 
they  were  buried  in  the  sands,  the  officers  a  little  aside,  and  there  ended  the 
story  of  Somers,  of  Somers'  Point,   leaving  a  legacy  to  the  navy  in  the 


24 


XLbe  ©al[ant 
•JHobflon 


mystery  of  that  night,  which  is  still  talked  about  in  the  mess-rooms  of  the 
American  warsmen  ;  and  just  why  the  Intrepid  was  prematurely  exploded 
has  never  been  settled  ;  but  old  Commodore  Preble  used  to  say  that  Somers 
had  sworn  that  the  Bashaw  should  not  get  the  powder,  and  that  when  he 
had  run  upon  a  reef  in  the  darkness,  he  lighted  the  fuse,  and  in  the  turmoil 
of  waters  failed  to  get  away.     And  this  is  just  what  the  fleet  all  agreed 

upon,  considering  how  well  they  knew  Somers. 

Smce  this  record  was  penned  another  boy-hero  has  impressed   his 

pages  of  our  naval  history, 


name    upon  the  enduring 
wonderfully  similar  \n 
incident  of   Tripoli 
the     harbor    of 
sinking     the 
Ensign  Hobson 
has  fortunately 
happy  denoue- 
In  consid 
worthy  record   of 
family,  one  is  led  to 
their  strain  is  likely  tv 
brave  stock  as  that  of  the 


its  situations  with  the 
The  entrance  into 
Santiago     and 
Merrimac  by 
and  his  men 
had  a    more 
ment. 
ering  the  note- 
the   old    Somers 
the  supposition  that 
spring  from  the  same 
heroic  but  unfortunate  Sir 


George  Somers,  Kt.,  who  perished  by  the  loss  of  his  ship  upon  the  reefs  of 

the  Bermudas  in  the  year  1609,  while  upon  the  way  to  the  relief  of  the 

St.  ©eorcic'^     starving  colonists  upon  the  Virginia  plantations.     Every  visitor  to  Ber- 

*'®^'^'""^''  muda  will  recall  the  monument  to  his  honor  in  the  wall  of  the   Public 

Garden  of  quaint  old  St.  George's,  which  was  named  for  him. 

A  pioneering  people,  located  upon  the  sea-coast,  with  a  broad  reach 
of  tide-washed  meadow  in  front,  protected  from  the  open  ocean  by  almost 
continuous  ramparts  of  sand  ;  an  arable  border  of  land  between  this  and 
the  inland  wilderness,  from  which  comes  the  out-flow  of  navigable  streams, 


25 


possess,  at  their  command,  a  wide  variety  of  profitable  pursuits.  Their 
different  occupations,  in  the  forest,  upon  the  sea,  or  in  the  less  hazardous 
tillage  of  the  soil,  tending  to  the  development  of  a  hardy  ancestry,  fit  to 
found  a  thrifty  and  deeply  rooted  native  population.  people  of  tbe 

These   forefathers  of   the   modern    New  Jerseyman  of   this  Coast 

section,  were  equally  farmers,  wood-choppers,  shipbuilders,  hunters,  traders 
and  sailors.  The  fine,  cultivated  lands,  which  now  reach  down  to  the 
fragrant  salt  marsh,  through  which  the  old  road  along  the  coast  has  its  way, 
were  cleared  by  them.  Many  a  fine  craft  has  slid  from  its  cradle 
here,  and  gone  out  upon  the  deep,  manned  by  the  sons  of  Absecon, 
whose  schooling  in  the  coastwise  trade  has  made  them  valuable  in  our 
navy  when  our  wars  have  called  them  forth.  Saw  mills  were  plentiful 
in  the  old  days,  and  salt  works  were  scattered  upon  the  islands.  Probably 
one  of  the  most  attractive  and  remunerative  trades  was  that  of  the  hunttr 
and  fishermen,  for  the  woods  were  full  of  the  game  commonly  found  in 
this  latitude,  including  the  bear,  panther  and  deer,  the  pheasant,  wild 
turkey,  wild  pigeon,  partridge  and  woodcock,  and,  in  the  marshes,  the 
wild  goose  and  the  duck.  The  thoroughfares  were  alive  with  sheepshead, 
rock,  sea  bass,  flounders  and  perch,  and  the  getting  of  subsistence  was 
an  easy  thing  to  do.  The  Indian  word,  Absecon,  is  said  to  signify  "  The 
Place  of  Swans." 
a  XecienD  Tradition,  often  cruel  and  unjust,  declares  that  the  business  of  the 
wrecker  was  an  active  pursuit  along  this  coast.  No  doubt  the  flotsam  and 
jetsam  of  the  sea  brought  its  share  to  the  substance  of  the  people,  and  lent 
an  element  of  excitement  to  the  secluded  existence  of  the  natives,  which 
gave  it  welcome  zest. 

A  curious  suggestion  of  the  cost  of  wayfaring  in  the  Jerseys  in  the 
last  century  is  gained  from  an  old  tariff  of  prices  enacted  by  the  County  of 
Gloucester  for  the  better  regulation  of  hotels  and  inns.  It  is  worth  some 
sample  quotations: 


26 


Every  pint  of  Madeira  Wine     i  s.  o  d. 

Ever>-  quart  Bowl  of  Punch  made  of  Loaf  Sugar  and 

fresh  Limes     i  s.  6  d. 

Every  quart  of  Miraho  made  of  Muscovado  Sugar  .    .      o  s.  8  d. 

Every  quart  of  Methejiiin i  s.  o  d. 

Every  quart  of  Cyder  Royal      o  s.  8  d.  (jijg  H)rint;d  Of 

Every  jili  of  Brandy     •   • os.  6d.  ®ur  jforcfatbere 

Every  jill  of  Rum o  s.  3  d. 

Every  Breakfast  of  Tea,  Coffee  or  Chocolate o  s.  8  d. 

Every  Breakfast  of  other  victuals o  s.  6  d. 

Every  hot  Dinner  or  Supper  provided  for  one  person, 

with  a  pint  of  Strong  Beer  or  Cyder i  s.  o  d. 

Every  Night's  Lodging,  each  person o  s.  3  d. 

Athintic  County  finally  came  into  being  as  a  distinct  political  division 
in  the  year  1837,  and  this  event  may  be  taken  as  the  mile-stone  marking  the 
beginning  of  the  modern  order  of  things.  May's  Landing  became,  and  still 
continues  to  be,  the  County  seat. 
a  Sborc  flountg  Atlantic  County  now  embraces  the  townships  of  Mullicas,  Buena 
Vista,  Hamilton,  Galloway,  Weymouth,  and  Egg  Harbor.  It  forms  an 
irregular  quadrangle,  haxing  upon  its  southeastern  side  a  sea  front  of 
twenty  miles.  Mullicas,  or  Little  Egg  Harbor  Ri\-er,  and  Tuckahoe  River 
are  respectively,  its  northeastern  and  southwestern  limits. 

Long  Branch  was  locally  noted  as  a  seaside  resort  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  Sixty  years  ago  three  hotels  of  considerable 
proportions  were  there  maintained  and  a  steamboat  plied  to  and  from  the 
Amboys  regularl\-. 

The  statement  is  made  that  Reuben  Tucker  opened  the  first  beach 
hotel  along  the  middle  coast  upon  Short  or  Tucker's  Beach.  It  is  referred 
to  in  Watson's  ^Annals.  This  house  was  burned  about  fifty  years  ago. 
John  Horner,  who  kept  the  Tucker  hotel  above  mentioned  for  a  time,  built 
a  small  house  at  the  southern  end  of  Long  Beach  about  1815.  It  was 
bought  by  a  party  of  Philadelphians  in  1822  and  after  being  enlarged  was 


27 


Sfitet  Ibotcis 


called  the  Philadelphia  Company  House.     It  was  near  tiie  once  famous  and 
popular  "  Bonds,"  built  in  1847. 

In  tlie  middle  of  the  present  century  Cape  May  was  already  an  old 
time  resort,  popular  especially  with  the  affluent  families  of  the  South,  but 
the  region  of  Absecon  was  less  understood  by  the  average  resident  of  Phil- 
adelphia than  is  the  coast  of  Oregon  to-day.  Only  the  tireless  occasional 
gunner  toiled  along  the  dusty  miles  of  the  winding  roads  through 
the  jungles  of  pine  to  tramp  across  its  marshes  and  sand  dunes. 
Extending  along  the  margin  of  the  dry  plateau  bordering  the  lonely  meadows 
was  the  Old  Shore  Road  with  its  scattered  hamlets  and  intermediate  farms  of 
the  amphibious  native  Jerseymen,  a  class  equally  at  home  at  the  plow  and 
the  tiller.  Over  upon  the  dreary  waste  of  Absecon  Beach,  where  no  beacon 
light  yet  warned  the  sailor  from  its  outer  shoals,  was  the  ruin  of  the  salt  works 
of  the  first  inhabitant,  Jeremiah  Leeds,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  Army, 
who  located  here  in  1785.  The  Steelman  and  Chamberlain  families  were  also 
owners  of  beach  property  here.  The  whole  stretch  of  beach,  as  level  and 
broad  as  it  exists  to-day,  was  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  mainlanders 
only  in  connection  with  its  tragic  chronicle  of  wrecks. 


28 


atlantic  CLit\?. 


(Ibaptcr  1I1I. 


an  Earlv)  Zvvc 


The  traveler  seaward  bound  to  Atlantic  City  gains  his  first  appetiz- 
ing whiff  of  the  savory  odor  wafted  from  the  wide  expanse  of  salt  meadow 
at  Pleasantville.  As  the  train  halts  here  for  a  moment  he  may  note  that  it 
is  a  scattering  village  of  undefined  extent  wherein  the  old  houses,  built  long 
before  Atlantic  City  came  into  existence,  lurk  beneath  the  shadows  of  large 
trees,  and  new  ones  stand  out  in  the  glory  of  this  season's  paint  in  the  full 
sunshine. 

It  will  be  seen,  too,  that  a  well-graded  road  traverses  the  place 
parallel  with  the  edge  of  the  land,  which  is,  indeed,  the  principal  thorough- 
fare of  the  village.  This  is  the  Old  Shore  road,  extending  from  Leeds  Point 
at  the  north  to  Somers  Point  upon  the  south,  and  passing  through  the  inter- 
mediate settlements  of  Oceanville,  Absecon,  Cottage  Hill,  Pleasantville, 
Bakerstown,  Linwood  and  Bethel. 

This  road  and  its  characteristic  environment  have  been  but  little 
changed  by  the  vast  increase  in  population  and  values  over  upon  the  imme- 
diate sea  front.  For  many  generations  it  has  been  the  highway  binding 
together  the  continuous  farms  of  the  amphibious  natives.  Between  Pleas- 
antville and  Somers  Point  it  has  lost  much  of  its  traffic  since  the  building  of 
the  branch  railroad  to 
the  latter  haven. 

The  early  fami- 
lies of  the  region, 
whose  fathers,  sons 
and  brothers  found 
profit   upon    both  the 


Cbc  ©15 
Sbore  TRoaD 


sea  and  the  land,  held  broad  farms  extending  from  the  tidewater  tliorough- 
fares  over  the  meadow  and  far  back  across  the  ridge  into  the  pine  barrens 
to  the  westward.  The  ridge  land,  with  an  average  elevation  of  from  25  to 
30  feet  above  high  tide,  pro\'ed  an  ideal  trucking  strip.  The  heirs  of  each 
generation  divided  their  inherited  lands,  each  retaining  a  portion  of  the 
meadow,  field  and  woodland,  the  present  holdings  being  often  ribbon-like 
strips,  like  the  ancient  seigniories  of  the  Beauport  Road,  below  Quebec, 
and  thus  numerous  branches  of  the  Somers,  Steelman,  Scull,  English, 
Ireland,  Adams,  Ryan  and  Lake  families  are  scattered  along  the  Old 
Shore  Road. 
IHativce  HiUanO  The  highway  skirts  the  margin  of  the  upland,  affording  almost  contin- 
uous outlooks  across  the  meadows  to  Longport,  Brigantine  Beach,  Atlantic 
City,  Ocean  City  and  Beasley's  Point.  The  white  pleasure  fleets  are  seen 
cruising  in  and  about  the  inlets.  Forty  or  fifty  yearsago  the  mainlanders  were 
the  guardians  of  the  coast,  and  at  the  first  sight  of  naked  spars  projected 
above  the  sand-dunes  or  of  black  hulls  lashed  by  the  surf,  they  swarmed 
tumultuously  across  the  wet  marshes  to  gather  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  of 
somebody's  misfortune.  Nowadays  the  Jersey  coaster  of  Atlantic  County 
goes  over  to  the  shore  in  frequent  local  trains  to  jostle  awhile  in  vanity  fair, 

or,  perhaps,  drives  over  in  the  moist  dawn  his  load  of  "garden  sass  " 

(Sluiet  THigbwavs 
for  the  certain  and  profitable  market  that  awaits  him  there.     A  good 

turnpike  road  makes  this  an  easy  expedition.     Much  of  the  table  supplies  of 

the  great  resort  is  grown  along  the  Old  Shore  Road,  and  it's  worth  a  day's 

drive  to  see  the  thrifty  expanses  of  all  the  seasonable  fruits  and  vegetables, 

not  to  mention  the  quaint  old  gardens,  flower  beds  and  wide-spreading  trees 

that  rally  around  the  gray  mansions  built  by  Jersey  skippers  long,  long  ago. 

My   friend    J is  a  business   man   in    Philadelphia.     Being  an 

expert  in  his  occupation,  his  business  can  be  led.     Therefore,  for  fi\-e  months 

in  the  year  he  leaves  his  city  home  and  takes  a  little  farm  of  a  dozen  acres, 

with  a  comfortable  house,  close  beside  the  Old  Shore  Road.    Here,  with  his 


30 


family,  he  dwells  all  summer,  working  at  bistable,  "  bossing"  the  man  who 
tills  the  farm  on  shares,  fishing,  and,  with  the  rest  of  his  brood,  growing 
brown  and  impervious  to  the  able-bodied  mosquitoes  that,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, do  inhabit  this  latitude. 
Jcrscv  BrcaMa  To  enter  for  a  day  or  so  into  the  simplicity  of  this  Arcadia  1  left  the 
cars  at  Bakersville.  We  first  went  to  the  post-office,  the  social  rallying  point 
of  the  little  place. 

To  gauge  a  country  village  one  must  go  to  the  post-office,  and  the 
cemetery.  At  the  Bakersville  Post-office  were  gathered  sundry  old  captains, 
Cap'n  Bob,  Cap'n  Tom  and  Cap'n  Jack,  hearty,  ruddy  old  fellows,  rejoic- 
ing, most  of  them,  in  the  fruits  of  many  long  cruises,  full  of  narrative  as  the 
Ancient  Mariner,  and  not  altogether  reconciled  to  the  sort  of  innovation  rep- 
resented by  the  pretty  city  girls,  halting  in  their  dog  cart  for  the  mail  to  be 
sorted.  The  inherent  pro\incialism  of  many  of  these  old  residents  is  found 
in  the  candle-mold  still  used  in  man\'  of  the  farm-houses. 

The  Old  Shore  Road  is  hard  and  level,  a  real  joy  to  the  cyclers  that 
spin  to  and  from  Somers  Point.  Its  picturesque  suggestion  is  almost  con- 
stant, needing  only  an  English  to  find  and  paint  its  gnarled  cedars,  willows 
and  oaks  ;  its  rounded  maples,  hickories  and  walnuts  and  all  its  confusion  of 
underbrush.  There  are  several  old  farmyards  along  the  way,  choked  with 
sea  junk  of  all  sorts.  Some  gray-tinted  readers  will  recall,  doubtless,  along  tbc  IRoaO 
the  old-time  Dolphin  Hotel,  at  Somers  Point,  with  the  cedar  grove  upon  the 
slope.  Probably  the  new  hotels  clustered  beyond  ha\e  lured  away  some  of 
its  trade,  but  it  still  continues  business  cheerfullv  "at  the  old  stand." 
About  a  mile  back  from  the  road,  near  Linvvood,  is  the  practically  abandoned 
village  of  Bargaintown.  Probably  the  colonists  there  got  more  than  they 
bargained  for. 

In  the  matter  of  theology  the  Baptists  have  got  a  clear  lead,  and  are 
away  to  the  windward  along  the  Old  Shore  Road.  Upon  a  Sunday  the  way 
is  bright  with  pilgrims  to  the  frequent  chapels,  but   the   unregeiierate  also 


throng  the  road  in  vehicles  of  ail  degrees.  Upon  Sunday  it  is  pleasant  to 
loiter  down  one  of  the  lanes  that  end  at  a  wharf  redolent  with  oystering, 
where  fleets  of  schooners  lay  at  anchor  for  want  of  profitable  occupation. 
Cat-boats  skim  before  the  breeze,  and  fiddler  crabs  spatter  in  regiments 
through  the  ooze  at  one's  feet,  and  sitting  there  one  may  muse  and  wonder 
why  the  world  at  large  should  worry  itself  so  grievously  when  so  much 
plenty  can  be  found  by  looking  for  it,  and  why  Philadelphians  should  broil 
in  narrow  streets  when,  for  so  little,  they  might  have  farms  somewhere 
hereabout,  and  wear  out  last  year's  coats  and  dresses  in  reasonable  peace 
and  comfort. 

There  is  but  one  single  shadow  athwart  this  idyllic  scene.  It  is  in  the 
danger  that  the  Old  Shore  Road  will  become  fashionable.  Already  the 
Country  Club  of  Atlantic  City,  duly  mentioned  elsewhere,  has  taken  to 
itself  an  old  time  farm-house  and  a  wide  reach  of  land  between  the  old 
highway  and  the  sedge,  and  now  the  red  coats  of  the  ardent  golfers  fleck 
the  scene  so  lately  the  undisturbed  domain  of  the  ruminative  cow.  The 
restless  capitalist  is  turning  his  speculative  eye  hitherward,  and  it  may  be 
that  the  year  is  in  sight  when  the  Old  Shore  Road  in  its  quaintness  and 
simplicity  will  become  a  boulevard  of  modern  estates,  its  peculiar  charm  for 
the  lover  of  nature  existing  only  as  a  fading  memory  of  the  days  that  were. 


32 


atlantic  eitij.        Cbaptcr  UIFH. 


To  Dr.  Jonathan  Pitney,  a  progressive  resident  of  Ahsecon  viliag;e, 
and  Samuel  Richards,  a  manufacturer  of  glass,  local  history  awards  the 
honor  of  first  recognizing  the  superior  possibilities  of  this  place  for  the  devel- 
opment of  a  resort  for  people  from  the  cities.  A  casual  study  of  the  map  of 
Central  New  Jersey  affords  no  special  hint  of  the  advantage  of  this  particular 
stretch  of  shore  above  that  either  to  the  north  or  south  of  it  for  many  miles, 
save  that  here  only  it  was  possible  to  build  a  railroad  direct  to  the  beach, 
and  it  was  to  the  promotion  of  this  railroad  that  Dr.  Pitney  bent  his  ener- 
gies.    In    i8s2   when  this   movement   began  there  were   but   six 

Cbe  JBittb 
houses,  small  and  weatherbeaten,  upon  the  island.  of  a  Cttg 

That  some  special  reasons  do  exist  which  have  contributed  to  the 
advantage  of  Atlantic  City  will  appear  more  fully  in  later  pages.     One  of 


these  is  the  fact  that  here  the  line  of  the  shore  trends  to  the  westward  to  a 
greater  degree  than  at  any  other  portion  of  the  coast,  giving  an  ocean  expos- 
ure but  little  removed  from  southern,  which  deflects,  at  a  sharp  angle,  the 


33 


heavy  scour  of  northeasterly  storms.  Another  and  very  important  condi- 
tion urged  very  strenuously  by  physicians  is  that  Absecon  Beach  is  belted 
by  a  broad  thoroughfare  of  pure  sea  water  always  running  in  and  out,  quite 
undiluted  by  fresh  water  streams  and  securing  perfect  immunity  from 
malaria.  These  and  many  other  advantages  were  doubtless  urged  by  in- 
domitable Dr.  Pitney,  and  believed  by  many  who  listened  to  his  enthusi- 
astic predictions,  for,  upon  June  24,  1852,  the  subscription  books  for  the 
stock  of  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad  Company  were  opened  at  the 
Arch  Street  House  in  Philadelphia,  ten  thousand  shares  were  taken  and  the 
books  were  closed  the  same  day.  The  incorporators  were  John  W.  Mickel, 
Andrew  K.  Hay,  John  H.  Coffin,  John  Stanger,  Jesse  Richards,  Thos.  H. 
Richards,  Edmund  Taylor,  Jos.  Thompson,  Robert  B.  Risley,  Enoch  Doughty 
and  Jonathan  Pitney.  The  thirty-eight  original  stockholders  elected  the 
following  gentlemen  as  the  tirst  Board  of  Directors  :  William  Coffin,  Joseph 
Porter,  Andrew  R.  Hay,  Thos.  H.  Richards  (who  subsequently  gave  place 
to  J.  C.  Da  Costa),  Enoch  Doughty,  Jonathan  Pitney,  Stephen  Colvvell, 
Samuel  Richards  and  William  W.  Fleming.  The  first  president  was  John 
C.  Da  Costa. 

Early  in  the  movement  of  this  enterprise  the  projectors  were  so  for- 
tunate as  to  secure  the  professional  services  of  Mr.  Richard  B.  Osborne,  a 
young  but  already  well-known  civil  engineer,  whose  enthusiasm  for  the 
success  of  what  was  regarded  by  many  investors  as  a  very  hazardous  ven- 
ture, was  strong  enough  to  convince  doubters,  and  whose  predictions  have 
Cbe  CamOen  S.  "^"  '^^^"  verified  a  hundred-fold.     Mr.  Osborne  is  one  of  the  few 

atlantic'RailroaO  survivors  of  those  who  "made  "  Atlantic  City,  and  is  still  a  resident 

of  Philadelphia.  He  not  only  surveyed  and  put  into  motion  the  first  of  the 
iron  bands  uniting  the  Quaker  City  with  the  New  Jersey  coast  in  this  section, 
but  he  planned  the  city  of  pleasure  which  was  to  spring,  almost  like  a  scene 
of  magic,  from  the  barren  waste  of  sands  upon  Absecon  Beach.  Twenty- 
five  years  after  the  completion  of  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  at  a  great 


34 


quadri-centennial  of  the  event  held  at  Atlantic  City  in  June,  1879,  Mr. 
Osborne  had  the  happiness  to  see  the  verification  of  his  forecasts  and  as  one 
of  the  principal  speakers  of  the  occasion  to  furnish  an  accurate  history  of  the 
inception,  completion  and  operation  of  the  original  railroad,  which,  as 
reprinted,  in  part,  in  this  book  will  have  an  increasing  value  as  an 
authoritative  chapter  of  reference. 

Mr.  Osborne  first  referred  to  the  great  difficulties  encountered  in 
enlisting  interest  in  the  project,  and  to  his  first  interview  with  the  officials 
upon  May  24,  1852,  and  then  continued:  "Arrangements  were  made  on 
that  day  with  me  for  a  preliminary  survey.  Accor- 
dingly, in  this  very  month  of  June,  seven-and-twenty 
years  ago,  my  engineers,  under  the  active  super- 
vision of  the  late  Mr.  E.  Lyons,  as  my  principal 
assistant  engineer,  stretched  rapidly  across  the 
State  of  New  Jersey  the  thread  of  our  first  experi- 
mental line,  which  afterwards  was  woven  into  an 
iron  band  59^%  miles  long,  to  bind  Camden  and 
Philadelphia  to  this  beach.  ^ 

"  This  survey  was  completed  to 
the  sea  on  the  i8th  of  June,  1852,  and 
the  engineering  party  became  that  day 
the  first  bathers  that  had  traveled  along 
the  line  of  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad 
to  get  a  reviving  plunge  in  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic,  an  example  v\  hich  it  has  rejoiced  millions  since  to  be  able  to  follow. 

"  The  report  of  this  survey  was  submitted  by  me  to  the  directors  on 
the  2ist  of  June,  1852,  who  at  once  adopted  it.  Previous  to  the  completion 
of  the  experimental  survey,  the  directors,  by  the  solicitation  and  the  request 
of  their  engineer,  made  a  carriage  trip  across  the  State  to  visit  the  island 
and  Absecon  Beach,  and  pass  their  opinion  on  there  being  a  fitting  site  there 


35 


SOLITUDES  OF 

ABSECON 

BEACH 


'for  a  bathing  village,' to  be  called  Absecon, 
as  its  beach  bore  that  name.  We  had  a 
weary  journey  through  the  deep,  dry  sand, 
and  after  leaving  the  village  of  Long  a-coming 
(now  the  town  of  Berlin — the  name  Long-a- 
coming  seemed  appropriate  for  all  the  country 
we  passed  throughj,  we  at  length  gained  the 
village  of  Absecon,  and  were  joined  by  the  directors,  Messrs.  Pitney  and 
Doughty. 

"  The  flat,  wet  marshes,  with  their  water  ditches  and  thoroughfares, 
turned  our  party  into  a  sail-boat,  by  way  of  Absecon  Bay,  landing  us  at  the 
point  on  the  Inlet  now  occupied  by  the  Inlet  Pavilion.  The  island  appeared 
most  certainly  uninviting  to  the  eyes  of  city  gentlemen,  and  its  sterile  sand 
heaps,  naked  in  their  desolation,  gave  it  a  weird,  wild  look,  a  veritable 
desert  without  a  building  on  it  that  many  would  deem  worthy  of  beingcalled 
a  habitation.  My  directors,  save  Messrs.  Pitney  and  Doughty,  were  disap- 
pointed: they  did  not  deem  it  desirable  as  a  site  for  the  proposed  bathing 
H  Gloimv  village,  that  to  build  a  railroad  to  reach  such  a  wild  spot  would 
Iptoapcct  be  a  reckless  piece  of  adventure.     All  of  these  gentlemen  were 

doubtful  about  the  possibility  of  a  locomotive  being  sustained  while 
crossing  these  meadows,  some  of  them  felt  certain  this  never  could  be 
accomplished.  Thus,  indeed,  all  hope  of  making  our  trip  and  visit  the 
means  of  leaving  a  favorable  impression  on  the  minds  of  these  gentlemen, 
as  to  the  feasibility  of  the  project,  and  of  giving  them  any  sure  hope 
of  a  return,  and  of  getting  from  them  a  decision  that  would  settle  the 
question  of  the  construction  of  work  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  engineer 
was  certain  to  prove  a  boon  and  blessing  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  to 
carry  civilization  and  wealth  to  that  part  of  the  State  within  reach  of 
its  influence,  and  to  yield  a  rich  reward  to  its  enterprising  promoters, 
seemed  almost  lost. 


36 


"  It  was  the  turning  point  on  wliich  everytliing  depended.  Tiiere 
were  no  lil<e  interests  elsewhere  to  be  secured  that  would  offer  sufficient 
inducements  to  attempt  it.  Tiie  words  and  wills  of  those  few  gentlemen  in 
that  short  hour,  on  that  memorable  day,  controlled  e\'ents  measured  by 
millions.  I  heard  their  expressions  of  disappointment  and  disapprobation 
with  regret.  In  reply  I  said  :  Gentlemen,  every  objection  made  fif  \iewed 
properly)  is  really  an  argument  in  its  favor.  I  pleaded  for  the  site,  and  in 
this  Messrs.  Pitney  and  Doughty  coincided  with  me  ;  I  showed  that  its 
rough,  wild  state  was  precisely  what  would  give  them  the  control  of  the 
ground  at  low  rates,  and  that  here  was  a  fortune  in  itself.  This  argument 
was  very  assuring  to  the  directors,  'ifonlvthe  meadows  could  be  crossed 
by  the  trains.'  I  was  not  unprepared  to  meet  this  question,  and  for  the 
time  settled  it  in  the  minds  of  the  gentlemen  by  giving  them  a  guar-  xiUben  Si'cecb 
antee  that  the  locomotive  should  pass  safel\'  over  its  whole  extent.  ^^''^^  (3olJ>en 

■•  I  quote  from  a  communication  written  in  June,  1852,  to  show  how 
this  assurance  was  imparted  and  the  efforts  that  were  necessary  to  remove 
the  doubts  occasioned  by  the  first  visit  of  the  directors  to  this  beach  just 
described,  viz.:  'As  the  pioneers  through  this  country  in  railroad  works,  you 
will  surely  be  the  recipients  of  large  profits — yes,  much  larger  than  can 
accrue  to  many  roads  which  tra\'erse  a  country  intersected  with  railroad 
lines.'  Again,  '  Your  road  v\'ill  have  the  benefit  of  all  the  latest  improve- 
ments, and  if  the  public  be  not  excluded  from  a  fair  participation  in  them,  it 
must  prove  a  popular  work,  affording  the  largest  accommodation  at  the  least 
cost,'  Again,  'I  will  assume  that  but  20,000  of  the  inhabitants  of  Philadel- 
phia will,  in  the  first  year,  be  attracted  to  your  road,  while  the  Cape  May 
visitors  last  season  numbered  120,000.  Twenty  thousand  passengers  will 
thus  be  taken  on  your  railwax',  and  freight  and  other  articles  in  like  propor- 
tion. There  has  been  enough  evidence  given  you  by  me  to  show  that  in 
all  my  estimates  I  have  kept  far  within  the  bounds  of  what  I  should  be 
justified  in  going  to.' 


37 


"  Wlien  the  report  of  the  experimental  survey  was  adopted  by  the 

Board  on  the  21st  of  June  instructions  were  also  given  to  proceed  with  the 

final  location  of  the  road,  and  accordingly,  on  the    ist  of  July,  1852,  my 

engineering  parties  took  the  field,  and  the  'location  '  of  the  line  to  the  sea 

was  completed,  and  the  estimate  made  by  the  25th  of  August  following,  and 

on  this  date,  also,  John  C.  Da  Costa,  at  the  earnest   solicitation   of  myself, 

after  he  had  declined  to  accept  the  position,  consented  to  act  and  was  elected 

president  of  the  Company. 
Xlbe  ®peniiui 
•jjmejqg  "On  the  31st  of  August,  1852,  I  submitted  to  m\'  Board  proposals  for 

the  construction  of  the  whole  road,  based  on  my  estimated  fixed  rates  per 
mile  ;  and  on  the  first  of  September,  1852,  those  proposals  were  accepted, 
subject  to  certain  changes  of  the  line  to  accommodate  the  Waterford  manu- 
factories and  Spring  Garden,  and  subject,  also,  to  other  requirements,  all  of 
which  were  not  completed  till  after  the  contract  was  signed  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1853.  This  change  was  a  detour  that  shortened  my  long  tangent 
some  10  miles  and  left  only  the  present  straight  line  of  25  continuous  miles. 

"On  the  2d  of  September,  1852,  the  construction  work  of  the  road 
was  sub-let  to  Mr.  P.  O'Reilly,  and  he  received  his  first  bid  from  sub-con- 
tractors, for  sections  of  one  mile  each,  on  the  4th  of  September,  1852. 

"  There  was  no  formal  breaking  ground  ;  the  contractors  were  set  to 
work  as  soon  as  their  houses  could  be  erected,  and  in  September,  1852,  the 
construction  by  grading  was  started. 

"  The  first  estimate,  returned  December,  1852,  was  for  work  on  eight 
sections  between  sections  4  and  32  and  amounted  to  a  payment  of  $10,000. 

"  The  crossing  of  the  Camden  and  Amboy  rails  at  Camden  by  those 
of  this  road  was  laid  by  night  in  the  month  of  July,  1853. 

"On  the  20th  of  June,  1853,  the  whole  management  of  the  contract 
work  was  given  up  by  Mr.  O'Reilly  to  Mr.  John  H.  Osborne,  Civil  Engineer 
and  previously  manager  of  the  Richmond  and  Danville  Railroad,  who  com- 
pleted the  three-fourths  of  the  whole  contract  that  had  not  been  touched. 


38 


On  the  nth  of  September  of  the  same  year  this  gentleman  was  also  chosen 
by  the  directors  as  their  Resident  Engineer  for  the  benefit  of  his  advice  and 
for  the  more  active  management  and  superintendence  on  their  behalf  of  the 
progress  of  the  work,  and  for  the  return  of  the  estimates. 

"Track  was  laid  on  the  road  between  Camden  and  Haddonfield,  and 
also  at  Absecon  during  August,  1853.  Passenger  trains  commenced  running 
from  Camden  to  Haddonfield  in  August,  1853,  and  to  Winslow,  27  miles, 
regularly  in  January,  '54.  The  wharves  at  this  date  at  Camden  and  the 
station  grounds  there  were  nearly  complete.  In  February,  1854,  a  high 
storm  tide  was  driven  across  the  meadows  and  damaged  the  grading  of  the 
road-bed  ;  and  on  the  i6th  of  April  following,  after  the  work  had  been 
replaced,  a  northeast  storm  and  spring  tide  made  a  clean  sweep  of  the  same 
work.  This  class  of  road-bed  was  then  abandoned  and  the  track  was  laid 
on  the  original  sod,  except  at  the  thoroughfares,  where  it  has  rested  in  spite 
of  storm  and  flood  for  five  and  twenty  years.  It  is  right  to  say  the  railroad 
company  bore  the  whole  expense  of  the  third  renewal.  It  has  made  good 
the  guarantee  given  by  the  engineer  to  his  directors  in  1852,  and  the  loco- 
motives make  their  trips  now  at  their  usual  speed.  The  whole  work  was 
completed  in  time  for  the  opening  celebration. 

"On  July  ist,  1854,  the  pioneer  excursion  train  stood  at  the  plat- 
form in  Camden  and  steamed  forth  its  greeting  to  600  guests— gentlemen  of 
the  press  from  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  friends  from  town         ^bc  ffiret 
and  country,  who   had   assembled  to  celebrate  the  completion  of         Cbroucib  Crain 
the  line  that  had   occupied  two  and  twenty  months  in  building  the  58yV 
miles  of  main    road.      Its  opening  to  public  travel    was  on  July  4,    1S54." 

The  excursion  train  conveying  the  six  hundred  guests  was  composed 
of  nine  long  cars.  The  "Atsion"  engine  was  selected  for  the  trip.  At 
Waterford,  the  residence  of  Judge  Porter,  one  of  the  directors  and  early 
friends  of  the  road,  a  salute  of  artillery  greeted  the  arrival.  Conspicuous 
was  also  a  large  wreath  of  native  Jersey  laurels,  and  wrought  in  the  interior 


39 


of  it  the  words  in  tlovvers,  "Welcome  to  Waterford."       It  was  a  poetic  em- 
Clbrouflb  bB  IRafl  blem   of  the  faith   of   the    man    which    had   always  encircled  and 

wreathed  around  the  enterprise. 

From  Waterford  the  train,  which  left  Camden  at  g.30  A.  M.,  then 
started  for  the  embryonic  Atlantic  City.  It  was  the  first  engine  with  pas- 
senger train  that  passed  over  the  entire  road,  and  it  reached  the  United 
States  Hotel  by  12  M.,  thus  with  all  the  stops  at  the  various  stations  to 
respond  to  the  earnest  congratulations  of  friends. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  guests  of  the  railroad  company  in  the  great  saloon 
of  the  United  States  Hotel  spirited  addresses  were  made  after  the  dinner 
cloth  had  been  removed,  Mr.  T.  H.  Dudley  moving  for  an  organization  of  the 
meeting  by  the  calling  of  Judge  Grier  to  the  chair,  and  who  appointed  the 
vice-presidents,  among  whom  were  Henry  C.  Carey,  Hon.  Abraham  Brown- 
ing, J.  C.  TenEyck,  T.  P.  Carpenter,  Robert  Morris  and  many  other  gen- 
tlemen of  note  were  among  the  vice-presidents.  The  first  impressive  address 
was  made  by  Henry  C-  Carey,  who  offered  also  an  appreciative  resolution, 
which  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Browning  in  an  eloquent  speech.  These  were 
followed  by  addresses  from  J.  C.  TenEyck,  Gen.  Wyncoop,  President  John 
C.  DaCosta,  Mr.  Montgomery  and  Judge  Grier. 

The   train   containing  the  guests  left  Atlantic  City  between  5  and  6 

P.  M.,  and  arrived  safely  at  Camden  about  8  P.  M. 

Succcsa  assurcJ)       The  success  of  the  road,  the  Board  now  felt,  was  assured.      A    new 

era  was  opened  for  New  Jersey,  and  the  engineer  had  time  to  congratulate 

himself  that  his  plans  had  been  perfected  and  his  promises  made  good  thus  far. 

"The  line  of  the  road  along  which  the  locomotive  brought  us  to-day  was 
located  on  the  20th  day  of  August,  1852.  Surveys  of  the  beach  and  island 
had  been  made  by  my  principal  assistant,  M.  E.  Lyons,  and  also  by  Messrs. 
Rowland  and  Clement,  but  these  last  were  of  later  date. 

"The  centre  line  of  the  railroad  was  run  parallel  to  the  general  line  of 
the  beach  for  a  distance  from  the  inlet  southward,  of  over  two  and  a  quarter 


40 


miles,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing   a    line   that  would  be  suitable  for  a  base  on 

which  to  plan  the  village,  and  which  would  permit  the  streets  to  be  carried 

on  in  their  proper  directions  whenever    requisite  to  enlarge  the  village  plot. 

On  this  as  a  base,  December,   1852,  under  the  instructions  of  the  directors, 

I  proceeded  to  lay  out  the  plot  of  the  proposed  Bathing  Village.       This    plan 

was  completed  and  submitted  to  a  full  board  in  the  middle  of  January,  1853. 

"There   is,    says   an   old   proverb,    'Nothing  in  a  name.'      As   the 

engineer  I  denied  that    it  was  applicable  to  this  case,  and  when,  before  my 

Board,  1  unrolled  a  great  and  well-finished  map  of  the  proposed  new  ^bc  Surveg  an& 

IHaming  of 
bathing  place,  they  saw  in  large  letters  of  gold,  stretching  over  the  Htlantlc  Cit? 

wa\'es  that  were  delineated  thereon  as  breaking  on  Absecon  beach  the  words, 

'Atlantic  City.'      This  title  was  at  once  approved  of  by  the  Board.     It  was 

unanimously  adopted,  and  Atlantic  City  that  day  came  into  e.xistence,  on 

paper,  and  in  thirteen  and  a  half  months  afterward,  viz.,   on  the  third  of 

March,  1854,  was  created,  by  act  of  incorporation,  a  city  in  realit\'.     I  have 

ever  claimed,  and  do  so  now,  that  this  name  created  in  the  minds  of  men 

throughout  the  Union  a  certain  interest  in  this  city,  and  this  interest  it  was 

sought  to  further  secure  by  giving  to  each  State  its  own  asenue,  and  hence 

the  name  of  every  State  from  Maine  to  Iowa  to-day  designates  the  avenues 

that  run  east  and  west,    while    the    general    parallelism  of  the  shore  of  the 

Atlantic  with  the  main    line   for   2.3    miles  suggested  the  names  of  all  the 

great  oceans  of  the  world  for  the  avenues  running  north  and  south. 

"It  is  true,  then,  that  there  is  something  in  a  name,  and  I  may  be  per- 
mitted, without  egotism,  to  say  that  I  am  proud  of  having  christened  her  and 
her  avenues  and  stamped  on  her  a  dignity  that  my  old  departed  friends, 
Messrs.  Pitney  and  Doughty,  little  dreamed  of  when  they  talked  together 
on  the  scheme  of  getting  up  a  'bathing  village, '  to  be  called  Absecon. 

"Early  in  February,  1853,  after  the  plan  of  this  city  had  been  adopted 
by  the  Board,  a  committee  was  sent  down  to  Absecon  Island,  composed  of 
Dr.  Jonathan  Pitney,  a  director,  and  Robert  Frazer,  the  faithful  and  efficient 


41 


secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Company.  Dr.  Pitney  was  acquainted  with 
the  Messrs.  Cordery,  Adams,  Paterson,  Bartlett,  Carter,  Read,  Bowe,  and 
other  landowners  on  the  Island.  Mr.  Robert  Frazer  took  with  him  a  draft 
of  the  plot  of  the  new  city.  These  gentlemen  were  instructed  to  confer 
with  the  owners,  (who  had  been  notified  December  ir,  '52,  that  commis- 
sioners would  be  appointed  to  assess  the  damages.  This  land  was  bought 
for  less  than  $20  per  acre  ;  it  brings  to-day  in  the  central  parts  $50  a  footj — 
and  obtain  possession  of  the  land  for  the  formation  of  the  roadbed  on  Atlantic 
avenue,  arranged  on  the  plot  to  be  the  great  Highvajy  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  main  tracks  of  the  railway. 

"  The  tracklaying  commenced  May  29th,  1854,  and  enough  for  the 
immediate  wants  of  the  road,  after  its  opening  from  about  one-quarter  of  a 
mile  above  the  United  States  Hotel,  was  finished  by  the  last  of  June,  1854. 

"  Such  was  the  barren  condition  of  the  Island,  that  on  the  first  visit  of 
the  engineering  party,  on  the  14th  of  June,  1852,  they  were  unable  to  get 
anything  to  eat ;  and  Mr.  Stack  wrote,  even  on  the  4th  of  June,  1853,  that 
he  could  get  some  board  for  the  sub-contractor's  hands  on  the  Island,   but 
Sn  Earlv  ^'^'^'^  '^'^  must  provide  for  them  tents  for  their  shelter. 

Impression  <<  [  ,-emember  clearly  the  misery  of  my  first  visit  with  the  engineering 
party.  The  Island  was  rough  and  sterile,  producing  only  rushes  and  stunted 
brush,  though  in  spots  the  magnolia  was  to  be  found.  It  was  comfortless  to 
the  weary  traveler.  There  was  no  accommodation  for  our  little  party.  But 
there  was  faith  in  the  future  ;  experience  of  what  had  been  achieved  else- 
where under  some  similar  conditions,  determination  to  persevere,  and  a 
power  to  foresee  the  great  revolution  that  would  be  produced  by  even  a 
moderate  success, 

"  This  is  the  picture  of  the  early  beginnings  of  this  city.  The  present 
reality  is  all  around  you  and  speaks  loudly  for  itself ;  yet  to  enable  others  to 
join  you  in  the  contrast,  1  will  say  a  few  words  about  the  glory  in  which  the 
city  of  Atlantic  stands  clothed  to-day. 


42 


"  CunnecteJ  as  1  have  been  with  the  laying  out  of  towns  and  cities  in 
the  Western  States,  and  professionally  engaged  in  Chicago  at  the  time  when 
her  population  was  less  than  5000,  and  when  the  great  influx  of  our  eastern 
men  began  and  large  investments  were  made,  1  was  carried  along  on  the 
tide  and  became,  professionally,  the  means  of  placing  many  towns  and  paper 
cities  profitably  on  the  market.  1  know  but  one  of  them,  to-day,  that  has 
not  made  its  mark  ;  but  few  of  them,  in  twenty -five  years,  can  show  a  better 
record  than  Atlantic  City.  My  report  of  August,  1852,  foretold  much  of  it 
all,  and  the  statements  therein  were  then  considered  enthusiastic, 
but  she  has,  in  some  things,  exceeded  even  my  sanguine  hopes. 
She  has  made  herself  more  widely  known  than  many  towns  and  cities  twice 
her  age.  She  stands  to-day  a  grand  example  of  the  power  of  a  first-class 
railroad  to  achieve  wonders  that  wise  men  once  thought  chimerical.  Her 
churches,  numbering  one  dozen  ;  her  schools,  where  over  1,000  children  are 
instructed  ;  her  five  or  six  beneficial  societies  ;  her  daily  mail  and  daily  news- 
paper ;  her  five  trains  a  day  from  the  city  of  Philadelphia  ;  her  passenger  horse- 
cars,  which  of  course  every  important  city  must  now  have  ;  her  lighthouse, 
built  twenty-two  years  ago  ;  her  signal  service  station,  city  hall,  jail,  and  fire 
department ;  her  fifty  hotels,  many  of  which  are  first-class  ;  her  numerous 
beautiful  villas,  that  appreciative  gentlemen,  bankers,  merchants,  physicians 


In  lS7f> 


43 


and  professional  men  own  and  occupy  ;  her  hundreds  of  cottages  ;  her 
boarding  houses  ;  her  34,000  inhabitants,  during  her  busy  season  ;  her  4000 
permanent  residents,  and  the  fact  that  about  five  and  a-half  millions  of 
people  have  enjoyed  her  invigorating  and  health-giving  climate,  and  her 
numerous  inviting  recreations  on  land  and  sea  since  she  was  opened  for  the 
public  good.  All  these  form  a  picture  so  full  of  interest,  so  rich  in  all  the 
bright  tints  of  a  glorious  reality  in  the  foreground,  that  the  original  back- 
ground has  almost  faded  away,  and  had  to  be  repainted  to  give  our  visitors 
to  Atlantic  City  some  slight  idea  of  the  real  contrast. 

"There  is  another  point  particularly  worthy  of  mention,  viz.  :  the  won- 
derful effect  a  residence  here  has  on  invalids.      This  is  testified  to  by  scores 
c  ..      ,     _      ^       of  medical  men,  who  send  their  patients  to  the  sea  as  the  best  prescrin- 
IPbVBiclan  tion  they  can  bestow  on  them.     It  is  testified  to  by  the  multitudes  who 

have  received  the  benefits. 

"In  1852  1  called  Atlantic  City  'the  lungs  of  Philadelphia,'  through 
which  she  would  inhale  much  of  the  health  and  ability  of  body  and  mind 
that  now  characterizes  her  business  and  professional  men  ;  and  she  has 
proved  the  truth  of  the  assertion." 

Mr.  Osborne  referred  to  Mr.  Robert  Frazer,  the  first  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  to  Mr.  John  H.  Osborne,  who 
became  the  superintendent  in  1855,  Mr.  George  W.  Richards,  the  second 
president,  Mr.  John  Tucker,  Mr.  John  Lucas,  Mr.  D.  H.  Mund\-,  and  others 
identified  with  the  early  years  of  the  Company.  He  predicted  with  remark- 
able accuracy  many  of  the  great  things  which  have  since  become  realities 
and  urged  the  importance  of  moving  to  secure  government  aid  in  creating  at 
the  inlet  a  great  port  of  entry.  Mr.  Richard  B.  Osborne  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. His  early  engineering  experiences  were  largely  under  the  guidance  of 
the  late  Moncure  Robinson,  C.  E.  He  has  long  been  identified  with  manv  of 
the  most  important  railroad,  canal  and  municipal  engineering  achievements 
of  his  time. 


44 


atlantic  Cit^. 


Cbapter  W. 


Upon  the  legal  creation  of  Atlantic  City,  Chalkley  S.  Leeds,  a  son  of 
one  of  the  original  owners,  became  the  first  mayor  and  his  brother,  Robert 
B.  Leeds,  was  the  first  city  treasurer.  JFirst 

It  was,  perhaps,  believed  by  the  originators  of  the  young  city  ^^minll5tratlon 

that  the  supply  of  States  would  always  afford  a  sufficiency  of  names  for  the 
transverse  avenues  placed  upon  the  city  plan,  but  the  latest  official  map 
gives  us  a  long  list  of  new  streets  to  the  west  of  Chelsea  bearing  the  titles  of 
American  cities.  At  Boston  avenue,  down  by  the  old  Sea  View  Excursion 
House,  Atlantic  avenue  comes  to  the  sea  front  and  Pacific  avenue  is  halted 
in  its  course,  a  matter  somewhat  confusing  to  the  stranger. 

The  hotel  man  who  had  ventured  thirty  years  ago  to  announce  his 
intention  to  keep  open  house  all  winter  would  have  been  esteemed  a  vision- 
ary unfit  for  the  practical  duties  of  a  Boniface.  In  1868  the  average  attend- 
ance at  the  schools  was  1 10  pupils.  Thirty  thousand  dollars  was  expended 
upon  educational  facilities. 

At  that 
time  the  best  ^^^^. 

known  hotels 
were  the 
United  States 
(famous  for 
its  fine  park), 
where  the 
first  train  load 
of  excur- 
sionists dined 


when  the  railroad   was  opened,  Congress  Hall,  Mansion   House  and   Surf 

House.     Other  hotels  and  cottages  which  were  all  well  filled  in  the  summer 

were  these  :  Neptune  House,  Light  House  Cottage,  Alhambra,  White  House 

Seaside    House,    Clarendon    House,  Ashland    House,    Glen's    Inlet   House, 

^    ,    ^,    ,  ,      ,  Kentucky  House,  Chester  County  House,  Bedloe's  (built  in  i8S4), 

ibarlg  1botcl5  of  ^  •  v  ^ty. 

atlantic  Citv  Pennsylvania  Cottage,  Cottage  Retreat  (built  in  1854),  Macy  House, 

Reed  House,  Arch  Street  House,  Constitution  HoLise,  West  Philadelphia 
House,  Bradley  House,  Sherman  House,  Excursion  House,  Grove  Cottage, 
Columbia  Cottage,  Sand  House  and  Atlantic  House. 

Besides  tliese  were  scores  of  less  pretentious  boarding  places  scattered 
through  the  young  city.  At  this  time  the  road  across  the  marsh,  bridging 
the  thoroughfare,  was  being  developed. 

The  Atlantic  House,  which  originally  stood  at  Baltic  and  Florida 
avenues  was  in  its  original  state  a  tavern  for  oystermen,  kept  by  Mrs.  Leeds. 
It  was  built  about  1812  and  is  the  oldest  building  now  upon  the  island.  It 
now  stands  on  Baltic  avenue  near  Massachusetts  avenue. 

The  heavy  travel  over  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad  in  the  Cen- 
tennial year,  together  with  the  rapid  progress  of  the  young  city  led  to  the 
incorporation  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Atlantic  Railroad  Company,  which  was 
formerly  narrow  gauge  but  changed  to  standard  gauge  in  1884,  now  operated 
by  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Railway  Company.  This  line  opened  for 
business  June  2;,  1877.  The  resulting  competition  proved  of  the  .,„  ., 
greatest  benefit  to  Atlantic  City,  both  in  the  reduction  of  fares  and  progress 
freight  as  well  as  an  increase  in  the  number  of  trains,  especially  in  sum- 
mer, and  a  decidedly  more  rapid  schedule.  "The  Reading"  route  was 
double  tracked  in  1889. 

In  the  year  1880  a  third  bond  of  iron  was  extended  between  Phila- 
delphia and  the  sea  through  an  extension  of  a  branch  from  the  West  Jersey 
Railroad,  known  as  the  West  Jersey  &  Seashore  Railroad,  which  also  affords 
through   ser\'ice  without   change    between    New  York  and    Atlantic  City. 


46 


Upon  the  acquisition  of  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company  the  old  name  disappeared  and  it  became  the 
Atlantic  City  Division  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.     On  completion  of  the 

great  bridge  over  the   Delaware  River  above  the  city  in  the  spring 
<r     o  <        iu     i     ■     ■  1     .   ,  ,  "         ^^^  iPrceent 

ot    iSgO,   with    Its    mcidental    trackage,   which   joins  the   old  line  at         Era 

Haddonfield,  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  began  to  run  its  fast 
trains  to  the  shore  from  Broad  street  station.  This  line,  which  is  double 
tracked,  has  been  laid  in  the  past  winter  with  "  loo  lb."  steel  rails.  The 
proposed  terminal  station  at  Atlantic  City  will  be  upon  a  scale  of  mag- 
nificence unknown  at  any  resort  in  the  world. 

The  West  Jersey  &  Seashore  Railroad  is  largely  devoted  to  way 
trains  and  local  traffic.  It  is  expected  that  its  tracks  will  be  elevated  through 
Camden,  and  other  important  improvements  made  in  the  near  future. 

The  old  Philadelphia  &  Atlantic  City  Narrow  Gauge  Railroad  was 
acquired  by  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  Railway  Company  in  1885,  and 
soon  afterward  was  practically  reconstructed  upon  standard  gauge  lines. 
Under  its  modern  title  of  "Atlantic  City  Railroad,"  it  has  always  enjoyed 
a  heavy  traffic  in  pleasure  and  business  travel.  With  ferry-boats  from  both 
Chestnut  and  South  streets  to  its  terminal  opposite  the  foot  of  Washington 
avenue,  it  maintains  a  rapid  service  upon  double  tracks  ;  dividing  the  honors 
with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in  giving  a  service  to  and  from  the  shore 

a  THotct)       unequalled  by  that  of  any  other  resort. 

Comrort  A  recent  number  of  the  Scientific  American  contains  the  statement,  that 
the  Atlantic  City  trains  are  the  fastest  in  the  world  ;  but  so  smooth  is  the 
trackage  and  fine  the  equipment  that,  although  running  at  a  mile  per  minute, 
the  superior  speed  is  not  noticeable,  except  in  the  fact  that  while  absorbed  in 
a  brief  story  upon  the  pages  of  a  magazine,  the  traveler  leaves  and  arrives. 
The  once  ubiquitous  "duster"  has  long  since  become  obsolete,  and 
the  excursionist  alights  at  the  terminal  quite  unsoiled  by  the  slightest  evi- 
dence of  travel. 


47 


The  new  Penn- 
sylvania Ferryhouse, 
at  the  foot  of  Market 
street,  Philadelphia, 
has  been  recently 
completed.  it  is  a 
modern  two  story 
building,  which  is  an 
ornament  to  Philadel- 
phia's water-front. 

At  the    foot  of 
Chestnut   street,  the 
"  Reading  "    has  also 
*CH  built  its   Ferry  terminal    at   large   e.xpense.      These   improvements,    with 

OKINC  WEST 

double-decked  boats,  will  make  travel  to  the  shore  still  more  popular  than 
heretofore. 

A  sketch  made  by  the  writer  twenty-five  years  ago  from  the  light- 
house, recalls  to  mind  most  vividly  the  relative  paucity  of  Atlantic  City's 
attractions,  and  the  comparatively  limited  area  covered  by  the  town  in  1873. 
At  the  Inlet,  a  single  small  open  pavilion  of  one  story  stood  upon  the  site  of 
the  present  large  structure,  a  rather  shaky  pier  reaching  out  into  the  Thor- 
oughfare for  the  accommodation  of  the  little  fleet  of  yachts,  some  of  them 
famous  flyers,  which  afforded  one  of  the  chief  means  of  pleasure  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  visitor.  A  horse  car  line  connected  the  Inlet  with  the  town, 
over  a  long  stretch  of  open  sand  reach. 
Btlantic  Citv>  ^  ^^"^  more  or  less  pretentious  hotels  had  been  built  upon  the  sea- 

25  ^eaxs  Hcio  ward  side  of  Pacific  avenue.     Narrow  and  precarious  plank-walks 

extended  outward,  here  and  there,  toward  the  beach,  subject  to  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  winter  gales  and  high  tides,  elements  which  played  havoc 
frequently  with  the  long  rank  of  gay  little  pavilions  which  bravely  faced 


48 


the  surf  and  furnislied  bathing  facilities  then  regarded  as  more  than  ample 
for  the  present  and  future. 

Heston's  very  complete  Atlantic  City  Guide  Book  states,  that  the 
first  bath-house  upon  the  beach  was  built  by  Joshua  Note,  from  an  old 
wreck,  and  at  that  time  there  were  to  be  seen  upon  the  beach  some 
fourteen  wrecks. 

Nearly  all  of  the  popular  hotels  were  located  between  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  avenues.  The  former  was  fairly  lined,  upon  the  shoreward  or 
northern  side  with  structures,  some  of  these  still  e.xisting,  but  the  majority 
of  which  have  long  since  disappeared  to  make  room  for  more  costly  and 
elaborate  buildings.  Beyond  this,  all  of  the  flat  land  between  the  town  and 
the  thoroughfare  was  unoccupied,  save  by  the  embankment  of  the  Camden 
and  Atlantic  Railroad,  around  the  terminus  of  which,  Sciiauftler's  and  a  few 
smaller  houses  of  entertainment  were  located. 
IbaiH'B  2)aB»  Over  at  the  bridge  which  carried  the  road  across  the  thoroughfare 
toward  Pleasantville,  the  Island  House  stood,  just  beyond  the  present  junc- 
tion of  Baltic  and  Florida  avenues,  its  nearest  neighbor  being  the  Higbee 
House,  just  built  by  Jonas  Higbee,  upon  the  northward  side  of  the  railroad 
track.  What  pleasant  memories  of  happy  times  that  name  invokes!  Jonas 
Higbee  was  a  rugged  manly  specimen  of  the  old  type  of  New  Jersey  coast- 
men.  For  many  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Camden  &  Atlantic 
Railroad  Company,  having  charge  of  the  drawbridge  at  that  point.  The 
original  Higbee  homestead,  a  little  modest  building  out  upon  the  lonely 
meadow  to  the  south  of  the  railroad  track,  was  presided  over  by  Mrs.  Higbee, 
a  famous  cook,  in  whose  cosy  little  dining  room,  the  hungry  mem-  ^u^, 
bers  of  the  Higbee  Club  were  wont  to  gather,  with  joyful  anticipations,  tUibcc  Club 
upon  Saturdays  and  Sundays,  when  they  used  to  come  hastening  down  from 
the  hot  city  to  this  pleasant  haven  with  due  certainty.  The  Higbee  Club 
bunked  in  a  little  shanty  at  the  southern  end  of  the  bridge,  the  vibrations  of 
which  used  to  shake  the  tired  fishers  out  of  bed  in  the  night  when  casual 


50 


freight  trains  rumbled  past,  and  sometimes,  wiien  the  tide  was  high,  seemed 
likely  to  carry  the  occupants  out  to  sea  while  they  slept.  The  rotund  Secre- 
tary of  the  Club,  a  well-known  dentist  of  Philadelphia,  kept  the  log  book 
and  nothing  counted  but  sheepshead.  A  brace  of  these  gamy  fellows  were 
esteemed  a  fair  return  for  a  long  day  of  patient  effort,  beginning  with  the  first 
indications  of  rosy  dawn,  and  only  ending  when  night  and  hunger  impelled 
the  fishermen  to  pull  back  to  the  drawbridge,  with  the  prospects  of  a  savory 
supper  to  cheer  them.  The  writer  recalls  one  amphibious  old  native  who 
haunted  the  thoroughfare  with  his  leaky  punt  and  maintained,  it  was  said. 


a  multitudinous  family  somewhere  in  the  depths  of  the  pine  scrub,  from  the 
products  of  the  waters  and  the  marsh.  For  a  long  time  this  quaint,  frowsy 
old  salt  enjoyed  a  monopoly,  for  he  knew,  when  nobody  else  could  find  a 
nibble,  just  where  the  elusive  sheepshead  were  loafing  about  at  an\-  turn  of 
the  tide,  and  the  man  who  was  lucky  enough  to  negotiate  his  valuable  ser- 
vices was  certain  to  come  in  with  the  best  and  biggest  fish. 

After  the  new  house  was  built  by  the  Higbees,  as  a  natural  result  of 
their  growing  fame,  spread  abroad  by  the  unwise  members  of  the  jolly  little 
club,  strangers  began  to  come  and  trench  upon  the  vested  rights  of  the  old 


51 


timers.  Somehow,  the  members  sighed  for  tiie  little  low-built  cottage 
which  stood  reproachful  and  silent  across  the  railroad.  And  so  with  the 
passing  years  the  hand  of  time  closed  its  veracious  log  book,  full  of  the 
records  of  joyous  days  and  wonderful  piscatorial  adventures,  and  the  Higbee 
Club  became  but  a  memory  worthy  only  of  passing  mention  among  the  flot- 
sam of  bygone  times. 

All  of  the  level  stretch  of  open  meadow,  between  the  thoroughfare 
at  the  bridge  and  the  city  nearly  a  mile  away,  which  used  to  rest  so  still  and 
dark  just  before  the  moon  began  to  glow  over  the  twinkling  windows  to  the 
eastward,  and  which  was  so  gloriously  rich  in  color  when  the  early  sun 
poured  down  upon  it,  is  now  covered  with  a  close  huddle  of  houses,  not  par- 
ticularly pleasing  to  the  eye,  either  in  architecture  or  environment. 

An  interesting  phenom- 
enon of  the  ocean  front,  which 
has,  by  the  way,  been  worth 
millions  of  dollars  to  ^bc  JSorDcr  of 
Atlantic  City,  is  seen  ^^c  Wccv 
in  the  gradual  "making"  of 
the  beach,  which,  by  the 
piling  of  the  sands,  has  grad- 
ually forced  the  surf-line  out- 
ward and  safeguarded  the  cit\- 
from  inundation,  adding  at  the 
same  time  a  vast  area  of  most 
valuable  property  to  the  city's 
plan.  In  the  winter  of  1866-7 
the  storms  were  unusually 
severe,  and  the  tide  swept  in 
almost  to  the  line  of  Atlantic 
avenue.     There  were  many, 


in  those  days,  who  predicted  that  tlie  time  would  come  when  the  sea  would 
swallow  up  the  whole  property  of  the  community,  and  that  Atlantic  City 
would  be  hut  a  costly  and  extravagant  memory.  This  prediction  has  long 
ago  been  shown  to  be  fallacious,  and  has  been  dismissed  from  the  minds  of 
even  the  most  nervous  citizen.  Last  autumn  the  town  was  cut  off,  for 
several  days,  from  the  world-at-large  by  remarkably  high  water,  which 
covered  the  meadows  and  railroad  tracks,  but  at  no  time  did  the  sea,  which 
swayed  about  the  iron  pillars  of  the  Boardwalk,  threaten  more  than  tem- 
porary damage  upon  the  immediate  ocean  front.  The  regrading  of  the 
tracks  across  the  meadows  promises  to  safeguard  the  city  from  any  similar 
experience  in  the  future. 


53 


atlantic  Citp. 


Cbapter  D. 


I.ONG   THE   Ol. 


"  Oh  weel  1  mind,  oh  weel  I  mind. 

Tho'  now  my  locks  are  snow. 
How  oft  langsyne  I  sought  to  find 

What  made  the  bellows  blow ! 
How,  cuddling  on  my  grannie's  knee, 

I  questioned  night  and  day, 
And  still  the  thing  that  puzzled  me 

Was,  where  the  wind  came  frae." 

The  man  who  told  his  little  boy  that  the  ocean  was  salt  because  the 
codfish  were  so  numerous,  was  a  type  of  the  large  class  of  people  who  are 

never  disposed  to  take 
the   sea   seriously.      It 
is    associated    in    their 
minds  with  daily  romps 
in    the    surf,    pleasant 
little  cruises  off  shore, 
and     gleaming     moon- 
light touching  the  tips 
of  sleepy  rollers,  which 
break  with  tranquilizing 
monotony    all    through 
the  summer  night.    And 
yet,  what  is  this  vast, 
D      implacablt,  trt-acherous,  beautiful  thing  which  spreads  away  from  our  very 
feet,  thousands  of    level  but  storm-swept    miles,  to  lands  we  have  never 
seen  ;    which  hides,  far  down  in  its  sunless  depths,  such  unknown  wonders, 
such  myriad  victims  of  its  wrath,  such  strange  creatures  and  shapes  .? 


Zbe  IRcstless 
Sea 


54 


From  the  north  to  the  south  it  spreads  some  8000  miles.     Between 

Greenland  and  Norway  it  is  but  800  miles  wide.     Between  the  peninsula  of 

Florida  and  the  coast  of  Morocco,   upon  the  parallel  of  30°  north  latitude,  it 

expands  to  a  breadth  of  3600  miles.     While  a  line  drawn  from  Cape  St. 

Roque,  Brazil,  at  5°  south  latitude,  to  the  coast  of  Sierra  Leone,  would  be 

but  1500  miles  long.      The  ocean  voyage  from  Philadelphia  to  the  British 

Isles  is  practically  3000  miles  long.     Ships  going  eastward  are  helped  by  the 

Gulf  Stream,  and  in  coming  west,   by  keeping  well  up  over  the  Grand 

Banks,  are  speeded  by  the  Polar  Current,  which  sweeps  around  the  southern 

end  of  Newfoundland.  ^ 

IRivers  of 

The  ocean  is  full  of  vast  rivers — broad  ribbons  of  water  hund-  the  Sea 
reds  of  miles  in  width,  distinct  in  color  and  action.  The  strange,  beneficent 
phenomenon  which  we  call  the  "  Gulf  Stream,"  sweeps  across  the  Southern 
Ocean,  flows  along  the  South  and  Central  American  coasts,  curving  in  con- 
formity to  the  shore  lines,  makes  the  circuit  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and 
rushing  through  the  narrow  outlet  between  Key  West  and  Cuba,  swings 
northward  in  a  current  of  about  fifty  miles  per  diem  ;  spreading  out  with 
the  resistance  of  the  cold  under  streams  from  the  Polar  regions,  and  endow- 
ing our  latitude  with  a  climate  which,  without  this  great  natural  warm-water 
heater,  would  be  so  unendurable  as  to  probably  preclude  the  occupation  of 
this  part  of  the  world  by  human  beings.  Even  with  this  moderating  agency, 
ours  is  a  comparatively  cold  coast,  for  Atlantic  City  is  about  one  hundred 
miles  further  south  than  Naples  ;  while  Nice,  the  beautiful  semi-tropical 
winter  resort  of  Southern  France,  where  palm  trees  nod  and  thrive  in  the 
warm  atmosphere,  is  upon  the  latitude  of  Portland,  Maine.  Let  us  be 
thankful  for  the  wonderful  blue  Gulf  Stream,  over  the  western  margin  of 
which,  far  down  upon  the  horizon,  we  may  often  see  the  pearlv  rampart 
of  clouds. 

The  temperature  of  the  Gulf  Stream  opposite  the  New  Jersey  coast, 
in  the  warmest  of  its  three   bands,   that  nearest  the  coast,  is  in  winter  70 


55 


degrees,  in  spring  71  degrees,  in  summer 
80  degrees,  and  in  autumn  74  degrees. 
The  average  elevation  of  the  land 
of  this  globe  is  less  than  one-fifth  of  a 
mile,  while  the  average  depth  of  the  sea 
is  about  two  miles.  The  bulk  of  all 
the  dry  land  in  the  world,  when  considered  in  its  proportions  with  the 
sea,  is  but  one  in  thirty. 

The  greatest  depth  found  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  is  at  a  point  about 
one  hundred  miles  north  of  St.  Thomas,  W.  I.,  where  soundings  were  made 
to  four  and  four-tenths  miles. 

From  the  interesting  pages  of  Heston's  Hand  Book  of  Atlantic 
City,  we  are  permitted  to  add  to  this  chapter  of  ocean  lore  some  further 
interesting  facts. 

The  curvature  of  the  sea  level  in  one  mile  is  eight  inches,  in 
three  miles  it  is  six  feet,  and  in  five  miles  about  sixteen  feet.     There- 
fore, a  person  of  six  feet  in  height,  standing  upon  the  Boardwalk,  could  see 
an  object  upon  the  water  at  the  latter  distance. 

Water  more  than  sixty  fathoms  deep  appears  blue  ;  shallow  waters 
show  green.  The  waves  move  forward  but  the  water  does  not.  As  the  top 
of  the  wave  moves  faster  than  its  base,  due  to  the  lesser  friction,  it  presently 
topples  over  or  breaks  ;  this  generally  occurring  as  soon  as  anv  shallow  or 
submerged  obstruction  is  encountered. 

Sea  breezes  are  caused  by  the  action  of  the  sun  upon  the  air  above 
the  land.  During  the  day  time,  the  inland  air,  receiving  more  heat  than 
that  upon  the  water,  rises,  and  the  cooler  sea  air  rushes  in  to  till  the  vacuum. 
In  making  arrangements  to  this  effect,  nature  has  placed  the  residents  of 
Atlantic  City  under  a  sense  of  great  obligation. 

The  action  of  the  sea  in  its  perpetual  pounding  and  scouring  of  the 
New  Jersey  sands,  is  full  of  interest.     Shores  recede  and  advance.     To  the 


jf  act^  jf  roni 

iHc6ton'6 

■iHanC>=J6ook 


56 


south  of  Barnegat  all  of  the  beaches  wear  away  at  their  northeastern  ends 
and  the  inlets  work  southward;  above  Barnegat  the  inlets  work  to  thi 
northward.  Old  Cranberry  and  Shrewsbury  Inlets,  for  instance,  have 
worked  a  mile  or  more  to  the  northward;  while  important  changes  have 
taken  place  in  the  openings  and  shores  to  the  southward.  Long  Beach 
"made"  outside  of  Nickus  Beach,  and  closed  up  old  Little  Egg  Harbor 
Inlet  so  completely,  that  people  could  walk  across  at  low  tide.  New  Little 
Egg  Harbor  Inlet  was  formed  about  1800,  and  soon  afterward  ships  drawing 
twelve  feet  of  water  could  safely  pass  in  or  out. 

The  northeast  end  of  Absecon  Beach  is  much  older  than  the  shore 
further  south.  In  front  of  the  present  city  it  has  changed  greatly  since  the 
town  was  founded.  Mention  has  been  n.ade  of  the  cutting  away  toward 
the  lighthouse,  but  between  New  Jersey  and  Florida  avenues  it  has  advanced 
many  hundreds  of  feet.  Half  a  century  ago,  the  surf  line  was  about  where 
Haddon  Hall,  The  Chalf.mte,  Arlington  and  Brighton  Hotels  stand,  not  more 
than  a  block  from  Pacific  avenue. 

The  relative  fineness  of  the  sand  upon  a  beach  has  much  to  do  with 
its  character  for  stability  or  change.  When  the  tides  recede,  the  surface  of 
the  sand  dries,  and.  being  picked  up  by  the  sea-breeze,  is  whirled  landu'ard, 
sinking  into  little  heaps  around  every  bit  of  drift  or  herbage.  These  form 
small  "  leas,"  which  catch  still  further  sand,  and  soon  the  coarse  salt  grass 
springs  up  to  hold  it,  and  thus  the  ridges  grow.  Along  the  Virginia  coast, 
upon  such  islands  as  Broadwater,  the  ridges,  due  to  the  lightness  of  the 
sand,  have  become  very  high,  and  are  covered  with  dense  thickets.  Still 
further  south,  at  Currituck,  North  Carolina,  the  sand-hills  reach  the  greatest 
height  upon  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  completely  engulfing,  upon  the  landward 
side,  miles  of  forest  and  even  farm  houses. 

Hardly  less  interesting  than  the  sands  are  the  broad  marshes  formed 
behind  them,  plentifully  threaded  with  creeks  and  •■thoroughfares,"  which 
connect  with    the  uide  reaches  of    bays.     These  meadows  give  excellent 


57 


grazing  to  many  cattle  and  teem  with  wild  fowl.  A  curious  phenomenon  is 
seen  in  the  fresh  water  springs  which  come  to  their  surface,  where  the  kine 
and  the  birds  may  drink. 

The  sandy  area  of  Atlantic  County  is  about  4000  acres,  and  the  marsh 
area  38,000  acres. 

A  list  of  the  various  birds  found  along  the  coast,  including  both  those 
of  the  forest  and  aquatic  species,  gives  the  names  of  more  than  one  hundred 
kinds.  The  varieties  of  fish  are  still  more  numerous.  While  the  hunting 
and  fishing  is  not,  of  course,  what  it  was  in  the  early  days,  the  sportsman 
of  the  present  and  future  need  never  go  hungry  in  the  neighborhood  of 
these  waters. 


DAY   WITH    THK   BIRDS 


58 


atlantic  Citij. 


(tbapter  IDIF. 


.lOoavtiwaik 


The  spacious  permanent  Boardwalk  extending  along  the  immediate 
sea-front  for  a  distance  of  some  twenty-five  blocks,  and  continued  many 
tibc      blocks  to  the  westward  by  a  narrow  structure,  is  the  glory  of  the  city, 

and  in  many  respects,  its  most  profitable  investment.  It  is  the  rialto 
of  the  masses,  the  great  social  exchange  for  the  multitudes  from  the  scores 
of  large  hotels,  and  the  hundreds  of  lesser  establishments  and  cottages  so 


.ft.ftk  vv"  ^C,^'>'i(if'^(  ^'  'i^-^- 


* 


closely  packed  upon  the  costly  space  stretching  shoreward,  square  upon 
square.  It  is  a  pleasant  and  astonishing  "  Vanity  Fair,"  the  favorite  parade 
for  the  young  and  gay,  and  the  delightful  out-of-door  sanitarium  for  the  tired 
and  age-worn,  it  always  carries  the  aspect  of  festivity,  suggesting  a  pano- 
rama of  life  in  all  its  phases.  With  every  hour  of  the  day,  and  in  every 
season,  every  condition  of  weather  its  aspects  change.       From  this  sun-lit 


59 


gallery,  one  may  watch  the  sparkle  of  the  glorious  sea  in  its  tender  moods, 
or  face  the  tempest  when  the  billows  break  and  war  incessantly  beneath 
the  foot.  Along  its  iron  rail  in  the  bathing  hour  of  a  summer's  morning, 
the  people  cluster  like  bees,  to  watch  the  other  multitudes  gathered  upon 
the  warm  gray  sands  or  splashmg  in  the  rollers  with  all  the  abandon  of 
children.      Upon  the  outward  side  all  is  majesty,  breadth  and  mystery.      It 

is  the  edge  of  the  world.    Upon 
the   other  is  ranged   the 
thousand  and  one  devices 
of  the  trader,  a  far- 
stretching  chain 
of  temptations, 


every  link  of  \\  hich  has  its  own  particular  form  and  attraction.  It  is  a  gaunt- 
let which  few  run  from  end  to  end,  without  stopping  to  pay  tribute.  Per- 
haps it  would  be  impossible  to  accurately  estimate  the  volume  of  the  traffic 
enjoyed  by  the  owners  of  these  gay  pavilions  and  shops  upon  Atlantic  City's 
"Midway,"  but  it  must  run  into  the  hundreds  of  thousands  every  year,  and 
the  total  of  rentals  when  considered  might  make  one  dizzy.     It  is  a  great 


60 


object-lesson  upon  the  potency  of  success.  Nearly  every  human  want  has 
its  ministers  here.  Its  multitude  of  signs  and  banners  catch  and  confuse  the 
eye,  the  dazzle  of  the  scene  banishes  every  prudent  resolve  at  economy,  and 
so  the  holiday  crowds  surge  to  and  fro,  in  and  out  of  the  portals  of  temples, 
theatres,  casinos,  piers  and  bazaars,  scattering  the  currency  of  the  realm 
with  a  reckless  prodigality,  truly  American,  and  those  who  spread  their 
wares  in  the  sight  of  the  visitor  are  rejoiced  with  prosperity.  How  barren 
would  be  the  Boardwalk  without  its  shows  and  shops,  and  after  all,  how 
much  the  visitor  can  get  there  for  the  money  spent  !  Many  of  the  stores, 
notably  those  dealjng  in  foreign  wares,  carry  superb  and  costly  stocks,  for- 
tunes in  bric-a-brac.  The  theatres  present  excellent  entertainments,  the 
merry-go-rounds,  the  razzle-dazzle,  Ferris  wheels  and  temples  of  mystery, 
all  afford  startling  sensations,  at  the  smallest  possible  price  of  admission, 
while  it  is  well  known  that  the  oriental  giants  and  fat  women  are  quite  as 
ponderous  as  they  are  depicted  upon  the  canvas  in  front  of  their  abiding 
places,  and  the  anacondas  are  as  ferocious  as  the  most  captious  could  wish. 
Handsome  pavilions,  reserved  for  the  guests  of  the  principal  hotels,  are  fre- 
quent along  the  promenade,  together  with  many  extensive  bathing-houses, 
enclosing  large  swimming-tanks,  some    of  whiLh  are  in  use  throughout  the 

year.  _ 

i^bc  pleaeurc 

Projected  from  this  hurly-burly  of  pleasure,  far  out  into  the  BMtr!3 
surf,  are  three  vast  piers  upon  which  are  built  expansive  concert  halls, 
restaurants  and  pavilions.  The  most  costly  and  elaborate  of  these  struc- 
tures, thus  daringly  built  above  the  restless  surge  of  old  ocean,  is  the 
one  constructed  by  the  Atlantic  City  Steel  Pier  Company,  at  a  cost  of 
$200,000.  All  day  long,  and  far  into  the  night  the  piers  are  crowded,  the 
KoarOwalh  military  bands  play  on,  while  the  summer  rolls  merrily  along. 
©Mmpecs  A  tramp  along  the  Boardwalk  from  the  breezy  Inlet  away  down  to 
the  old  Excursion  House  is  a  constitutional.  It  would  more  than  satisfy 
the    inveterate    old    sea-dog    one    always    tinds    among    the    passengers  of 


61 


the    bii;    Transatlantic     liners    who 

makes    his    regular    mileage    along 

the  lee  side  of    the  deck   every   day 

of   the    voyage.       Indeed,    such   a   walk 

;    this   is    not    unlike   the   appetizer   one 

take   at   sea. 

Up  around  the  Inlet  at  the  eastern  extreme  of  the  island,  where  the 
white  fleets  of  sloops  are  always  speeding  up  and  down,  and  where  the 
rollers  used  to  sweep  in  so  perilously  close  to  the  big  shapely  lighthouse, 
there  are  acres  upon  acres  of  made  land,  now  being  rapidly  covered  by 
stylish  modern  cottages.  In  this  section,  one  of  the  finest  improvements  is 
seen  at  Gramercy  Place,  an  extension  of  .Arctic  avenue.  Here  the  centre 
of  the  roadway  is  occupied  by  raised  intervals  of  grass,  along  which,  as  well 
as  upon  the  curbs,  are  ranged  pedestals  of  Pompeian  brick,  similar  to  those 
guarding  the  entrance  to  St.  Charles  Place,  and  surmounted  by  handsome 
lanterns. 

The  greater  hotels  are  nearly  all  between  Pacific  avenue  and  the 
ocean  front,  most  of  them  in  touch  with  the  Boardwalk.  Proceeding  south 
and  west  from  the  Inlet  along  the  Boardwalk,  these,  and  the  other  principal 
features  of  the  fashionable  side  of  town,  come  into  view  in  the  following 
order : 

Rhode  Island  Avenue:  The  Senate. 

Massachusetts  Avenue:  The  Lelande.     The  iron  Pier. 

The  Japanese  Tea  Garden  occupies  most  of  the  next  block. 

New  Jersey  Avenue:   The  Rudolf. 

St.  Charles  Place:  The  St.  Charles. 

States  Avenue,  a  very  broad  highway,  is  bordered  almost  entirely  by 
cottages. 

Maryland  Avenue:  The  Imperial,  Hotel  Portland  and  the  Scarborough. 
Several  extensive  bathing-houses  front  on  the  Boardwalk. 


62 


Virginia  Avenue:  The  Isiesworth,  Ponce  de  Leon,  Majestic,  Berkshire 
Inn,  Brookehurst,  Grand  Atlantic,  Irvington,  Wiltshire,  Ardmore,  Monterey, 
Linden  Hall,  Clarendon  and  Albemarle. 

At  the  foot  of  this  avenue,  opposite  the  Jackson  Bath  House,  is  the 
new  Atlantic  City  Steel  Pier. 

Pennsylvania  Avenue  :  The  Seaside,  Hotel  Hoffman  and  the  Lehman. 

North  Carolina  Avenue  :  Haddon  Hall  and  Chalfonte. 

South  Carolina  Avenue  :  Somers  Casino,  Hotel  Warwick,  Tudor  Hall, 
Manhattan,  Stanley  and  Mentone. 

Ocean  Avenue  :  The  Toboggan  Slide,  The  Crystal  Maze.  This  is  a 
cottage  avenue. 

Tennessee  Avenue  :  The  west  side  is  occupied  by  a  range  of  twenty 
hotels,  the  Rossmore,  near  Pacific  Avenue,  being  the  largest. 

In  the  succeeding  block,  which  was  the  scene  of  the  great  fire  of 


last  season,  preparations  are  being  made  to  build  a  number  of  costly  hotels 
and  other  structures. 

In  front  of  this  block  is  Young's  Pier,  e.xtending  2000  feet  into  the 
surf.     This  has  been  largely  rebuilt  and  greatly  improved  this  season. 

New    York    Avenue :     Academy   of  Music,    The  Bryn   Mawr  Hotel, 


63 


ALONG  1  HE 
SEA  FRONT, 
LOOKING  EA: 


Metropole,  Hotel  Koopman,  The  Maryland,  Berkshire  Inn,  Chester  Inn  and 
several  other  medium  hotels. 

Kentucky    Avenue :    The   Stratford,    Berkely,    Evard,    Kenilworth, 
Hotel  de  Ville,   Wellington,   Runnymede,    Boscobel,   Westminster,   Willard, 


Luray,  Norwood,  Wetherill,  Hotel  Riclimond  and  otlier  lesser  establishments. 

Bew's  Hotel  is  one  of  the  few  fronting  immediately  upon  the  Board- 
walk. 

Illinois  Avenue  :  The  Windsor  and  the  Traymore  occupy  opposite 
sides  of  this  street.  Just  beyond  is  the  handsome  Casino  building  with  its 
elaborate  baths,  parlors,  ballroom  and  gardens. 

Indiana  Avenue  :  The  Hotel  Brighton,  and  opposite  is  the  large  costly 
cottage  of  Mr.  Fred.  Hemsley,  owner  of  the  Brighton  and  the  Casino. 
Between  this  cottage  and  the  sea  is  handsome  Brighton  Park. 

Park  Place  :  The  grounds  and  building  of  the  Convent  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  face  Brighton  Park,  and  beyond,  toward  Pacific  A\enue,  are  the 
Cliatham,  the  Revere  and  some  other  houses.  The  Mercer  Memorial  House 
being  at  the  corner  of  Pacific  Avenue. 


64 


Ohio  Avenue  :  A  large  space  is  occupied  by  the  buildings  of  the 
admirable  Seashore  House  for  Invalid  Children.  (See  chapter  devoted  to 
this  charity.) 

Michigan  Avenue :  Hotel  Dennis,  The  Shelbourne,  Pennhurst, 
Arlington  and  Edison. 

Arkansas  Avenue  :  The  Fortescue,  and  many  other  moderate-sized 
hotels,  crowd  this  avenue,  and  along  this  section  the  Boardwalk  is  lined 
with  restaurants,  bath  and  amuse- 
ment pavilions,  etc.,  the  same  being 
true  of  Missouri  Avenue. 

The  Boardwalk  extends  in 
its  full  width  several  blocks  fur- 
ther, merging  at  Texas  Avenue, 
into  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
old  walk.  This  marks  the  limits 
of  the  closely  built  portion  of  the 
city,  which,  however,  is  rapidly 
spreading  toward  pleasant  and  mod- 
ern Chelsea  just  beyond. 

It   is  expected  that  the  per- 
manent   Boardwalk    will    soon    be 
extended  west  from  Texas  Avenue 
through  Chelsea,  as  this  progressive  suburl 
replace  the  old  wooden  walk'  which  at  present  exists  upon  its  sea  front. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  the  Boardwalk-  and  its  miles  of  clustered 
structures,  form  but  the  frame  for  the  real  picture  seen  in  the  \ast  cosmo- 
politan. The  true  interest  is  in  the  cosmopolitans  who  are  there  to  serve 
and  to  be  served.  The  surging  throngs  that  pass  and  repass,  hour  after 
hour,  upon  a  summer's  da\'  find  abundant  diversion  in  the  orientals  who 
border  their  pathway-,  displaying  strange  and  beautiful  wares  filled  with  the 


niunc\'  tu 


65 


rich  colorings  of  eastern  dyes,  and  fasliioned  vvitii  the  fantastic  designs  of  far- 
away lands:  they  are  beguiled  by  the  comic  mountebank,  and  enthralled  by 
the  promise  of  a  glimpse  into  the  future  by  the  shrewd  devotees  of  astrology. 
The  life  of  the  world  is  arrayed  here  in  all  its  \aried  panoply  to  amuse 
and  divert,  but,  after  all,  the  greatest,  most  impressive,  most  interest-  ^^^^  Summer 
ing  sight  is  the  vast,  well-dressed,  well-mannered,  happy-faced  crowd  flHultituDcs 
of  Americans,  bent  solely  upon  enjoyment,  thousands  and  thousands  of  them, 
a  marching  army  of  men  and  women,  with  half  a  dozen  policemen  to  keep 
them  in  order.  In  any  other  country  it  would  take  regiments  of  armed 
troops,  and  at  such  a  sight  reigning  monarchs  would  tremble  in  their  palaces. 
There  are  days  in  summer  when  the  population  of  Atlantic  City  is  reinforced 
by  scores  of  e.xcursion  trains,  until  the  avenues,  the  Boardwalk  and  the 
beach  are  black  with  masses  of  pleasure  seekers  who  aggregate  a  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand.  Such  a  scene  as  this,  familiar  enough  in  the  metropolis 
of  the  sea,  would  carry  confusion,  turmoil,  perhaps  anarchy  in  its  wake,  in 
any  other  land.  It  is  a  most  inspiring  object-lesson  to  the  student,  of  the 
characteristics  of  a  free  people. 

That  this  modern  phenomenon  is  possible,  is  due  to  the  orderly  instincts 
of  the  people  who  come  here ;  to  the  railroads  which  provide  such 
unequalled    excursion     facilities,    and    to    the    government    of     the    cit\' 

which,  tolerating  much, 
still  enforces  respect  for 
the  rights  of  all. 

To  the  wonders  of 
America,  as  known  to 
travelers  from  other  parts 
of  the  world,  must  soon 
be  added  the  new  sub- 
ject, "A  Sunday  Crowd 
at  Atlantic  City  in  July." 


atlantic  <l\ts>.        Cbaptcr  I^IIII. 


Atlantic  avenue,  which  as  surveyed  extends  some  nine  miles,  was  in 

the  long-ago  days  of  local  history  the  principal  hotel  street  from  which  more 

or  less  precarious  board  footwa\-s  wandered  across  the  sand  dunes  , 

^  ■  Htlantic  avenue 

to  the  little   coops  of   bathing   houses   that  dotted  the  high  water  mark. 


a  Orcat 


A  local  regulation  requires  that  all  new  buildings  through  the  heart 
of  the  city  upon  Atlantic  avenue  shall  be  fireproof,  and  many  substantial 
public  and   business   buildings   are   the    result.      Among   the   most 
striking  buildings  of   a  permanent  character  upon  Atlantic  avenue  _    ^_ 

are  those  of  the  Union  National,  Second  National  and  Atlantic  City        Cboroucibtarc 
National  Banks.      The  Real  Estate  and  Law  Building  is  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  city.     The  "Elks"  Building  at  .Maryland  avenue  and  the  Neptune 
Hose  House  are  handsome  structures. 


67 


Banks  are  the  most  positive  evidence  of  general  prosperity.  The 
institutions  mentioned  above  should  have  more  than  passing  notice. 

The  Union  National  Bank  was  organized  August   14th,   1890,  with 
Mr.   Allen   B.   Hndicott,   President;  Mr,  E.  P.  Williams,  Vice-President  and 
Mr.  J.  G.  Hammer,  Cashier. 

The  Bank  opened  for  business  October 
nth,  i8go,  at  their  temporary  office.  No.  1726 
Atlantic  avenue.  On  the  23d  of  February, 
1892,  the  Bank  moved  to  its  present  building 
at  the  corner  of  Atlantic  and  Kentucky  aves. 
Mr.  J.  M.  Aikman  was  elected  Cashier,  April 
14th,  1892,  and  in  1894  Mr.  Smith  Conover 
was  appointed  Vice-President,  on  resignation 
of  Doctor  Williams.  The  present  Board  of 
[directors  consists  of  A.  B.  Endicott,  Smith 
Conover,  C.  J.  Adams,  F.  A.  Souder,  Thomp- 
son Irvin,  F.  J.  Dickerson,  A.  H.  Bailey,  J.  H.  Lippincott,  Lewis  P.  Scott, 
J.  D.  Southwick  and  George  H.  Jackson.  A.  B.  Endicott,  President ;  Smith 
Conover,  Vice-President,  and  J.  M.  Aikman,  Cashier. 

Their  deposits  aggregate  $400,000,  and  surplus  and  undivided  profits, 
$45,000. 

From  their  central  location  and  their  courteous  and  liberal  treatment 
of  depositors  their  prospects  for  a  large  and  rapid  increase  of  business  are  very 
bright. 

The  Second  National  Bank  has  won  a  reputation  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most financial  institutions  of  Atlantic  City,  being  noted  for  its  fairness  and 
ample  accommodations  to  the  public.  Its  building  is  one  of  the  most  artistic 
and  striking  objects  upon  this  busy  avenue. 

The  capital  of  the  bank  is  $100,000  ;  undivided  profit,  $75,000  ;  aver- 
age deposits,  $750,000.     President,  George  F.  Currie;  Cashier,  L.  A.  Down. 


68 


SECOND 

NATIONAL  BANK, 
ATLANTIC  AVENUE 


Ample  banking  accommodations  like 
those  afforded  by  such  institutions  as 
Second  National  Bank,  have  far  more 
than  local  significance,  as  they  often 
determine  the  visit  and  length  of  stay 
of  families  of  wealth,  resident  in  the 
large  cities,  whose   heads  must 
keep  in  touch  with  the  financial 
world.     No  single  influence  has 
contributed  more  to  the  growth  of 
Atlantic  City  than  its  group  of  banks. 

Among  the  business  houses  of  Atlantic  City,  the  important  branch 
concern  of  the  Bergner  &  Engel  Brewing  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  occupies  an 
important  place.  The  long  established  popularity  of  the  Bergner  &  Engel 
beers  at  the  shore  has  been  greatly  increased  by  the  facilities  offered 
to  the  Atlantic  City  dealers,  who  have  been  uniformly  loyal  and  apprecia- 
tive of  the  progressive  spirit  shown  in  erecting  the  handsome  building  de- 
voted by  the  company  to  its  large  business  at  this  point. 

The  relative  importance  of  good  beer  in  satisfying  the  multitudes  who 
resort  to  this  great  pleasure  city,  and  in  affording  at  all  times  a  reliable  and 
healthful  summer^ beverage  cannot  be  over-estimated.  There  is  something 
especially  felicitous  in  the  union  of  a  bottle  of  B.  &  E.  and  the  cooling 
breezes  of  old  ocean  in  their  soothing  effect  upon  tired  and  over-heated 
humanity,  which  has  just  poured  down  from  the  crowded  and  stifling 
city  for  a  blessed  smell  of  the  salt  air  and  a  ramble  along 
the  Boardwalk. 
.  •  .,   Pacific  avenue  will  probably  always  remain,  as 

now,  the  leading  cottage  street.     Many        ipacific  Svemic 
of  the  finest  private  homes  in  the  city  are 
ranged  along  its  length.    Most  of  the  churches 


are  also  upon  this  avenue,  and  at  the  corner  of  Illinois  avenue  is  the 
costly  Garden  Hotel,  seven  floors  in  height.  Among  the  churclies  are 
the  First  Presbyterian  at  Pennsylvania  avenue,  the  First  Baptist  and  St. 
James  (Episcopal),  North  Carolina  avenue,  the  Central  Methodist 
.  and  Friends'  Meeting  House  at  South  Carolina  avenue,  German  Presby- 

terian at  Ocean  avenue,  St.  Nicholas  (Catholic)  at  Tennessee  avenue, 
Church  of  the  Ascension  (Episcopal)  at  Kentucky  avenue,  St.  Paul's 
(Methodist)  at  Ohio  avenue,  St.  Andrew's  (Lutheran)  at  Michigan  avenue, 
and  St.  Monica  (Catholic)  at  California  avenue. 
1In  tbc  bubiirbe  j,^g,  ^^^^^^  ,^^,^j^  ^^  Atlantic  City  and  its  suburbs,  as  the  growing  set- 
tlements down  the  beach  may  be  termed,  is  full  of  suggestion.  The  whole 
shore  front,  extending  from  the  Inlet  to  Longport,  has  been  plotted  into  ave- 
nues, those  parallel  with  the  sea  being  continuations  of  Atlantic,  Pacific  and 
the  other  principal  avenues.  About  130  blocks  are  located  in  these  nine 
miles.  In  Chelsea,  Chelsea  Heights,  Leonard,  Ventnor,  South  Atlantic 
City,  and  in  Longport,  miles  of  grading  have  been  done,  and  fine  avenues 
now  extend  where  not  long  since  there  existed  nothing  but  a  waste  of  sand 
hills,  reminders  of  the  site  of  Atlantic  City  in  its  original  state.  In  all  of 
these  places  many  attractive  hotels,  private  cottages  and  other  permanent 

structures  have  been  built.     The  electric  railway  binds  the  whole      a  DMcaeant 

1  J    i        -^       1    J   I      ■  £    ^  ui  -^        IRoiind  Crip 

group   by  a   rapid   transit  schedule   in    very   comfortable   cars,    its 

termini  being  at  the  Inlet  and  at  the  steamboat  wharf  in  Longport,  where 

it  connects   witli  the  ferry  steamers  for  Ocean  City  and  Somers'  Point. 

The  fare  for  the  eight  miles  is  ten  cents.     In  summer  the  cars  are  open. 

The  boats  plying  from  Longport  are  large,  handsome  craft,  regular  pleasure 

yachts  in  fact,  and  form  a  part  of  a  beautiful  round  trip,  costing  thirty  cents, 

the  return  from  Somers'  Point  being  upon  the  dummy  train  via  Pleasant\ille. 

In  considering  the  still   unoccupied  territory   which   will   afford  an 

opportunity  to   the   Atlantic    City   of   the   future    in    which  to  grow,   the 

beach   upon    Brigantine    must   be   included.      A  great   deal   of   work    has 


70 


been  done  here  in  the  dii'ection  of  development.  The  Brigantine  Transit 
Company  operates  a  ferry  line  from  its  pier  near  the  Inlet  and  also  a  rail- 
road along  the  beach  to  Little  Egi;  Harbor  Inlet  seven  miles  away.  The 
charge  for  the  round  trip  is  25  cents.  TRoom  to  Spread 

But  eleven  per  cent,  of  the  total  area  of  Absecon  Island  is  yet  built 
upon,  a  fact  which  may  serve  to  impress  such  people  who  have  concluded 
that  the  day  for  making  money  in  Atlantic  City  real  estate  has  gone  by. 
There  are  still  plenty  of  fortunes  awaiting  the  future  operator  along  the 
Jersey  coast  beside  those  buried  there  by  Captain  Kidd. 

In  the  winter  and  spring  of  1897,  and  for  a  year  or  so  anterior  to  this 
time,  a  vast  amount  of  work  was  found  for  the  army  of  carpenters,  masons 
and  other  mechanics  in  the  building  trades,  in  the  very  general  enlargement 
of  the  principal  hotels,  following  a  great  tidal  wave  of  summer  prosperity. 
In  the  spring  of  1898  these  same  busy  workers  were  employed  upon  a  great 
number  of  high  class  private  cottages.  These  are  being  built  in  all  parts  of 
the  city  and  its  outer  borders.  A  wonderful  transformation  is  being  wrought 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Inlet.  Upon  long  neglected  territory  beautiful 
streets  are  now  projected  down  to  the  surf  upon  one  hand  and  far  out  upon 
the  meadows  to  the  thoroughfare  and  "  basins  "  upon  the  other,  and  hand- 
some cottages,  in  the  best  style  of  seashore  architecture,  are  springing  up 
from  the  ground  as  if  by  magic.  The  endless  variety  of  these  homes  is 
bewildering,  and  the  confidence  shown  by  those  who  thus  elect  this  as  a 
summer  residence  is  one  of  the  surest  indications  of  the  greatness  which 
still  awaits  the   "  City  by  the  Sea." 

The  permanent  population  of  Atlantic  City  in  1898  may  probably 
be  safeK'  put  as  high  as  25,000.  In  the  summer  season  it  may,  at 
times,  be  multiplied  by  five  or  six.  The  systematic,  orderly,  tranquil  way 
in  which  this  remarkable  place  absorbs  an  army  of  visitors  e.xceeding 
200,000  persons,  all  eager,  hungry  and  importunate — finds  subsistence  and 
beds  for  all  of  them  and  keeps  them  amused  and  happ\-  between  meals — is 


71 


one  of  the  wonders  of  tlie  time.  Any  other  resort  would  get  "  rattled  "  by 
such  prodigious  patronage.  Nothing  disturbs  tiie  mental  poise  of  the  citizen 
here,  whether  he  owns  a  hotel,  a  store  or  a   bazaar.      He  knows  that  the 

people  and  their  money  will  be 
along  in  due  time  and  that  "hard 
times  "  can't  "  down  "  the  season 
to  come. 

In  connection  with  Atlantic  City 
the  summer  travel  books  issued  by 
the  railroad  companies  each  season 
contain  a  list  of  about  400  hotels 
and  boarding  houses  with  location, 
terms  of  board,  etc.  Each  of  these,  big  and  little,  has  its  list  of  regular 
patrons,  and  thus,  in  a  certain  sense,  the  people  upon  the  arri\'al  of  the 
long  trains  sort  themselves  out. 

One  of  the  most  important  lines  of  effort  ever  made  by  the  authori- 
ties and  hotel  managers  of  Atlantic  City  has  been  its  determined  hid  for 
convention  business.  There  are  held  in  the  United  States  every  year  more 
than  1,000  regular  conventions  representing  almost  every  possible  human 
interest.  The  railroad  companies  all  over  the  land  from  one  ocean  to  the 
other  are  in  constant  correspondence  in  the  interest  of  these  gatherings,  a 
large  proportion  of  which  are  itinerant  and  thus,  within  a  wide  radius  at 
least,  open  to  the  allurements  of  the  seashore.  The  convention  element  is 
usually  composed  of  intelligent  and  substantial  people  of  the  middle  classes. 
They  are  well  worth  looking  after  as  they  are  sure  to  go  home  and  spread 
the  fame  of  Atlantic  City's  greatness  far  and  wide. 

During  the  summer  of  1897,  the  influential  Trades'  League  of  Phila- 
delphia, an  organization  of  above  two  thousand  firms,  having  for  its  object 
the  development  of  the  city's  trade,  was  instrumental,  in  co-operation  with 
the  Railroad  Companies,  in  bringing  to  Philadelphia  a  series  of  eleven  large 


72 


excursions  of  merchants  and  their  families,  from  various  sections  of  the 
United  States.  In  the  programme  prepared  for  their  pleasure,  a  liberal  por- 
tion of  the  time  was  wisely  given  to  Atlantic  City.  The  public  officials  and 
hotel  proprietors  gladly  seconded  the  efforts  of  the  Trades'  League  in  making 
these  excursionists  "  at  home."  It  was  decidedly  the  most  effective  ^  „  .  ^, 
advertisement  this  resort  has  ever  gained.  Call 

As  a  pleasant  sequel,  on  December  2nd,  1897,  a  committee  of  Atlantic 
City's  officials,  business  and  hotel  men  presented  to  the  Trades'  League,  at 
its  beautiful  rooms  in  the  Bourse,  a  highly  artistic  copy  of  resolutions  duly 
adopted  at  a  meeting  held  for  the  purpose,  thanking  the  Trades'  League  for 
its  valued  recognition  as  an  essential  in  a  summer  visit  to  the  Quaker  City. 
In  reply  to  the  address  of  presentation  made  by  Mayor  Sooy,  Mr.  Thomas 
Martindale,  the  Chairman  of  the  Special  Committee  upon  Merchants'  Excur- 
sions, made  the  following  remarks,  which  embody  so  much  of  prophesy  and 
suggestion,  that  by  request  they  were  afterwards  printed  and  illustrated. 
By  permission  of  Mr.  Martindale,  the  pamphlet  is  reproduced  that  its  con- 
tents may  be  more  effectually  preserved. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  : 

As  you  are  all  busy  men — even  now  there  is  hardly  one  of  you  but  is 
occasionally  taking  hold  of  his  watch-chain  and  nervously  thinking  of  the 
time — I  will  be  brief.  In  the  first  place,  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen, 
these  Resolutions  ought  properly  to  be  inscribed  (in  addition  to  the  Trades' 
League)  to  the  Passenger  Railroads  centering  in  our  city,  and  also  to  the 
entire  Press  of  Philadelphia,  which  accomplished  so  much  in  giving  wide 
publicity  to  those  excursions  that  have  been  the  means  of  bringing  us 
together  in  such  a  happ\'  manner.  1  never  knew  the  Philadelphia  news- 
papers to  be  so  united  on  any  one  topic  ;  but  on  this  theme  of  theirs,  and 
ours,  of  last  summer — that  of  trying  to  help  Philadelphia  and  Atlantic  City 
by  bringing  great  multitudes  to  both  cities — every  single  one  of  them  rolled 


73 


Hf>v 


about 


up  its  sleeves  and  spread  the  printers'  ini<  for  all  it  was  worth.  And  the 
railroad  officials  were  equally  liberal  in  granting  many  excursions,  which 
were  run  upon  the  most  generous  plan,  both  as  to  the  quick  movement  of 
the  trains,  and  their  sumptuous  accommodations. 

I  am  a  great  believer  in  advertising,  not  only  in  advertising  the  indi- 
vidual business  but  in  advertising  a  city  as  well.  Where  a  business  is 
"  run  down  at  the  heel  "  the  first  thing  a  business  man  should  do  is 
to  advertise.  A  community  following  one  common  purpose  to  ele- 
vate and  improve  the  business  of  their  city  or  town,  can  doit  better  by 
advertising  their  interests,  as  a  city,  than  by  any  other  method.  Atlantic 
City  shows  a  good  example  to  all  her  sister  cities,  by  being  the  foremost 
in  advertising,  and  it  is  on  that  account,  more  perhaps  than  any  other,  that 
it  has  become  the  Brighton  of  Philadelphia,  as  Brighton 
is  now  the  Atlantic  City  of  London. 

My  first  trip  to  Atlantic  City  was  in  1875.  O" 
that  occasion  I  reached  the  shore  in  three  hours,  but 
when  1  arrived  there  I  was  covered  from  head  to 
foot  with  dust  and  dirt  and  cinders.  It  took  me 
four  hours  to  get  back  home.  The  result  was,  that  I 
was  so  tired  and  worn  out  I  had  a  horror  of  Atlantic 
City  for  a  long  time  afterward,  and  1  did  not  revisit 
the  place  for  several  years. 
As  an  idea  of  what  the  transportation  facilities  to  Atlantic  City  may 
become  in  the  next  twenty-five  years  I  would  call  your  attention  to  the 
remarks  of  Mr.  D.  B.  Martin,  General  Passenger  Agent  of  the  B.  &  O.  R.  R. 
in  his  speech  made  before  the  General  Passenger  Agents  of  the  United 
States  in  St.  Louis,  October  19,  1897.  Mr.  Martin  said:  "  The  locomo- 
tive has  reached  its  utmost  development  and  will  soon  be  overshadowed  by 
the  application  of  electricity.  The  inventive  world  is  filled  with  the  ghosts 
and  shadows  of  inventions  that  are  useful  and  accomplish  the  purpose  of 


36\i(lonc 
©iscomt'orts 


74 


the  inventors.  The  first  stage  of  an  improvement  is  the  accomplishment  of 
certain  results  ;  the  second,  and  equally  as  important,  whether  these  results 
can  be  attained  at  a  cost  which  will  justify  their  use.  In  the  adoption, 
therefore,  of  electricity  to  the  steam  railroad,  we  are  in  the  second  ®  forecast 
stage  of  its  development.  The  problem  yet  to  be  determined  is,  assuming 
that  the  railroad  system  now  operated  by  steam  can  obtain  the  same  results 
with  electricity,  will  the  increased  cost  result  in  increased  traffic  ?  Then,  if 
the  electric  power  should  develop  a  speed  greater  than  steam,  the  distance 
across  the  continent  would  be  minimized,  and  the  business  man  who  takes  his 
breakfast  in  New  York  could  dine  in  St.  Louis  and  sup  in  San  Francisco, 
while  the  span  of  the  continent  would 
be  as  hours  instead  of  days." 

Thus,  gentlemen,  in  twenty- 
five  years  from  now,  according  to  this 
General  Passenger  Agent's  prediction 
it  may  be  possible  for  a  man  to  start 
from  New  \'ork  and  land  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  one  day.  If  this  can  be  ac- 
complished, or  anything  like  it,  why  may  we  not  e.xpect  that  the  distance      fifteen 

MINUTES  TO 

between  Philadelphia  and  Atlantic  City  can  be  covered  in  less  than  fifteen      the  shore 
minutes,  or  say,  in  the  same  time  it  now  takes  us  to  go  to  our  homes  in 
West  Philadelphia,  from  the  centre  of  the  city  ? 

In  closing  his  address  Mr.  Martin  said  :  '•  From  horse-power  through 
the  city  of  Baltimore  at  the  rate  of  one  mile  an  hour  to  that  of  electricity 
at  si.xty  miles  an  hour,  in  one  generation,  is  such  an  advance  that  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  future  can  hardly  be  conjectured,  and  the  rapid  progress  that 
has  been  made  in  the  application  of  this  wonderful  motor  justifies  the  belief 
that  the  days  of  smoke,  steam  and  fuel  anno\'ances  are  numbered. 

Within  the  last  year  a  bicycle  path  between  Philadelphia  and  your 
city  has  been  built  at  considerable  expense,  which  enables  the  cycler  or 


75 


the    "cyclist  crank"   that  turns   the   crank,  to   pedal    his   way   down  to 
Atlantic  City  in  from  two  hours  and  forty-seven  minutes  (which  I  think  is 
the  record)  to  ten  hours.     I  believe  that  this  bicycle  path  will  in  the  future 
be  supplemented   by  a    broad   highway  on  which  we  can  ride  our       cvclina  to 
wheels  down  with  comfort  in  wet  days  as  well  as  in  the  sunshine       ^^'-  ^'■''' 
— a   grand    road,  with    a    broad    and    smooth    surface — a    modern    Appian 
Way,  upon  which  the  rich       and  pleasure-loving  people,  blessed  with  fine 
horses,    can    drive      _^  ■S^i^^       down    from    Philadelphia    in    their    car- 
riages, leaving    here  in   the   morning 
and  reaching  your  luxurious  hotels  in 
the  evening  of  the  same  day. 

The  first  stage  in  the  develop- 
ment of   the  United  States  as  far  as 
buildings  are  concerned  was  the  era  of 
A  TRANS-     ^he  log  house  or  cabin.     And  the  next  was  that  of  the  frame  structure. 

JERSEY  DRIVE 

Atlantic  City  has  reached  this  latter  stage  and  amplified  it  to  its  greatest 
limit,  as  your  modern  frame  palaces  fully  demonstrate  ;  but  the  next 
twenty-five  years  will  show  your  buildings  to  be,  as  they  must  be, 
of  iron  and  stone  and  of  brick,  as  a  measure  of  economy,  as  well  as 
safety.  a  port  of 

I  have  a  dream  that  within  the  next  twenty-five  years  Atlan-       Entry? 
tic  City  will  be  made  a  port  of  entry,  as  well  as  a  harbor  of  refuge,  which 
should  have  been  an  accomplished  fact  years  and  years  ago. 

Last  season  an  innovation  in  the  method  of  conducting  business 
between  our  city,  on  the  waters  of  the  Delaware,  and  yours  on  the  sands  of 
the  great  ocean,  was  made  by  some  of  our  leading  houses  of  trade,  in  can- 
vassing for  orders  in  your  city,  and  delivering  the  goods  in  their  own  wagons 
at  your  very  doors.  This  innovation  no  doubt  will  broaden  so  that  most 
of  the  large  houses  will  conform  to  it  in  future  seasons,  and  in  addition  there- 
to a  number  of  houses  will  open  branches  of  their  business  within  your 


76 


borders,  equipping  their  stores  in  a  manner  befitting  the  character  of  their 
home  concerns,  and  of  your  increased  demands. 

Your  postal  facilities  will  be  largely  bettered  and  increased.  When 
I  first  went  to  Atlantic  City  you  had  but  two  mails  a  day  and  no  free 
delivery.  Now  you  have  a  free  delivery  four  times  a  day,  and  I  predict 
that  it  will  be  increased  in  the  future  to  a  delivery  every  sixty  minutes. 
At  the  time  1  speak  of  we  had  no  telephone.  We  now  have  it  from  Phila- 
delphia to  Atlantic  City,  but  have  to  pay  fifty  cents  every  time  we  use  it  to 
telephone  to  you  or  for  you  to  telephone  to  us,  and  the  telephone  company 
takes  care  that  the  charges  are  surely  paid.  The  time  will  come  when,  as 
a  subscriber,  you  can  talk  to  us  in  Philadelphia  or  we  to  you  in  Atlantic 
City,  without  extra  charge,  just  as  we  do  now  to  Germantown,  West  Phil- 
adelphia or  Camden. 

To  you  hotel  men  I  want  to  say  a  few  words,  not  in  the  line  of  criti- 
cism, but  as  a  stimulus  to  the  great  work  of  improvement  and  progress  that 
is  in  store  for  you  in  the  years  to  come.  You  have  done  well  in  the  past  ; 
you  must  do  equally  well  in  the  future.  Here  are  some  things  that  I 
think,  and  believe  you  will  accomplish.  I  see,  in  the  future,  a  grand 
museum  erected  in  Atlantic  City,  not  a  catch-penny  affair  with  a  hand- 
organ  playing  at  the  door,  with  an  admission  fee  of  five,  or  ten,  or  twentv- 
flve  cents,  but  a  noble  museum  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  projected  an  anuarium 
and  maintained  upon  a  liberal  scale  and  supported  either  by  your  Hotel 
Men's  Association,  or  by  your  city,  for  the  instruction  and  entertainment  of 
the  good  people  that  come  to  you  from  out  the  world  at  large.  I  also  see  an 
aquarium  established  upon  a  generous  plan.  Why  should  \ou  not  have  this 
aid  to  the  education  and  amusement  of  the  visitors  that  come  from  the  dif- 
ferent parts  of  our  great  country  ?  You,  that  have  the  ocean  filled  with  its 
living  curiosities  at  your  very  feet— 1  say  why  shouldn't  you  have  an  aqua- 
rium for  their  display-  .'  You  should  have  had  this  attraction,  at  least  years 
ago.     1  also  see  in  the  same  future,  a  magnificent  Concert  Hall,  not  a  little 


n 


BOULEVARD, 
CITV  OF  DOUGLAS, 
ISLE  OF  MAN 


hall  with  five  or  six  musicians  playing  on  stringed  instruments,  accompa^ 
nied  by  a  twanging  harp,  or  an  orchestrion  grinding  out  a  set  of  tunes  each 
and  all  out  of  tune,  but  a  massive  hall  with  a  large  and  efficient  orchestra, 
which  orchestra  shall  play  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  people.  A  Crystal 
Palace,  too,  will  arise  in  Atlantic  City,  and  become  the  talk  of  the  nation. 
Your   now  famous  Boardwalk  will  give  way  to  a  broad  boulevard  of  stone 


and  cement  aiul  iiini.  '  Twill  be  a  boulevard  wide  enough  and  broad  enough 
to  accommodate  lines  of  street  cars,  lines  of  carriages,  lines  of  equestrian 
riders,  lines  of  wheelmen,  as  well  as  the  millions  of  pedestrians ;  and 
moreover,  a  boulevard  massive  enough  to  withstand  the  ravages  of  old 
Father  Ocean,  and  battle  successfully  with  his  most  furious  and  destruc- 
tive moods. 


78 


1  have  the  pleasure  of  showing  you  here  a  picture  of  the  City  of 
Douglas  in  the  Isle  of  Man.  Just  look  at  this  grand  boulevard  built  of  iron 
a  IPcrt  -If  ^'^'"^  stone  fronting  and  encircling  this  magnificent  array  of  hotels  and 
the  mum  amusement  places.  It  was  built  in  1875.  At  Douglas  the  ocean 
exerts  ten  times  a  greater  power  upon  their  stone  walk  than  would  be 
imposed  on  any  board-walk  or  boulevard  that  you  can  build  at  Atlantic 
City,  the  currents,  tides  and  storms  being  so  much  more  severe  over  there 
than  they  are  with  you.  Now  I  show  you  a  picture  of  that  same  boulevard 
as  assailed  by  the  fiercest  power  of  the  ponderous  waves  which  you  see 
dashing  over  and  above  it.      In  spite  of  these  severe  storms,  and  of  their 


effects,  this  magnificent  roadway  and  promenade  is  just  as  firm  now  as  it 
was  the  day  it  was  finished  ;  and  let  me  say  that  this  same  City  of 
Douglas  in  the  last  century  was  credited  with  a  population  of  only  810 
people  who  lived  by  the  precarious  industry  of  the  herring  fishery  ;  and 
that  now  it  has  a  resident  population  of  over  15,000,  and  that  there  is  not 
a  single  frame  structure  in  the  whole  city  that  I  know  of. 

1  also  want  to  show  you  gentlemen  this  little  picture  of  an  ocean 
walk  of  stone  and  iron  fronting  the  city  of  Scarborough,  in  the  North  of 
England.  The  scene  shown  here  represents  a  storm  severe  enough  to  have 
washed  a  full  rigged  ship  broadside  up  to,  and  upon  this  famed  boulevard. 


79 


A   STORM   AT 
SCARBOROUGH, 

ENGLAND 


yet  the  storm  that  you  now  see  here  and  hundreds  of  others  that  have  since 
spent  their  fury  on  its  firm  foundation,  have  had  little  or  no  effect        g,,  Encilish 
upon  it,  and  it  stands  as  firm  to-day  as  it  did  half  a  century  ago.        1R«-'^>^rt 
In  the  City  of  Scarborough  they  not  only  have  a  grand  museum,  a  great 
aquarium,  and  a  "  Spa,"  but  they  also  have  a  very  large  and  very  fine 

Public  Concert  Hall,  where  on  pleasant 
days  the  ladies  bring  their  children, 
and  with  their  knitting,  their  embroid- 
ery, or  their  favorite  novel,  remain  for 
hours,  while  the  gentlemen  visit  and 
chat,  or  flirt  with  them,  and  the  chil- 
dren romp  around  or  dance  with  childish 
abandon.  Each  and  all  are  entranced 
by  the  grand  music  of  the  orchestra, 
which  plays  during  the  afternoon  and 
evening  the  whole  season  long,  and  to  the  delight  of  visitors  from  all  parts 
of  the  United  Kingdom. 

One  of  your  up-to-date  hotel  men  has  sent  out  a  circular  to  his  pat- 
rons, the  closing  sentence  of  which  is  the  following:  "There  is  more  to 
say  in  favor  of  Atlantic  City,  much  more  to  say  that  charms  and  fascinates, 
of  this  City  of  the  Sea,  but  do  not  take  our  word  for  it ;  come  and  see  for 
yourselves."  Now  this  too  is  my  text ;  but  if  you  bring  the  people  here, 
give  them  more  than  you  do  give,  and  are  giving  them  at  the  present  time. 
1  know  that  there  are  no  better  hotel  accommodations  to  be  found  in  the 
whole  world  than  in  Atlantic  City,  (provided  you  pay  for  them),  whether 
that  be  at  the  rate  of  $3.00  a  day  or  ^4.00  a  day,  but  give  your  patrons 
something  besides  your  hotels  to  talk  about  ;  something  to  attract,  some- 
thing to  instruct  the  young  people  of  the  United  States,  as  well  as  their 
elders.  Have  them  go  home  and  tell  about  your  wonderful  Music  Hall  and 
your  attractive  Aquarium,  your  magnificent  Crystal  Palace  with  its  bewil- 


80 


dering  glories  of  electric  lighting,  living  waterfalls,  and  its  things  of  beauty 

and  things  of  pleasure.     Let  them  also  tell  of  their  walks  and  the  sights  they 

have  seen,  and  the  people  they  have  met,   upon  your  grand  boulevard  of 

stone,  of  iron,  and  cement.    All  these  things  must  not  be  catch-penny  affairs, 

but  big  civic  enterprises,  big  civic  accomplishments,  worthy  of  Atlantic  City 

and   in  very  truth  of  any  city.      Let  them  talk  of  Atlantic   City  as  if  it 

were  another  White  City,  as  the  exhibition  buildings  and  grounds  in        nnahe  iDeoulc 

Chicago  were  called  during  the  World's  Fair.     Let  them  talk  of  the        ^^"^ 

wonders  of  Atlantic  City  as  people  will  talk  of  the  wonders  of  Paris  in  the 

year  igoo.      Then   you  will    have  the  visitors  pour  in   upon  you  by  the 

tens  of  thousands  where  they  now  come  by  the  hundreds. 

In  conclusion,  gentlemen,  if  you  will  help  yourselves  in  the  future,  as 
you  have  helped  yourselves  in  the  past,  and  live  up  to  the  full  measure  of 
progress  that  tlie  pressure  of  the  times  will  demand  of  you  for  the  next  25 
years,  the  business  men  of  Philadelphia  must  and  will  extend  to  you  a  help- 
ing hand,  and  the  government  of  the  United  States  must  and  will  help  you, 
not  only  to  make  Atlantic  City  a  harbor  of  refuge,  and  a  port  of  entry,  but 
the  greatest  and  most  attractive  seaside  resort  of  the  world." 


81 


atlantic  Citv\      (Ibaptcr  mn. 


The  most  picturesque  feature  of  the  Island  at  all 

times  is  found  at  the  yacht  wharf  alongside  of  the 

great  pavilion  at  the  Inlet.     It  is  worth  while  to 

bestir  one's  self  at  dawn  upon  a  Summer 

dbc  pleasure 
morning  and  ride  or  walk  briskly  up  to  the       jficct  at 

Inlet,  just  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  lively       ^'"^  ''^"''"'^ 

stir  among  the  brigade  of  popular  and  enterprising 

"cap'ns"  who  are  busy  with  the  preparations  for 

the  expected  rush  of  customers. 

VACHT  PIER,  It  takes  a  lot  of  marine  housekeeping  to  run  an 

Atlantic    City   sloop,  or  even  a  cat-boat.      There's   the    regular    morning 

swabbing  down  of  the   decks,  the  overhauling  of   cordage,  looking  after 

blocks,   brass   work,    ballast,   tlag-halyards,    reef-points,  and   all   kinds   of 

small  but  important  nautical  matters,  not  to  mention  tlie  rugs  and  cushions 

which  a  capricious,  exacting  and  effete  civilization  insists  upon  hav- 

Sumnicr  nrioni         ing.     Very  likely  it's  a  dead  calm  and  already  insufferably  hot  out 

there    upon    the   long  wharf   where  the   scores  of   craft    poke    their  noses 

against   the   landing   like    so   many  mules  at   the   crib,  but  the  old   salts 

don't  mind  it.      They  can    tell    you   just  to  the   minute  and    from    what 

exact   point  of   the  compass   the   breeze   will    arrive  ;    and   so   when    the 

trolleys  begin  to  bring  the  festive  throngs  from  the  hotels  and  cottages, 

dressed  in  every  variation  of  nautical  outfit,  the  whole  scene  takes  on 

the  look  of  a  dress  rehearsal  of  the  "  Pirates"  ;  the  "  cracks  "  are  already 

tacking  to  and  fro  in  the  jaws  of  the  channel,  and  if  you  haven't  a  camera 

to  catch  the  inspiring  scene  you  are  filled  with  vain  regret.     Then,  some- 


82 


1^ 


times,  there  are  gray  days 
when  the  rollers  pour  heav- 
ily over  the  bars,  or  sunlit 
days,  full  of  fresh  breezes  from 
the  seaward,  when  the  big  main- 
sails are  double-reefed  down  upon  the  creaking  booms,  with  little  corners  of 
jibs  raised  above  the  tip  of  the  bowsprits,  and  the  skippers  speed  to  and  fro 
in  their  oilskins  through  the  splash  and  gleam  of  the  dancing  waters,  just  to 
show  the  crowds  how  safe  and  jolly  it  is  out  there.  This  is  the  opportunity 
for  the  youth  who  pines  for  glory  from  the  sea,  and  for  the  pretty  girl  who 
'•just  loves  a  gale,"  and  so  they  cling  to  the  shrouds,  with  mackintoshes, 
skirts  and  ribbons  all  a-tlutter,  and  lor  a  little  brief  while  are  the  observed 
of  all  observers  as  the  sloop  heels  and  plunges  and  races  through  the  tur- 
moil of  waters.  But,  bless  you  !  there's  nothing  to  be  alarmed  at,  for  the 
sloop-man  who  brought  his  party  into  any  sort  of  danger  would  presently 
have  to  hunt  other  occupation,  if  your  "cap'n  "  says  he  will  take  you 
outside  when  things  are  looking  ticklish  from  a  landsman's  point  of  view  you 
can  go  right  along  just  the  same  as  if  you  were  going  to  church,  for  it's  fully 
■^*   as  safe,  and  sometimes  more  exhilarating. 

Just  who  or  when  the  first  .4bsecon  boatman  set  up  in  the  business 

of  sailing  pleasure  parties  is  not  a  matter  of  \-eritied  history.      The 

supply  has  followed  the  demand,  and   the   demand  came  along 

with  the  very  first  excursionists  who  discovered  Atlantic  City. 

Thirty    years  ago  the  Inlet  was  a  livel\'  place,   and    twenty 

years  since  the  prowess  of  the  Inlet  sailors  and  their  boats 

was  known  to  the  whole  coast. 

There    was    the    Ocean   Star.    Capt.   J.    A.    Rider  ;   the 

Naittiliii.   Capt.   D.   Chamberlain ;    the 

C.  L  Mott,  Capt.  N.  Sooy,  and  the 

C.  L.  /-farmer.  Capt.  H.  Endicott, 


all  of  the  first-class.  Then  in  the  second-class  were  the  IV.  G.  Bartlett, 
Capt.  Andy  Snee  ;  the  Neptune,  Capt.  S.  Gale  ;  the  Ranger,  Capt.  T.  Conk- 
iin,  who  also  ran  the  Cecilda.  Among  the  smaller  boats  were  the  G.  [V. 
®IC»  Carpenter,  Capt.  A.  Holdzkom  ;  Orion,  Capt.  H.  Bowen  ;  Marshall. 
jravoritee  ^^^^  ^,  Conover ;  Regina  Mary,  Capt.  H.  Snee;  Aunt  Emily, 
Capt.  H.  Smith  ;  J.  H.  Cousty,  Capt.  Leeds  Mills  ;  Katie,  Capt.  D.  Somers  ; 
l^iola,  Capt.  J.  Parker;  Champion.  Capt.  J.  M.  Leeds,  and  the^ 
EJ'd'arJs.  Capt.  Walter  Somers. 

Over  at  Somers'  Point  in  those  days  the  Steelman 
boys  had  the  American  Eagle,  the  W-^Jir,  and  the  Hinhley, 
all  well-known  craft.  Such  things  as  "  fin- 
keels  "  and  "single-raters"  and  all  that, 
were  unheard  of  in  those  halcyon  days,  but 
those  staunch  old  boats,  full  of  the  glory  of 
red,  white  and  blue  paint,  used  to  get  over 
the  salt  water  in  a  way  that  was  inspiring 
and  appetizing,  and  when  there  was  a  flutter 
of  sea-gulls  away  out  by  the  horizon,  the 
race  for  the  blue-fish  was  a  beautiful  thing  to  see. 

The  present  fieet  at  the  Inlet  is  large  and 
still  expanding.     It  includes  the  following  craft  and 
their  captains  : 

Cat  Yachts:  —  Tom  Gardner,  Con.  Conover; 
Carrie  M.,  Walter  Somers  ;  B.  C.  Pennington,  Norris 
Cramer;  Stella.  Henry  Monroe;  Jennie  J.,  Lem  Conover;' 
Cameron,  Frank  Gifford  ;  Star,  George  Tomlinson  ;  Prir, 
cess  'Bonnie,  Charles  Gale  ;  Emma  S.,  George  Quinn  ;  Leira,  Isaac  Cono- 
ver ;  ^fw.  Yeivdall,  John  Showell  ;  Ethel.  Ed  Jones  ;  A.  IV.  Beyer.  Charles 
Huntey  ;  Ralston.  Henry  Endicott;  Laura,  A.  Bowen;  William  H..  John 
Grahm  ;  Sallie,  A.   Hickman  ;  Marcella,   Job  Monroe  ;   Frances  G.,  George 


Gale;  •Tiilby,  Luke    Conover  ;  Pert.   William    Andrews;  Caddie  B..   Lewis 

Barrett;  Sparkle,  "HiWrnm  Somers  ;  Nepaul.V\.   H.   Parker;  Katie,  William 

Lowder ;  Harold,  Wash  Watson  ;  Uncle  Benny.  John  Conover  ;  Anna,  Jas. 

Monroe  ;    Dart,  Sam  Monroe  ;    Orville.   Captain   Haunslev  ;    Carrie 

r.  ,  ,   ..    ,  ^  -  ■       Cbc  Jflect 

Dolph  Parker  ;  Defender.  Abe  Casto  ;  Albion,  Francis  Parker  ;  Delia,       of  'i>S 

Dan  Showell;  Uttie,  Alfred  Showell  ;  Prince  Arthur,  Frank  Doughty;  Blue 

Bird.  Fen  Doughty  ;  L.  S.  Allen.  Frank  Ducase  ;  Kenderton,  Ben  Loveland ; 

C.  S.  Haines,  Hd  Turner ;  Marv.  Wm.  Hammel ;  Glide,  Ezra  Somers  ;  Paterson, 

Ben  Bowen  ;  I/{{/V,  Tom  Bowen  ;  A'lTte  Melier,  Sam  Mills  ;  fic/Zc,  Geo.  W. 

Gale;  Kitty  Clover,  John  Dutch;  Majestic,  Andrew  Monroe;  Pastime.  Ab 

Adams;  Snellenbiirg,  James  Miller;  Lady  Eldridge,  Charles  Malhis  ;  Clara 

S.,  Mark  Casto  ;  Sparta  Frit{,  Gideon  Conover ;  Folnnteer,  Nathan  Parker ; 

Jennie,  H.  Frambes ;  Seabright,  Dan  Giberson. 

Sloop  Yachts  -.—St.  Charles.  E.  A.  Parker ;  J.  E.  Maher,  Sam  Gale; 

Cornet,  Wm.  Downs  ;    I'oliiniecr.  Nic  Sooy  ;  M.  S.  Quay,  Ben  Sooy  ;  Alert, 

Will   Gale;    C.   F.    II 'hall.  Jim   Downs;    Zella.   Lew   Adams;    Morgan,  C. 

Foster ;    Katie  Becker,   P.    Blackman  ;  Dreadnaught,  Joseph   Higbee  ;  -Tillie 

Covert.  James  Mills  ;  Mascott,  Harry  Parker;  Minerva,  D.  Driscoll  ;  Parnell, 

G.  Mathis;  Carrie  Hgner,  James  Parker. 


85 


Htlantic  ditv^ 


Cbaptcr  1I|. 


a  IRcfugc 
from  mincsti 
an?  Care 


An  idle  sort  of  a  place,  where  all  day  long 
It  seems  like  evening  with  the  day's  work  done, 
Where  men  haste  not,  because  there  is  no  haste, 
And  toil  but  litde,  for  they've  litde  need  : 
A  restful  corner,  where  the  August  breeze, 
From  softly  listening  finger  on  the  lip, 
At  length  from  listlessness  falls  fast  asleep, 
Till  there  is  no  sound  heard  save,  now  and  then, 
The  whet  of  scythe  and  heavy  hoist  of  sail. 
The  dip  of  unseen  oars,  monotonous. 
And  softly  breathing  waves  that  doze  below. 
Too  weak  to  more  than  turn  themselves,  complain. 
And  doze  again." 

Philadelpliia  is  regarded  as  an  especially  healthful  city,  and  justly  so. 
No  large  city  in  the  world  boasts  a  death   rate  so  low  ;  and  yet  Atlantic 
City,  its  near  neighbor,  and  almost  its  suburb,  has  a  record  of  12.05  Jeaths 
per  thousand  in  the  year,  or  over  eight  deaths  in  the  thousand  better        jj  7Hcaltl.i 
than  ,  Philadelphia,  and  almost  exactly  the  same  rate  of  mortalit\- as        IRccorCi 
I, OS  Angeles,  California,  a  city  largely  populated  by  East- 
ern invalids.     It  may  be  properly  urged  that  among  the 
permanent  residents  the  percentage  is  still  lower,  as 
—  the  rate  given  in  the  oftk  iai  statistics  include  the  mortality 
among  the  vast  number  of  persons  who  come  here  as  invalids. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  live  throughout  the  year  in 
Atlantic  City  in  order  to  partake  of  the  beneti- 
ceiice  of  its  climate.     It  may  be  taken, 
like  any  other  good  tonic,   for  a 
season.    If  everv  o\'er-ta.\ed 


business  man,  worn-out  mother,  or  tired  society  woman  would  hie  to  Atlan- 
tic City  when  "  that  tired  feeling"  asserts  itself  and  stay  until  it  liad  quite 
given  o\er  the  assault,  regardless  of  the  season  of  the  year,  the  measure 
of  their  lives  would  be  extended  and  their  capacity  for  happiness  vastly 
increased.  Atlantic  City  is  at  the  old  stand,  doing  business  all  the  year, 
TlClinter  and  there  is  never  a  time  when  the  best  hotels  are  caught  napping. 
THoepttalttB  Qi^g  ^.^^1^  come  here  in  the  depths  of  winter  and  find  every  comfort 
obtainable  in  any  large  city  in  the  country,  it 
would  be  necessary  to  tra\el  a  long  way 
southward  to  find  an  equal  improve- 
ment in  the  temperature  generally  ,• 
existing  here  as  compared  with  New 
York  and  Philadelphia.  There  are 
exceptions  to  this  rule.  Palm  trees 
and  bananas  do  not  thri\e  at  At- 
lantic City,  except  in  the  sun- 
parlors  and  upon  the  dining-room 
tables.  Sometimes  the  easterly 
storms  smite  the  town,  and  for  days 
it  rains  and  snows  and  snows  and  rains, 
but  just  reflect  how  much  worse  things  must 
be  in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia,  and  how  comfort- 
ably the  hours  go  by  in  the  bright  sun-parlors  with  the  latest  magazines, 
cards,  and  the  good  companx'  of  scores  of  other  sojourners  just  like  yourself. 
When  a  person  of  leisure  is  well  ensconced  in  a  good  Atlantic  City 
hotel  in  the  winter  the  only  thing  that  should  tempt  him  or  her  to  go  away 
should  be  the  pleasure  of  coming  back. 


87 


Htlantic  (Titij. 


Cbaptcr  J. 


Cottage  life  at  Atlantic  City  is  very  like  tiiat  wliich  exists  at  other 
fasliionabie  seashore  communities.     It  implies  a  wide  variety  of  diversions, 
from  bathing  to  golf.      It   bestows  upon  the  occupants  a  pleasant       -nn  private 
degree  of  privacy  without  loneliness.      The  cost  of  living,  through       Plottages 
the  facilities  with  which  all   market  supplies  are  to  be  had   from  both  the 

Philadelphia  markets  and  the 
fertile  mainland,  is  rather  less 
than  "in  town,"  while  the 
brevity  of  the  little  journey 
upon  express  trains  to  and 
from  Philadelphia  makes  it 
very  practical  for  business 
men  to  "'tend  to  things" 
every  day  at  their  offices 
in  the  big  city,  and  enjoy 
evenings,  half-holidays  and 
Sundays  where  cool  breezes 
woo  health,  appetite  and  good 
sleep.  Hundreds  of  busy  men 
who  have  at  first  projected  a 
cozy  little  place  for  the  summer  months  have  finally  adopted  Atlantic 
City  as  an  all-the-year  home,  with  a  few  midwinter  weeks,  per-  iifieal 
haps,  with  friends  in  Philadelphia  (to  be  repaid  in  the  next  Sum-  Existence 
mer).  They  thus  find  a  happy  solution  of  the  problems  of  economy, 
health  and  happiness. 


Instances  are  plentiful  where  cottage  owners  have  more  than  cleared 
their  entire  OLitlay  through  the  advanced  value  of  the  land,  and  since  it  is 
the  boast  of  the  Atlantic  City  people  that  no  property  has  ever  been  sold  at 
a  loss  in  the  town,  it  is  fair  to  presume 
that  for  many  years  yet  to  come  a  taste- 
ful cottage  well  situated  will  prove  a  safe 
investment  for  its  owner. 
©alatial  There  are  scores  of  beautiful  resid- 
TDonies  ences  here  furnished  upon  a  scale 
of  splendor  almost  undreamed  of  by  those  ^^^ 
who  pass.  Rich  drapings,  carvings  and  : 
curios  from  every  land  are  hidden  away 
in  the  private  apartments  of  these  lovely 
homes  ;  but  it  does  not  follow  tliat  these 
are  prime  essentials  to  the  full  enjo\'ment 
of  shore  life,  or  life  anywhere  else,  for  that   (" 

matter.  The  family  which  now  lives  in  the  pent-up,  solid  brick,  wooden- 
shuttered  streets  of  the  crowded  Quaker  City,  or  in  any  of  its  neighboring 
cities,  can  generally  afford  to  have  a  cottage  at  Atlantic  City  and  treat 
themselves,  at  last,  to  the  glorious  roominess  of  the  "  great  out-doors" 
around  them.  Atlantic  City  seems  to  the  casual  observer  to  offer  an  abun- 
dant variety  of  occupations  not  yet  over-filled.  Twenty-five  thousand 
people  seem  to  have  found  it  possible  to  live,  work  and  enjoy  life  here  suc- 
cessfully. To  own  a  cottage  at  Atlantic  City  is  to  have  a  new  insight  into 
the  brighter  possibilities  of  life. 


89 


atlantic  Cit\>. 


Cbaptcr  p. 


Herbert  James  Tweedie,  a  high  authority  in  the  world  of  Golf,  has 
authorized  the  statement  in  the  chief  periodical  devoted  to  that  fascinating 
Cbe  Count rv  diversion,  that  he  had  found  near  Atlantic  City  the  "finest  natural 
^'"''  sand-bunkers  in  America."  This  means  a  whole  volume  of  delightful 
promise  to  the  devotee  of  the  sport,  although  to  the  indifferent  layman  it 
may  seem  of  but  transient  purport,  but  then  what  can  you  expect  of  the 
man  who  is  indifferent  about  golf,  and  can't  tell  you  the 
difference  between  a  putting-green  and  a  turnip- 
patch. 

Mr.  Tweedie  was  com- 
missioned   by   the    Country 
Club  to  put  this  favored 
place    into    orthodox 
shape  for  the  game. 
The    Country    Club 
had    bought  one   hundred 
and   ten    acres    over    upon    the    main- 
land, upon  the  seaward  side  of  the  Old  Shore  Road,  and  upon  this  property 
the  links  and  the  new  club-house  have  been  opened. 

The  following  adequate  description  of  this  social  and  athletic  enter- 
prise is  taken  from  "Golf": 

"  The  plans  for  the  club-house  show  a  commodious  structure  of  a  style 
of  architecture  most  suitable  to  the  surroundings  and  well  adapted  for  the 
purpose  for  which  it  is  intended.     The  building  will  be  two  stories  high, 


90 


125  f^t't  long  and  50  feet  wide,  with   porches  on  three  sides  that  will  form 
a  promenade  12  feet  wide  and  200  feet  in  lengtii. 

Entering  the  main  doorway  the  visitor  will  find  himself  in  the  public 
hall  or  exchange,  a  fme  large  apartment  that  will  prove  a  pleasant  meeting 
and  lounging  place  for  the  members  of  the  club  and  their  friends.     A        ^  S"'C(al 
large  fireplace  at  one  end  of  the  exchange  is  fitted  with  an  old-time       Centre 
crane  and  kettle,  that  will  lend  a  rural  air  to  the  scene.     Beyond  the  hall, 
at  the  end  of  the  house,  is  located  a  handsome  reception-room. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  right  will  be  the  stairway 
leading  to  the  second  story;  and  beyond  that  will  be  the  cafe.  This  room 
will  be  elegantly  fitted  up  and  supplied  with  all  that  such  an  establishment 
should  have.  Adjoining  it  will  be  the  kitchen  and  pantry,  rooms  that  will 
be  complete  in  themselves  and  furnished  with  all  the  appliances  necessary 
for  the  successful  practice  of  the  culinary  art.  Next  to  the  kitchen  will  be 
the  men's  dressing-room,  where  will  be  found  plenty  of  lockers,  shower 
baths  and  other  conveniences. 

The  second  floor  will  be  devoted  principally  to  the  use  of  the  ladies. 
A  dressing-room  for  their  use,  with  baths  connected,  will  be  located  over 
the  cafe.  The  hall  over  the  exchange  will  resemble  a  balcony,  similar  to 
finanv  ^h'^t  at  the  Ocean  County  Hunt  and  Country  Club,  of  Lakewood. 
Comtovig  Opening  off  this  balcony  on  one  side  will  be  a  small  sitting-room  or 
den.  On  the  other  side  of  the  house,  overlooking  the  golf  course,  is  a  porch 
that  will  be  enclosed  with  glass,  after  the  manner  of  a  sun-parlor.  In  the 
end  of  the  house,  over  the  reception-room,  will  be  the  billiard-room,  and  at 
the  other  end  there  will  be  three  large  and  airy  bedchambers. 

The  house  is  located  in  a  commanding  position  facing  the  bay,  and  a 
circular  drive  will  wind  through  the  grounds  from  the  main  entrance  to  the 
club.  An  old  farm-house  has  been  moved  from  its  original  site  and  rebuilt 
near  the  main  entrance.  It  will  be  used  as  a  place  of  residence  for  the 
greenkeeper. 


91 


There  will  be  ample  stable-room  on  the  premises.  The  stable  will  now 
ttbe  StablCsj  accommodate  twenty-two  horses,  and  this  capacity  will  be  increased. 
Sheds  are  being  built  large  enough  to  accommodate  vehicles  of  all  kinds,  in- 
cluding the  tally-ho  coaches  that  will  make  frequent  trips  to  the  grounds. 

A  long-distance  telephone  service  will  be  a  convenience,  and  every 
modern  contrivance  has  been  arranged  for  the  comfort  of  the  members  and 
guests.  The  putting  greens  are  thoroughly  worthx*  of  the  name,  being  fully 
sixty  feet  square  and  carefully  laid  down  with  turf  brought  all  the  way  from 
Pennsylvania.  From  many  points  the  course  with  its  surroundings  closely 
resembles  the  famous  Luffness  Links,  on  the  Firth  of  Forth.  Cbc  p\nes 

The  pine  woods,  which  make  a  delightful  background  on  the  land 
side,  protect  the  links  from  the  north  winds  in  winter,  and  will  enable  the 
club  to  keep  the  grounds  open  the  entire  year. 

The  famous  bicycle  path  leading  from  Philadelphia  to  Atlantic  City 
passes  right  along  beside  the  course  and  will  no  doubt  be  a  very  popular 
mode  of  access  to  the  club. 

Adjoining  the  golf  links  is  the  polo  field,  while  the  tennis  courts,  foot- 
ball, cricket  and  baseball  grounds  and  shooting  traps  are  ail  conveniently 
located. 

The  officers  of  the  club  have  generously  promoted  this  enterprise  for 
the  good  of  the  cottage  and  permanent  residents  of  Atlantic  City,  who 
were  hitherto  unprovided  with  suitable  accommodation  for  field  sports. 
All  visitors,  however,  profit  by  the  accession  of  this  real  seaside  golf 
links,  as  it  will  only  be  necessary  for  them  to  mention  GOLF  at  the  desks 
of  either  of  the  hotels  before  mentioned  to  freely  tread  the  springy  turf  here 
consecrated  to  the  Royal  and  Ancient  Game. 

The  present  list  of  officers  is  as  follows:  Fredk.  Hemsley,  president; 
J.  Haines  Lippincott,  vice-president;  Chas.  Evans,  treasurer;  Joseph  Fi. 
Borton,  chairman;  James  B.  Reilly,  A.  Ogden  Dayton,  Richard  F.  Loper, 
Joseph  Thompson,  E.  S.  Lee,  directors;  James  D.  Southwick,  secretary. 


92 


Among  the  many  diversions  of  this  fascinating  place,  a  month's  stay 
may  include  golfing,  cycling,  polo,  tennis,  cricket,  football,  baseball,  billiards, 
quoits,  shuffleboard,  euchre  parties,  dancing,  shooting  (snipe,  marlin,        iyat(eC> 
black  duck,  mallard,  teal),  fishing  (bluefish,  sheepshead,  drum,  cod,  P^r  & 

herring,    mackerel,    seabass    and    weakfish),  crabbing,  yachting,    rowing, 
promenading,  surf-bathing,  etc. 

in  short,  at  Atlantic  City  one  can  obtain  more  genuine  pleasure  to 
the  square  inch  than  in  any  other  spot  the  writer  is  familiar  with." 


\ 


93 


Htlantic  Citi?. 


Cbapter  pn. 


A  couple  of  weeks  in  Lent  at  Atlantic  City  after  the  winter's 
exhausting  gaieties  has  been  voted  the  proper  thing  by  the  inner  circles  of 
fashion,  and  the  early  spring  influx  is  counted  upon  in  these  recent  years 
with  great  certainty.  It  is  decidedly  an  exclusive  patronage  and  -,|^^  %cntcn 
demands  the  best  of  everything.  At  this  time  one  encounters  the  Season 
people  of  wealth  and  leisure  from  all  over  the  country  who  propose,  later, 
to  fill  the  great  trans-Atlantic  steamships  for  the  tour  of  Europe.  National 
dignitaries  from  tlie  capital,  judges  of  courts,  famous  divines,  ofiUcers  of 
the  army  and  navy,  railway  magnates,  bank  pres- 


^  A 


I.ENTEN 
PKNITENTS 


idents,  eminent  politicians  and  their  fam- 
ilies, gossip,  jostle,  and  throw  dignity  to 
the  winds  upon  the  great  Boardwalk. 
Affairs  of  vast  import  are  discussed  and 
settled  upon  the  porches  of  the  big 
hotels;  there  is  a  great  coming  and  going 
of  extra  parlor  cars,  and  then  the  Lenten 
pilgrims  take  their  flight  full  of  the  con- 
sciousness of  time  well  spent,  if  not  of  sins  properly  expiated.  The  land- 
lords bank  the  proceeds  of  this  Providential  fashion,  and  calmly  wait  for 
the  multitude  which  will  pour  in  along  with  the  first  hot  wave  of 
the  summer. 

Lent  is,  too,  the  popular  awakening  from  the  relative  torpidity  of  the 
winter.  The  cosmopolitans  who  throng  in  the  bazars  along  the  Boardwalk 
begin  to  come  back  from  the  south  with  their  oriental  goods  and  catching 
trifles;  the  house-owners  utilize  their  early  spring  outing  to  "fix  up"  their 


Cbc 
awakcnitui 


94 


properties  ;  hotels,  big  and  little,  are  being  painted  ;  yachts  are  overhauled 
and  got  ready  for  the  season  at  the  Inlet,  and  so  it  goes.  Nowhere  else 
does  Easter  reign  as  a  special  season  of  holiday.  Here,  as  in  many  other 
things,  Atlantic  City  is  original. 

The  Lenten  period  may  he  regarded  as  the  most  joyous  time  in  the 
cycle  of  the  year,  for  it  is  rich  with  the  forecast  of  prosperity  and  pleasure. 
About  this  time  the  society  columns  of  the  daily  papers  in  the  leading  cities, 
which  have  in  the  drear  winter  time  made  but  brief  and  grudging  mention 

of  the   existence   of    Atlantic    City,   begin  to    , 

blossom  with  long  lists  of  social  leaders  and 
followers  who  are  now  registered  at  the 
various  fashionable  hotels,  while  the  more 
important  enlargements  of  hotels  and  other 
betterments  in  the  community  are  detailed  in 
tlowery  language.  Promptl\'  upon  the  heels 
of  these  disinterested  items  comes  the  adver- 
tising man,  who  knows  better  than  an\-one 
else  when  the  harvest  is  ripe  for  the  scythe. 
Cbc  Jovouti  Sea  Even  the  surf  along  the  beach  seems  to  roar  joyously  in  Lent,  and 
the  ripples  that  play  upon  the  bosom  of  the  Thoroughfare  and  along  the  wide 
reaches  of  the  bays  have  a  gladsome  gurgle.  The  gunner  and  the  ducks 
are  heard  and  seen  in  the  sedges.  The  husbandman  and  the  golfer  are  both 
hard  at  work  upon  the  slope  of  the  mainland  ;  briefly,  all  nature  is  happy. 

Lent,  in  other  places,  may  stand  for  metaphorical  sack'cloth  and 
ashes.     Here,  by  the  sea,  it  e.xpresses  quite  a  different  sentiment. 

The  famous  cycle  road  across  New  Jersey  now  teems  with  life 
awheel.  Upon  pleasant  Sundays,  when  the  wind  is  westward,  the  wheel- 
men and  wheelwomen  come  in  shoals. 

One  of  the  great  events  of  the  past  year,  relating  to  the  progress  of 
Atlantic  City's  interests,  was  the  completion  of   the   now   famous    cycling 


95 


road  across  New  Jersey.  The  initial  portion  of  tliis  very  popular  route  out 
of  Camden  and  Gloucester  is  over  the  excellent  White  Horse  Pike,  via  Berlin 
Cvcic  TRoaC  to  ''^'""^  '^''-"^  Anchor.  From  the  latter  point  the  course  is  almost  an  air  line 
atlantlc  Citv  parallel  with  the  railroad  lines  throu.tih  Winslow  Junction,  Rosedale, 
Hammonton,  Da  Costa,  Elmwood,  Egg  Harbor  and  Absecon,  turning  to  the 
right  at  the  latter  place  to  Pleasantville,  and  thence  across  the  meadows. 
At  numerous  points  along  the  road  "Cyclers'  Rests"  and  hotels  built  with 
special  reference  to  the  patronage  of  the  wheeling  element  have  come  into 
existence,  and  upon  Sundays,  especially,  the  cyclers  in  clubs,  groups,  pairs, 
and  singly  have  been  simply  uncountable  as  they  sped  to  and  fro  upon  this 
level  course.  They  have  added  a  large  and  joyous  contingent  to  the  popu- 
lation by  the  sea,  not  only  in  the  crowded  season,  but  both  in  spring  and 
autumn.  From  Pleasantville  cycling  tourists  can  go  down  the  coast  to 
Cape  May,  or  via  Barnegat  to  the  fine  cycling  district  around  Long  Branch, 
with  but  brief  stretches  of  poor  road.  It  seems  superfluous  to  call  attention 
to  the  many  miles  of  perfect  riding  within  the  limits  of  Atlantic  City  and 
down  the  Island  to  Longport,  not  to  mention  the  beautiful  stretch  of  hard 
beach  at  low  tide.  The  cycling  regulations  are  similar  to  those  of  other 
cities,  and  the  wheelman  who  observes  the  ordinary  rules  by  which  he  is 
guided  elsewhere  will  have  no  cause  to  complain  of  the  liberality  of  the  city 
toward  this  important  class  of  visitors. 


%^' 


96 


Atlantic  Cit^.       (Tbapter  J* mill. 


The  annual  report  of  the  City  Controller,  Mr.  A.  M,  Heston,  indi- 
cates  in    detail    the    various    items   of   public   property  which   aggregated 
September  6,   1897,   in    value  $1,591,646.14,  including  $138,929.85       some  Gitw 
expended  upon  the  Boardwalk.     The  indebtedness  of  the  Corpor-       flnatters 
ation  amounted  at  that  date  to  $7,175,433.31  ;  this  included  water  bonds 
slightly  in  excess  of  $300,000. 

The  per  capita  debt  of  Atlantic  City  as  compared  with  many  other 
cities  of  the  state,  notably,  Newark,  Jersey  City,  Elizabeth,  Orange,  New 
Brunswick,  Bayonne,  Rahway  and  Asbury  Park  is  highly  favorable. 

The  item  of  Police  cost    $28,174.79;    and  the  maintenance  of  Fire 
finances  from        Department,  $16,608.00. 

IRcport  of  1S9S  The  assessable  property  is  rated  for  taxation  at  $13,357,523,  the 
actual  value  being  generally  held  to  be  about  three  times  that  amount  at  the 
present  time. 

Among  the  firemen  of  the  United  States  the  Atlantic  City  fire  service 
has  a  great  reputation.  Although  composed  of  but  seven  companies  all  told 
it  has  often  demonstrated  its  remarkable  ability  to  conquer  the  frequent  fires 
which  are  inevitable  in  a  city  built  so  largely  of  wood.  The  chief,  en- 
gineers, drivers  and  tillermen  are  upon  the  city  pay  roll.  The  rank  and 
file  of  the  companies  are  volunteers.  The  oldest  company  is  the  United 
States,  No.  i.  This  company  has  two  engines  of  the  Silsby  type  and  also 
a  chemical  engine.  The  other  companies  are  Atlantic  No.  2,  a  Clapp  and 
Jones  engine;  Neptune  Hose,  No.  i,  a  La  France  engine;  Good  Will  Hook 
and  Ladder,  No.  i,  a  Holloway  chemical  engine  and  a  Hayes  truck;  Beach 


97 


Pirates   Chemical,   No.   i,  one   HoiJoway    chemical    engine;    Chelsea,   No. 
6,  a  chemical  engine  and  combination  truck  ;    Rescue   Hook   and  Ladder, 
XLbc  Jfirc         No.  2,  a  Gleason  &  Bailey  truck. 

fficibtcts         jj^g  j^Qgg  carriages  at  the  several  tire-houses  are  provided  with  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  of  hose. 

The  cost  of  the  department  in  1897  was  $31,540.73.     The  Gamewell 
Fire  Alarm  System  is  in  use. 

Both  gas  and  electricity  are  emplo\'ed  as  public  illuminants,  and  the 
use  of  incandescent  electric  lighting  is  very  general  in  the  larger  hotels. 


In  the  matter  of  good  wholesome  water,  Atlantic  City  is  far  ahead  of 
Philadelphia  ;  many  unfailing  artesian  wells,  some  of  which  pierce  the  earth 
liabt  aiiD  to  the  depth  of  a  thousand  feet,  supply  the  big  hotels  and  reinforce 
lUatcr  ^j^g  public  supply  whi^h  comes  seven  miles  across  the  marsh  in 
pipes  from  the  mainland,  where  the  pumping  station  and  stand-pipes  are 
located.  Nearly  fifty  miles  of  pipe  are  laid  in  the  city,  with  which  are 
connected  about  450  fire-plugs.  The  total  cost  of  the  waterworks  has 
been  $877,957.92. 

Realizing  the  great  importance  of  safeguarding  the  city  from  the 
effects  of  inefficient  disposal  of  sewerage,  the  most  costly  and  scientific 


methods  have  been  adopted,  with  the  result  that  this  problem,  so  difficult  ot 
solution,  especially  in  a  town  built  upon  a  perfect  le\el,  has  been  mastered. 
Upon  the  borders  of  the  meadows  a  large  receiving  pit,  walled  and  Scwcracic 
cemented,  is  used  as  a  central  receiver;  this  is  ventilated  by  a  lofty  tower; 
the  inflow  is  forced  onward  by  steam-power  to  a  series  of  filter  beds  so  far 
removed  from  the  city  as  to  preclude  any  possible  danger,  e\en  in  midsum- 
mer. No  sewerage  whatever  is  allowed  to  contaminate  the  salt  water  thor- 
oughfares or  the  open  sea  in  front.  All  garbage  is  burned  at  a  crematory. 
nrjilitarp  Company  F,  Sixth  Regiment,  \.  J.,  National  Guard  has  its  head- 
quarters at  Atlantic  City. 

The  Morris  Guards,  an  independent  company,  is  also  one  of  the  city's 
attractions  upon  occasion  of  parades.  The  armory  of  this  company  is  a 
fa\-orite  place  for  entertainments. 

In  the  summer  of  1898  when  the  Atlantic  Coast  seemed  to  be  in 
danger  from  the  Spanish  fleet  under  Admiral  Cervera,  the  fever  of  military 
spirit  spread  everywhere  among  the  young  men  of  Atlantic  City.  Active 
measures  were  taken  for  defence  against  landing  parties  of  the  enem\-,  and 
in  such  a  contingency  the  local  troops  would  have  certainly  given  a  good 
account  of  themselves.  For  a  time  the  generality  of  the  resident  and  -. 
large  property  owners  were  considerably  excited,  especially  in  view  "inatictn'^  Call 
of  the  news  from  the  eastern  resorts  where  the  Yankees  were  moving  e\'ery- 
thing  portable  far  inland.  It  was  difficult  to  rent  cottages,  and  matters 
looked  black  for  the  hotels.  Nevertheless  the  people  recovered  their 
mental  balance,  the  crowds  came  as  usual  and  the  season  was  a  great  suc- 
cess. Many  of  the  soldiers  gallantly  marched  awa\'  with  the  splendid  New 
Jersey  regiments  and  took  an  acti\e  part  in  the  campaign  as  volunteers  of 
Uncle  Sam. 


99 


atlantic  Citi^.        Cbaptcr  p\D. 


Cbantv! 


One  of  the  early  institutions  of  tlie  young  city  was  the  beneficent 
though  modest  charity  known  as  the  Children's  Seashore  House,  founded 
just  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  intended  for  the  recuperation  of  babies 
CbilDrcn'6  Sca=  «i'"'<i  small  children,  generally  in  charge  of  the  mothers.  This  idea 
shore  "iHousc  originated  in  Philadelphia  where  as  a  matter  of  course  the  majority 
of  its  beneficiaries  live.  It  would  be  impossible  to  measure,  even  approxi- 
mately, by  any  known  formula,  the  great  good  accomplished  at  this  juvenile 
Invalids'  retreat.  The  incorporators  were  James  S.  Whitney,  J.  Shipley 
Newlin,  W.  L.  Rehn,  Rene  Guillou,  Samuel  Middleton,  Francis  W.  Lewis, 
M.  D.,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  F.  Whitney,  Mrs.  Cynthia  Guillou,  Mrs.  Annie  E. 
Middleton  and  Miss  Catharine  C.  Biddle.  a  SplcnCii? 

In  July,  1883,  the  institution  took  possession  of  a  new  and  com- 
modious building  at  the  foot  of  Ohio  avenue.  Since  that  time  it  has  been 
further  extended  by  the  addition  of  no  less  than  fourteen  lesser  buildings, 
the  gifts  of  guests  in  the  several  hotels  for  which  they  are  respectively 
named.  These  cottages  consist  of  one  dormitory  room  each,  neatly  furn- 
ished. The  capacity  of  the  establishment  is  now  sufficient  to  entertain  one 
^  hundred  children  and  thirty  mothers.     The 

selection  of  those  who  are  to  receive  the 
benefits  of  a  seashore  rest  at  this  noble 
charity  is  uninfluenced  by  any  considera- 
tions of  creed,  race,  or  color.  Children 
over  three  years  of  age  are  cared  for  in  the 
wards   of  the   main    building   by   attentive 


H 


nurses.     The  little  ones  with  their  mothers 
are    assigned    to    the    cottages.       Each 
mother   in   care    of    a    sick   child    may 
have  no  other  child  with  her.     Seri- 
ous  cases   requiring  close  attention 
and   quiet   are   secluded   in   a   special 
building  immediately  on  the  beach. 

The  institution  has  a  resident  physician, 
staff  of  nurses  and  matron.  A  proportion  of  the 
inmates  are  recei\-ed  without  charge,  the  number  being  based  upon  the 
current  revenues  at  command.  Those  who  can  afford  it,  pay  board  at 
the  rate  of  $3.00  per  week,  which  includes  medical  attendance  and  wash- 
ing.     Railroad  tickets  are  also  furnished  at  a  reduced  rate. 

Visitors  are  welcome  every  afternoon  between  three  and  five  o'clock, 
and  upon  Tuesday  and  Friday  mornings  from  half  past  nine  to  half  past  ten 
o'clock. 

To  the  person  of  kindly  impulses  the  sight  of  scores  of  these  little 
ones  with  their  wan  and  tired  mothers,  gradually  winning  for  themselves 
some  little  share  of  God's  sunshine  and  the  blessings  of  new  strength  as 
they  romp  or  recline  upon  the  sands,  is  to  gain  for  the  Children's  Seashore 
House  new  and  very  welcome  friends  and  supporters. 

A  wide-spread  impression  is  current  that  the  world,  and  more  par- 
ticularly Atlantic  City,  exists  principally  for  the  benefit  and  pleasure  of  the 
young.  This  in  its  application  at  large  is  an  old  idea  which  has  been  pop- 
ular from  the  most  remote  bounds  of  history. 

If  our  peerless  city  of  the  sands  attracts  the  gay  and  youthful  by  its 
perennial  round  of  varied  pleasure  ;  if  it  is  a  joy  to  the  tired  mother  and 
fagged  father  to  watch  their  little  tots  industriously  toiling  with  spades  and 
buckets  in  the  clean,  wholesome,  gray  sand,  it  is  a  glowing  satisfaction  to 
the  impartial  observer   to  note  the  wonderfully  large   proportion   of  aged 


people  in  tlie  rullint;-chairs  and  in  all  the  bright  comfortable  nooks  along  the 
Boardwalk  ;  to  see  with  what  loving  care  they  are  attended,  and  how  grate- 
JFor  JDounct  ful  the  fresh  stimulating  sea-breeze  is  to  their  senses.  To  the  old 
aiiD  ©If  more  than  any  others  of  our  American  people  who  throng  here, 
Atlantic  City  is  a  blessing,  and  an  opportunity  in  prolonging  and  brighten- 
ing the  later  years  of  life.  Here  the  still  heaving  waves  of  past  reverses 
which  have  surged  over  them  ;  the  deep  sorrows  which  have  torn  their 
hearts  are  drowned  in  the  brightness  of  the  present,  and  lost  in  the  tumult 
of  the  restless  sea  which  goes  on  forever  beating  the  sands  with  its  statel\-, 
wraceful  billows,  whose  deep  voice  lulls  us  to  rest  in  the  daytime  and  fol- 
lows us  in  our  dreams  at  night. 

This  is  the  true  story  of  one  aged  habitue  of  the  Boardwalk  who  may 
be  seen  every  da\-,  strong,  erect  and  keen-eyed  among  the  throng       ^y^^  storv;  of 
of  pedestrians  :  '''"  ®'^  ^«" 

"  Fourteen  years  ago,  I  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  All  of 
my  life,  from  the  close  of  my  college  days,  1  had  worked  steadily  and  with 
success  to  the  end  that  my  wife  and  children  should  escape  the  bitterness  of 
that  poverty  of  which  1  had  been  a  witness  in  my  father's  home.  At  sixt\' 
I  was  a  worn-out  man,  but  1  was  worth  nearly  half  a  million  dollars.  1 
believed  it  to  be  safely  invested,  but  a  little  group  of  men,  none  of  whom  I 
had  ever  met,  sat  together  in  a  room  in  Wall  street,  New  York,  and  willed 
otherwise.  Through  those  modern  weapons  of  the  legalized  robber,  com- 
bination and  reorganization,  my  fortune  was  nearly  swept  away.  It  was 
weeks  before  1  realized  the  full  extent  of  my  loss.  My  first  impulse  was  to 
return  to  the  business  world  and  try  to  rebuild  my  property,  but  in  the  short 
five  years  of  my  absence  nearly  all  of  the  men  I  had  known  and  trusted  had 
been  replaced  by  other  and  younger  workers.  I  was  a  physical  and  a 
mental  wreck.  Out  of  the  remnants  of  our  means,  my  wife  and  sons  paid 
the  cost  of  a  year  in  Hurope.  We  wandered  from  land  to  land,  but  the 
ghost  of  my  misfortune  threw  its  gaunt  shadow  across  my  pathway  wherever 


we  went.  Once  more  we  were  in  America.  An  old  friend  wlio  liad  been 
content  with  smaller  prizes  in  life  than  those  most  of  us  reach  for,  invited 
us  to  visit  his  little  farm  out  in  Jersey.  IRcturn  to 

At  first  1  was  almost  disgusted  at  the  primitive  style  of  life  1  t^imrlicitB 
found  under  my  friend's  roof.  Most  of  the  modern  indispensables  with  which 
we  were  in  daily  contact  in  the  city,  were  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 
But  there  was  an  abundance  of  good  substantial  food.  I  began  to  sleep — 
to  sleep  as  1  hadn't  slept  since  I  was  a  little  boy,  tired  out  after  a  holiday 
afternoon.  The  light  of  content  began  to  drive  the  old  tenant,  worry,  from 
the  eyes  of  my  dear  wife.  In  the  stillness  of  the  evenings  as  we  sat  and 
smoked  happily  upon  the  porch,  I  gathered  in  some  of  my  old  comrade's 
philosophy,  and  began  to  feel  ashamed  when  1  thought  of  the  two  occasions 
in  years  gone  by  when  I  had  prepared  to  destroy  myself.  Well,  in  the  end, 
Hn  J6u6(ncii6  '^^  bought  a  little  place  of  a  few  acres  near  our  host,  and  within  an 

DB  tpc  Si'Ca  hour's  ride  of  either  the  city  or  the  shore.    One  of  our  daughters  and 

her  husband  came  to  live  with  us.  Four  years  ago  my  two  sons  rented  a  cot- 
tage here  at  Atlantic  City  and  brought  us  down  to  share  it.  We  have  now- 
built  our  home  here.  My  sons  have  developed  a  good  business  "  upon  the 
avenue."  My  son-in-law,  God  bless  him  !  runs  the  farm,  and  runs  it  well. 
I  spend  my  time  about  equally  between  the  little  farm  and  this  magnificent 
sanitarium,  the  Boardwalk.  I  look  back  Lipon  the  years  that  have  gone  as 
one  remembers  some  dreadful  nightmare.  Here  we  have  found,  my  wife 
and  1,  the  happiest  part  of  our  lives.  You  must  come  to  dinner  with  me 
and  meet  her.  We  have  just  an  hour  to  spare,  let's  walk  to  the  hilet  and 
back." 


103 


»' 

atlantic  cm.          Cbaptcr  JD.     ^^S 

Nowhere  outside  of  a  minstrel  sliow  is  there  a  place  which  offers 

more  temptation  to  good  honest  laughter  than  the  Boardwalk.     It's  worth 

aiono  the        while  to  make  the    little  journey  hither  just  for  the   health-giving 

JBoarCwall?  benefits  of  wholesome  mirth.  Something  quaint  or  funny  is  always 
happening.  There  are  so  many  odd-looking  people  mixed  up  with  the 
great  crowds,  such  bizarre  bathing  costumes,  such  pranks,  such  fun  ;  and 
if  one  has  a  keen  ear,  so  many  humorous  suggests  (quite  without  the  need 
of  eavesdropping,)  float 
in  upon  the  understanding 
and  tickle  the  fancy. 

One  recent  morn- 
ing an  elderly  lady,  evi- 
dently upon  her  first  visit, 
and  much  impressed  by 
the  healthful  advantages 
of  Atlantic  City,  found  op- 
portunity to  confide  in  one  of  the  big,  handsome  men  of  the  life-saving 
service,  a  robust  native  of  the  sands.  "How  I  do  wish"  said  she,  "my 
boy  John  was  here  now;  he  ain't  ever  seen  the  ocean,  and  it  would  do  him 

a  Ibcaltbv        '^  world  of  good,  don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

Spot        "Yes  marm,"  agreed  the  guard  ;  "  there  isn't  a  better  place  to  get  well 
and  have  a  big  appetite  in,  anywhere  in  the  world." 

"  Well,  1  guess  that's  so;  you  look  like  it;  guess  you  was  never  sick 
in  your  life  nor  weak  either;  1  guess  you  didn't  come  here  for  your  health?" 
continued  the  visitor. 


_IIU  .H|M4WI"«Wl _  


104 


"Madame,"  said  the  guard,  solemnly,  "  you  may  not  believe  it,  but 
when  1  arrived  here  I  was  perhaps  as  weak  as  any  human  "being  you  ever 
saw;  I  had  no  use  of  my  limbs;  I  couldn't  walk  nor  feed  myself;  1  did 
not  realize  where  1  was." 

"  Goodness  gracious  !  "  she  exclaimed  with  astonishment;  "  how  did 
you  ever  live  through  it  ?  " 

"  1  had  t(i,  marm,  although  1  was  toothless,  could  not  speak  a  word, 
and  was  dependent  upon  those  around  me  for  everything  I  needed.  But  as 
soon  as  1  got  here  1  began  to  pick  up.  The  climate  agreed  with  me.  My 
legs  and  arms  began  to  get  strong,  my  voice  developed,  and  I  gained  in 
weight  every  week.     1  have  never  been  sick  a  day  since  that  time." 

"How  interesting!"  said  the  visitor.  "How  many  years  ago  did 
you  come  here  .'" 

"Thirty-one  years,  marm." 

"  Why,  you  must  have  been  a  baby !  "  jjlj^  "{.inrrotits 

"Of  course  I  was,  marm.     1  was  born  here."  ^'''^  S\i\n 

Far  down  the  Boardwalk,  toward  Texas  avenue,  a  fat  lobster-hued 
German  has  a  "bathing  plant."  His  rotund  form  was  observed  as  the 
centre  of  a  highly  interested  crowd  in  which  the  "  party  of  the  second 
part  "  was  a  lath\-  individual  with  string)'  locks  damp  with  recent  sea-water. 

"Holt  on  von  minud,"  shouted  the  proprietor.  "  ^'ou  can  no  leaf 
dese  blace  out  so  you  not  bay  me  for  dot  bat  !  " 

"  '  Pay  you  for  that  bath  '  ?  "  exclaimed  the  lathy  one,  in  tones  of 
astonishment.     "  Who  said  anything  about  paying  .'  " 

"  1  say  somedings  about  dot." 

"You  do  ?  " 

"  Yaw.     1  say  you  moost  bay  me  for  dot  bat  !  " 

"  You  sa_v  that  the  kind  of  bath  1  had  don't  cost  anything,"  argued 
the  wet-haired  man. 

"1  no  say  any  sooch  tam  foolishness  !  " 


105 


"  What's  that  reading  on  your  sign  then  ?  " 

"  Dot  sign  reats,  Duri<isli  bats,  vapor  bats  unt  sponge  bats,"  repeated 
the  German. 

"Well,  ain't  that  plain  enough.     1  didn't  have  any  money,  so  1  took 
a  sponge  hath — see  ?  " 

The  German  eyed  his  sign  with  slowly  gathering  disgust,  and  an 
hour  later  a  sign  artist  was  busy  obliterating  the  announcement  of  this 
unprofitable  branch  of  the  business. 
IRollers  The  rolling-chair  is  a  most  essential  factor  in  the  life  of  the  Board- 
walk. We  are  moved,  when  we  consider  the  matter,  with  sincere  pity  for 
our  ancestors  who  had  neither  porches,  hammocks,  or  rolling-chairs,  who 
had,  indeed,  no  Atlantic  City.  The  rolling-chair  made  its  debut  as  an 
ambulatory  convenience  at  the  great  Centennial  Exhibition  twenty-two 
years  ago.  It  filled  the  highways  and  by-ways  of  the  Columbian  E.xposition 
at  Chicago,  but  in  its  present  perfection  of  comfort  and  grace  it  is  only  to  be 
found  upon  the  Boardwalk  of  Atlantic  City.  Upon  the  bright  Sundays  of 
springtime  cohorts  of  rolling-chairs  are  constantly  advancing,  passing  and 
receding  into  the  throng.  Reserve  brigades  of  rolling  chairs  are  ranged  in 
line  of  battle  at  frequent  intervals,  and  the  rivalry  of  the  rolling-chair  mag- 
nates sometimes  stirs  Atlantic  City  to  the  profoundest  depths  of  e.xcitement. 
Some  rolling-chairs  are  "built  for  two,"  but  as  a  general  thing  the  "con- 
ductor" carries  only  a  single  fare.  The  prettiest  of  these  vehicles  is  built 
of  basket  work  which  glows  richly  under  its  varnish  and  which  has  a  swan's 
neck  prow  rising  well  in  front.  In  the  winter  and  spring  the  passenger  is 
buried  in  warm  fur-robes,  in  summer  bright  blankets  of  light  texture  give  a 
touch  of  barbaric  color  to  the  ordinarily  sombre-hued  American  crowd.  Flat 
Japanese  umbrellas  are  rigged  above  the  rolling-chairs,  and  when  you  have 
seen  a  pretty  girl  thus  enframed,  her  lovely  eyes  drowsing  in  calm  content, 
you  have  looked  upon  the  finest  picture  you  ever  saw,  and  ought  to  be  thank- 
ful that  the  Boardwalk,  its  rolling-chairs  and  its  bewitching  maidens  exist. 


io6 


No  truthful  mention  of  the  Boardwalk  can  be  made  which  fails  to 

recognize  its  swarm  of  gamins,  white  and  black'.     Atlantic  City's  resident 

population  is  abnormally  active  and  enterprising.     There  is  so  much  to  be 

^,      _      ,  done  in  properly  taking  care  of  and  still  further  extending  the  modern 

TlXiz  ©amine  \     t      ,  r-  ,, 

ot  tbe  JScacb  Atlantis  which  the_\'  lia\e  built.  It  is  said  that  there  are  business  men 
so  closely  occupied  up  along  Atlantic  avenue  that  they  have  never  been 
down  to  see  the  new  Boardwalk.  But  if  the  adults  of  the  male  element  are 
thrifty  and  hustling  in  their 
ways,  their  progressive  ten- 
dencies are  as  the  movement 
of  a  glacier  when  compared 
with  that  which  impels  the 
gamin  of  the  beach.  This 
joyous  creature  leads  a  highly 
exciting  and  varied  existence. 
He  is  in  evidence  at  every 
storm  centre  of  accident  or  in- 
cident. His  senses  are  acute  p 
through  long  attrition  with  an 
ever  changing  multitude,  and 
his  coin-beguiling  inventions 
are  numberless.  His  morn- 
ings and  evenings  are  devoted 
very  generally  to  the  dissem- 
ination of  news,  and  he  serves  it  hot.  The  intermediate  period  is  given  to 
disinterested  anxiety  for  your  comfort.  If  _\'ou  stop  in  your  walk  for  a 
moment  to  think  of  a  word  he  charges  upon  you  by  the  dozen  ready  to  think 
of  it  for  you.  It  is  the  gamin  who  navigates  the  unwilling  donkeys  along 
the  beach  for  the  joy  of  infantile  riders,  and  who  troops  enviously  after  the 
haughty  "caddies"  attendant  upon  the  self-absorbed  golfers  who  golf  upon 


BUSINESS 


107 


the  sand  at  low-tide,  but  if  you  want  to  see  the  gamin 
at  his  best  just  throw  a  handful  of  pennies  into  the 
dry  sand  below  the  Boardwalk.  When  a  wreck 
comes  in  your  beach  gamin  is  a  stormy  petrel. 
One  of  these  days,  very  likely  he  will  get  a 
place  in  the  Life  Saving  Service.  These  hardy  soldiers 
of  humanity  were  all  beach  boys  once.  Every  beach  boy 
can  swim  like  a  duck  or  handle  a  boat  with 
the  best  of  the  graybeards  at  the  inlet 
pier.  He  can  tell  you  the  name  and  the  skipper  of  every 
little  dot  of  a  craft  in  sight  away  out  there  among  the  blue-fish.  His  soul  is 
filled  with  contempt  for  any  duffer  at  the  helm  who  misses  stays  on  a  tack. 
He  is  resourceful  beyond  his  years.  Not  very  long  ago  one  of  these  young- 
sters captured  a  prize  just  off  shore  in  the  shape  of  a  cask  of  wine  from  some 
unfortunate  cast-away  coaster.  Bigger  boats  and  bigger  boys  were  after 
the  same  cask.  It  was  too  heavy  to  lift  into  the  boat,  so  he  managed  to 
tow  it  into  a  shallow,  jumped  overboard,  sank  his  boat  under  the  cask, 
bailed  out  with  his  cap  and  then  got  his  flotsam  to  his  daddy's  wharf  in 
the  inlet. 

The  beach  gamin  is  the  pet  aversion  of  the  small  but  dignified  nurse 
girls,  who  love  to  sit  under  the  shade  of  the  pavilions  upon  a  shawl  and  read 
"Lady  Desmonde's  Secret  or  the  Mystery  of  the  Haunted  Manse"  while 
their  wayward  charges  stake  out  claims  and  prospect  with  picks  and  shovels 
close  under  the  heels  of  the  untamed  and  impetuous  donkeys.  But  the 
gamin  and  the  girl  will  look  at  each  other  with  different  eyes  some  of  these 
days.  They  will  set  up  a  little  home  over  upon  the  seaward  side  of  Arctic 
avenue,  and  a  new  generation  of  beach  boys  will  be  selling  papers,  running 
races  and  getting  into  everybody's  way  in  the  same  cheerful,  impudent, 
delightful  fashion  that  you  may  see  on  any  sunny  day  along  the  miniature 
world  of  the  Boardwalk. 


1 08 


If,  in  the  glare  and  color  of  morning  and  the  fashionable  array  of 
afternoon  the  Boardwalk  is  attractive,  at  night  it  becomes  fascinating. 
When  the  full  muon  glows  and  rises  close  upon  the  fading  of  the  j£vcmnci 
day,  its  white  radiance  comes  tremulously  across  the  sleepy  sea  to  ~'Ccnc5 
our  very  feet,  touching  a  thousand  features  of  the  scene,  which,  m  day- 
light are  crude  and  garish,  with  a  brush  dipped  in  silver  and  revealing  the 
long  array  of  hotels  as  a  veritable  "white  city"  all  aglow  with  gleam  from 
a  thousand  casements. 

The  great  arc  lamps  along  the  promenade  cast  dense  contrasts  of  light 
and  purple  shadow,  all  the  colors  of  the  prism  pour  out  from  the  hundreds 
of  shops  and  shows  of  all  sorts.  E\er_\'  inclined  pathway  from  the  hotels 
leading  up  to  this  pedestrian  boulevard  adds  its  tributary  stream  of  gay 
humanity  to  the  concourse  of  promenaders  which  have  already  filled  the 
walk,  the  pavilions,  and  every  place  of  attraction  to  repletion.  The  strident 
voice  of  the  ticket  seller  and  the  fakir  is  heard  above  the  roar  of  the  toboggan, 
and  the  melody  of  the  elite  orchestra  is  hopelessly  confused  in  the  less 
classical  but  e\er  popular  music  of  the  hurdy-gurdy. 

Nearly  twenty  centuries  ago  Glaucus  folded  his  toga  lovingly  about 
the  beautiful  form  of  lone  as  they  wandered  under  the  witching  light  of 
this  same  old  moon,  upon  the  crescent  strand  of  Pompeii,  the  Atlantic  City  of 
Patrician  Rome,  the  blue  waters  of  the  Bay  of  Naples  splashed  at  their  feet, 
the  far  lights  of  the  fleets  of  Egypt  and  the  orient  twinkled  in  the  oftlng,  the 
soft  music  of  slaves  touching  the  cithera  floated  out  from  festive  villas,  and 
the  magic  of  the  summer  night  held  them  in  the  sweet  spell  of  its  happy 
influence,  and  thus  the  "old,  old  story"  is  rehearsed  in  unconscious  emu- 
lation of  those  classic  lovers  along  the  sands  and  in  many  a  shadowy  nook 
between  the  inlet  and  Chelsea  upon  every  rapturous  summer  night  that 
draws  its  velvet  curtain  over  the  great  pleasure  resort  of  modern  America. 
%ovc  bv  the  Sea  Summer  love  has  oft  been  spoken  of,  and  where  but  at  Atlantic  City 
can  it  be  found  in  its  prime.'     Together  from  earl)'  morn  to  dew}-  e\e,  in 


the  fishing  expeditions,  the  buth,  the  ball- 
room, and  the  twilight  promenade,  that  lov- 
ing couple  we  see  at  every  turn  would 
appear  to  the  unobserved  visitor  to  be  the 
most  devoted  pair  of  lovers  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  Their  shy  retreats  to  cosy  cor- 
ners, their  cunning  escapes  from  the  prying 
eyes  of  mamma  or  the  inquisitive  looks  of 
papa  stamp  them  as  strategists,  while  their 
rapt  looks  and  tender  salutations  stamp 
them  as  loved  and  loving.  And  what  does 
it  all  amount  to  ?  Nothing,  absolutely  noth- 
ing. He  leaves,  and  his  departure  is  atten- 
ded with  a  tender  parting  at  the  train.  She 
returns  to  the  hotel  or  the  cottage,  perhaps, 
to  start  a  new  flirtation  or  maybe  to  mourn 
over  the  old  one.  The  summer  draws  to  a 
close  and  she  goes  back  to  her  home.  He 
moves  in  one  set  and  she  in  another  of  our 
Quaker  City  aristocracy,  and  the  conse- 
quence is  that  were  barriers  of  iron,  were 
the  wall  of  China  itself  to  be  raised  up  be- 
tween them,  their  separation  could  not  be  more  complete.  Like  oil  and 
water,  up-town  and  down-town  society  do  not  mingle  when  within  the 
sacred  precincts  of  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love.  So,  of  course,  all  inter- 
course is  at  an  end.  A  cold  bow  and  stately  nod  take  the  place  of  the 
familiar  salutation  at  the  seaside,  and  the  signs  of  love  upon  these  young 
hearts  are  as  surely  effaced  by  Dame  (irundy  as  the  footsteps  they  made 
together  on  the  sands  of  the  Atlantic  are  effaced  by  Dame  Nature  and 
her  satellites,  the  waves. 


atlantic  dm,        Cbaptcr  IIPU. 


An  incident  in  the  iiistory  of  Atlantic  City  wiiich  deserves  to  be  pre- 
served is  the  memorai^le  snow  hloci<ade  of  February  12th,  13th  and  14th, 
1899.  The  City  by  the  Sea  lias  been  more  than  once  cutoff  from  ^^  ^^^^.  ^^ 
the  outer  world  bv  phenomenal  tides  and  suffered  with  the  rest  of  tbc  Sborc 
the  countr\-  in  the  blizzard  of  1888,  but  upon  this  occasion  she  was  fairly 
"  bottled  up,"  and  this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  when  the  same  conditions 
existed  in  all  sections  of  Philadelphia's  suburbs. 

A  newspaper  dispatch  gave  the  following  condensed  report  of  the 
situation  : 
1ln  tbc  3i-itt6  "  With  the  wind  blowing  at  the  rate  of  forts'  miles  an  hour,  a  hurri- 
cane promised  bv  the  Weather  Bureau  for  to-morrow,  and  the  snow  still 
falling,  efforts  of  man  to  break  the  drifts  are  worse  than  useless.  Not  a 
train  has  entered  or  left  this  city  since  yesterday  afternoon.  Ofificials  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  started  two  engines  out  this  morning  to  open  up 
the  road,  but  they  only  got  as  far  as  Egg  Harbor,  twenty  miles  distant, 
when  the\-  came  to  a  final  standstill  and  at  last  reports  were  still  stuck  in 
the  drifts.  The  Reading  Railwa_\-  to-morrow  will  put  to  work  e\ery  man 
that  can  be  hired  and  an  attempt  will  be  made  to  shovel  the  snow  from  the 
tracks,  but  it  looks  like  an  almost  helpless  task. 

The  snowfall  has  been  actuall\-  three  times  as  heav\-  as  during  the 
memorable  blizzard  of  March,  1888,  although  the  wind  was  much  higher  then. 
A  total  of  twent>--one  inches  of  snow  has  fallen  up  to  this  evening,  but  the 
size  of  the  drifts  would  lead  to  the  supposition  that  the  fall  had  been  much 
heavier.  The  milk  supply  is  entirely  cut  off  and  there  is  a  great  demand 
for  the  condensed  article,  but  there  is  no  danger  of  any  serious  famine. 


There  are  enough  provisions  in  tlie  city  to  last  at  least  two  weeks,  and  the 
coal  supply  will  probably  hold  out  equally  as  long. 

Scores  of  visitors  went  to  the  beach  front  during  the  day,  in  spite  of 
the  storm,  to  witness  the  novel  sight  of  a  frozen  ocean.  The  wind  had 
broken  up  the  ice  in  the  bays  and  it  drifted  down  along  the  beach,  tilling  the 
ocean  with  huge  cakes  that  had  the  appearance  of  a  solid  mass.  The  ice  is 
piled  up  on  the  beach  at  high  water  mark  in  great  walls.  No  damage  to 
shipping  has  been  reported  here,  but  communication  with  other  life-saving 

Cbc  Jflcw  of        stations  along  the  coast  is  shut  off." 

Eiijovmcntii  Despite  this  isolation  the  coast  folks  managed  to  have  a  good  time. 
The  round  of  gayety  went  merrily  on.  It  was  cold,  it  is  true.  When  the 
official  records  of  the  Weather  Bureau  show  that  the  mercury  has  been 
doing  the  cake-walk  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  zero  point,  it  would  be  use- 
less to  claim  that  June-like  balminess  had  prevailed.  But  there  was  a 
peculiar  something  about  it  all  that  made  one  long  for  the  open  air,  be  the 
glowing  coals  in  the  parlor  grate  ever  so  attractive.  Suniu:  Corners 

This  had  the  effect  of  bringing  many  strollers  out  on  the  Boardwalk 
every  afternoon,  in  spite  of  the  wintry  winds  ;  and  when  people  once  got 
out  o'  doors  they  were  not  willing  to  return  as  long  as  the  nipping  breezes 
could  be  borne.  There  were  many  sunny  nooks  along  the  walk  where  it 
was  possible  to  rest  for  a  short  time,  and  these  coveted  places  were  in  great 
demand.  Even  the  devotees  of  the  rolling  chair  habit  were  able  to  indulge 
their  fad  in  comparative  comfort.  Well  muffled  up  in  furs  and  blankets,  they 
were  pushed  along  as  though  it  were  spring  time,  albeit  the  frosty  air  put  a 

^  ,       ^  little  more  than  the  usual  vim  into  the  movements  of  the  pushers. 

IRaniV!  5)a\j 

IPbilosopbx?  To-day  it  rains.  The  waters  prevail  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  As 
this  visitation  of  dampness  is  not  peculiar  to  this  point  alone,  the  force  of  the 
above  observation  is  in  some  degree  weakened.  But  it  is  needful  to  speak 
of  it,  in  explanation  of  the  fact  that  the  sojourners  at  our  various  hostelries 
are  at  the  present  moment,  as  with  one  accord,  in  a  state  of  torpidity  sad  to 


behold.  They  sit  about  here  and  there,  just  out  of  reach  of  the  eaves  drip- 
pings, looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  lot  of  chickens  on  a  very  wet  day  in 
a  farm-yard.  A  few  have  aroused  their  sluggish  blood  sufficiently  to  go 
down  by  the  beach,  and,  protected  by  some  one  of  the  roomy  pavilions,  gaze 
out  pensively  over  the  storm-chafed  waste  of  waters.     Many  have  gone  to 


"the  city."  Mondays  always  bring  about  a  greater  exodus  than  other  days, 
but  to-day  many  of  the  departures  were  occasioned  by  the  adverse  weather. 
The  summer  visitor  tlies  like  a  bright-plumed  songster  before  the  slightest 
approach  of  skies  overcast. 

To  leave  the  seashore  for  no  better  reason  than  a  day  or  so  of  unkmd 
weather  is  unwise — partly  because  the  blue  skies,  which  succeed  almost 


113 


invariably,  will  look  all  the  brighter  for  the  contrast,  and  again  because  the 
sea,  to  one  who  loves  the  beautiful,  presents  new  charms  at  such  times  not 
ttbc  Stortn\2  Sea  to  be  disregarded.  To  stand  in  a  sheltered  place  and  watch  the 
surging,  inrushing  billows  lashed  to  a  white  fury  is  charming,  but  to  view 
the  waters  illumed  by  the  fitful  electric  glare,  leaping  out  of  the  blackness 
of  night,  the  deep  diapason  of  the  thunder  mingling  with  the  surf's  unceas- 
ing roar,  is  to  add  another  page  to  one's  memories  of  the  sublime. 

The  occupants  of  three  hotels  join  in  a  revel  of  spontaneous  and  un- 
controllable mirth  at  the  sight  of  a  stylish  person  in  pursuit  of  his  hat,  which 
Boreas  has  snatched  from  its  abiding  place  on  its  owner's  head.  1  never 
could  fathom  what  there  is  so  very  funny  about  the  thing,  though  it  is  notice- 
able that  the  party  in  pursuit  always  "comes  up  smiling,"  and  seems  to 
rather  enjoy  his  brief  claim  to  public  notice.  There's  nothing  remarkable 
about  it.  Now  if  the  hat  was  to  be  seen  chasing  its  owner  the  case  would 
be  different.  A  stray  hat  is  a  fitting  symbol  of  human  life  and  aims.  When 
we  get  a  little  wealth  we  enlarge  the  borders  of  our  garments  and  deck  our- 
selves with  phylacteries.  We  wear  our  riches  as  the  youth  weareth  his 
hat,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  the  first  gust  of  adversity  which  strikes  us 
will  send  us  in  hot  pursuit  after  our  fleeting  possessions,  which  seem  always 
just  out  of  our  reach,  like  the  ignis-fatutis,  eluding  our  grasp  again  and  again, 
while  all  the  time  we  feel  conscious  of  the  undignified  position  we  occupy, 
yet  "smile  and  smile,"  and  be  a  "heap  mad"  still.  Don't  be  so  foolish  as 
to  forsake  the  seashore  even  if  it  rains  iiM  days;  it  can't  rain  always,  nor 
can  the  sun  always  shine  upon  you  when  you  want  it  to  do  so. 


114 


atlantic  Citv^       Chapter  |*1^1I1I. 


The  local  history  of  Longport,  although  covering  a  period  beginning 
much  later  than  that  of  its  big  sister  town  to  the   north-east,  furnishes  a 
\aluable  record  of  foresight,  perseverance  and  energy.     Se\'enteen        Cbe  JSorouiih 
years  ago,  when  Mr.  M.  S.  McCullough,  the  founder  of  Longport,  and        *"       <^"9P'^i 
its  present  mayor,  first  determined  that  he  could  and  would  transform  the 
lonely  desert  of  sand  dunes  into  a  pleasure  community,  there  were  (as  there 

always  are  and  always  will 
be)  many  wiseacres  who  pro- 
claimed their  belief  that  things 
were  alreadv  "  over-done  " 
upon  the  island  ;  that  Atlantic 
City  had  touched  the  high- 
water  mark  of  its  prosperity 
and  greatness,  and  as  for  any 
new  places,  it  was  just  so 
much  money  wasted  to  pro- 
mote them.  Despite  these  very  common  and  fallacious-opinions  of  the  past, 
the  sparkling  city  by  the  sea  has  spread  amazingly,  adding  new  attractions 
year  after  year,  and  so  far  from  regarding  the  ambitions  of  Longport  with  a 
jealous  eye  she  has  leveled  and  beautified  much  of  the  intervening  wastes, 
joined  hands  with  Longport  in  the  completion  of  a  magnificent  drive,  unsur- 
passed upon  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  by  e.xtending  the  electric  railway  to  the 
south-west  as  far  as  Longport  has  made  the  younger  resort  practically  her 
most  important  and  promising  suburb. 


"5 


The  Longport  driveway  will  be  tlie  great  feature  of  development  for 
the  season  of  1899.  One-third  of  tlie  cost  of  tJie  new  road  will  be  paid 
by  the  State  under  the  law  for  the  development  of  better  roads.  ^  ^r-nt 
Not  only  will  it  vastly  stimulate  the  use  of  horses  for  both  the  Bvivc 
saddle  and  carriage,  and  add  greatly  to  the  pleasure  of  cycling,  but  un- 
doubtedly it  will  bring  into  service  the  new  automobile  type  of  carriage 
and  thus  develop  a  fashionable  afternoon  hour  when  all  the  world  upon 
wheels  will  seek  the  new  dri\e  in  endless  review,  a  bright  kaleidoscopic 
parade  of  wealth  and  style  from  the  lighthouse  to  the  crescent  beach 
at   Longport. 

By  electric  cars,  closed  and  heated  in  winter,  open  and  breezy  in 
summer,  it  is  but  a  whirl  of  thirty  minutes  to  or  from  Longport.  By  carriage 
it  is  less  than  one  hour;  the  roar  of  the  surf  to  tlie  south-east  and  the  calm 
waters  of  the  bay  upon  the  inland  \-ista  are  charming  features  of  this  ride. 

Do  not  cherish  the  delusion  that  wlien  you  have  made  the  little 
journey  upon  the  "trolley  line"  as  far  as  the  steamboat  landing,  you  have 
seen  Longport.  As  a  matter  of  fact  you  have  only  just  penetrated  its 
suburbs. 

Atlantic  and  Pacific  avenues  are  bisected  by  the  transverse  avenues, 
and  the  whole  is  enclosed  by  Beach  avenue,  which,  as  its  name  indicates, 
borders  the  shore  line  not  only  along  the  sea  front  but  around  the  shapely 
curve  of  Great  Harbor  hilet  and  eastward  along  the  bay  to  the  landing,  thus 
furnishing  a  superb  finish  to  the  splendid  new  drive  already  described. 
aOvantagcs  Having  so  man\-  reasons  for  the  most  harmonious  relations  with  the 
famous  "city  by  the  sea  "  e.\isting  as  it  were  but  ne.xt  door  to  her,  it  would 
ill  become  Longport  to  indulge  in  comparisons  at  the  e.xpense  of  the  older 
and  greater  resort,  but  there  are  one  or  two  facts  wnich  may  be  safely 
mentioned.  The  first  of  these  is  in  reference  to  the  beautiful  sloping  beach 
which  e.xtends  all  the  way  around  the  point  and  far  up  the  bay  shore. 
There  are  no  ragged  edges  of  crumbling  marsh;  it  is  all  clean  sloping  gravel 


117 


and  sand,  and  from  whatever  quarter  the  winds  may  blow  there  is  always 
a  stretch  of  shore  where  the  wavelets  ripple  gently  and  where  there  is 
sunshine  and  comfort. 

Apropos  of  another  claim,  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  future  yacht- 
ing interests,  as  well  as  the  most  popular  fishing  facilities,  will  be  centred 
at  Longport. 

Mr.  P.  M.  Sharpies,  who  contributes  a  lively  description  of  life  at 
Longport  in  its  many  phases  (see  page  129),  has  touched  upon  this  topic 


convincingly.     There  is  room  in  the  bay  for  all  the  pleasure  craft  between 
New  York  and  St.  Augustine. 
16-n  Iff  ^^^^  accompanying  illustrations  indicate  the  artistic  and  substantial 

Iboinee  character  of  the  residences  which  establish  the  class  of  Longport 
improvements.  The  lots  are  of  liberal  dimensions,  and  in  some  sections 
of  the  borough  but  one  cottage  is  allowed  upon  a  lot. 

Having  thus  sketched  the  Longport  of  to-day  we  may  consistently 
record  as  an  important  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  island  the  story  of  the 


ELECTRIC   CAR 
STATION 


118 


iig 


making  of  the  settlement.  In  his  first  annual  message  addressed  to  the 
Longport  Borough  Council  in  April,  1898,  Mayor  M.  S.  McCuliough  fur- 
nished the  substantial  basis  of  fact  upon  which  all  future  histories  of  the 
place  must  be  built. 

Mr.  McCuliough  purchased  the  site  of  Longport  from  James  Long  of 
Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1882,  including  the  entire  area  from  a  line  drawn 
between  the  present  23d  and  24th  avenues  and  Great  Egg  Harbor  Inlet.  It 
was  an  absolutely  primitive  waste.  The  first  building  was  erected  at  i6th 
and  Beach  avenues  and  was  used  for  a  restaurant.  It  has  since  been  moved 
to  17th  and  Atlantic  avenues.  The  desolate  sand  hills  reared  their  wind- 
swept crests  everywhere.  One  of  the  greatest  tasks  in  sight  was  the 
levelling  of  many  of  these  in  order  to  establish  properly  graded  streets  and 
building  sites.  The  sand  dunes  were  of  such  great  height  that  from  the 
location  of  the  Aberdeen  Hotel  the  thoroughfare  could  not  be  seen. 
H  IRcvicw  In  his  message  Mr.  McCuliough  says:  "After  careful  study  of  the 
situation,  noting  the  long  hard  and  smooth  beach  along  the  ocean,  the  long 
port  or  harbor  on  the  bay  or  thoroughfare,  the  close  proximity  of  Atlantic 
City,  the  freedom  from  meadow  land,  the  sand  beach  along  the  thoroughfare 
as  well  as  along  the  ocean,  the  grand  outlook  over  the  sea  as  well  as  over 
the  quiet  waters  of  the  thoroughfare  and  the  bay,  and  the  beautiful  land- 
scape beyond,  it  seemed  to  be  an  ideal  place  to  found  a  family  resort,  and  to 
make  it  attractive,  as  such,  has  since  been  my  constant  aim." 

Building  lots  were  offered  for  sale  late  in  1882,  and  in  April,  1883,  a 
special  excursion  train  brought  to  Atlantic  City  a  pleasant  party  of  Phila- 
delphians  who  were  taken  to  Longport  along  the  beach  in  carriages,  and 
many  of  them  became  identified  as  real  estate  owners  with  the  future 
destinies  of  the  new  settlement.  It  is  a  matter  of  much  satisfaction  to  all 
concerned,  and  especially  to  the  original  promoter  of  the  enterprise,  that  all 
of  the  rosy  forecasts  made  upon  that  occasion  have  long  ago  been  far  more 
than   realized. 


The  first  cottage  builders  were  Mr.  Amos  Dotterer  and  Mrs.  S.  L. 
Oberholtzer,  the  first  locating  at  17th  and  Beach  avenues  and  the  second  at 
19th  and  Beach  avenues.  Cottages  were  built  by  Prof.  J.  P.  Remington 
and  his  sister,  Miss  Caroline  Remington,  in  the  spring  of  1884.  in  the  same 
year  a  Philadelpiiia  caterer  had  charge  of  the  restaurant,  and  so  attractive 
was  the  place  that  the  building,  which  is  now  the  west  wing  of  the  Aberdeen, 
could  not  accommodate  all  who  wished  to  come. 

The  first  train  of  cars  entered  Longport  on  the  morning  of  August 
31st,  1884;  prior  to  that  time  passengers  were  conveyed  by  carriage  to  and 


from  south  Atlantic  Cit\  .  In  .i  ;r\\  \iMr-,  Iimwcwi,  n.uii  m.  i.mm,iI  so 
rapidly  that  the  Railroad  Company  put  into  service  between  Atlantic  City 
and  Longport  small  cars  with  steam  motors,  making  frequent  trips  between 
the  two  places,  and  in  1893,  introduced  the  present  electric  system.  Among 
the  events  of  1884  ''^'as  the  organization  of  an  Agassiz  Association,  the 
Oberholtzer  family  being  the  prime  movers.  The  first  meeting  was  held  in 
their  cottage.  Much  pleasure  and  benefit  were  derived  from  the  study  of 
natural  history  as  found  in  the  specimens  of  animals  and  alg:v  from  the  sea 
and  wild  flowers  from  the  land,  which  were  gathered  and  brought  in  for 
examination. 


Interest  in  this  society  seemed  to  warrant  a  wider  field  than  at  first 

had  been  determined,  and  the  present  Longport  Society  of  Natui'al  Science 

was  dulv  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  New  Jersey.     Tiie  Society 

IHatural 
erected  a  hall  at  the  corner  of  15th  and  Atlantic  avenues,  which  has      Science 

been  of  great  benefit  to  Longport,  being  used  for  divine  worship  on  Sunday 

and  for  lectures  and  other  purposes  during  the  week. 

In  1886  the  Aberdeen  was  enlarged  and  leased  to  Mr.  James  Hood 
and  Miss  Elizabeth  Newport ;  shortly  after  Mr.  Hood  having  built  the  Penn- 
hurst,   in    Atlantic    City,   Miss  Ella   Hood  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Newport  as- 
sumed management  of  the  Aberdeen.     They  were  very  successful,  making 
Ibotcls  many  friends  for  themselves  and  also  for  Longport. 

*■  '  In  i8go,  Miss  Hood  being  needed  in  the  management  of  the  Penn- 

hurst,  and  Miss  Newport  unwilling  to  assume  the  entire  charge  of  the 
Aberdeen,  they  reluctantly  withdrew,  and  it  was  leased  to  Mr.  James  M. 
Moore,  now  proprietor  of  the  Revere,  Atlantic  City. 

The  Aberdeen  was  under  Mr.  Moore-'s  management  during  the 
seasons  of  1890  and  i8qi.  In  the  spring  of  1892  Mr.  Wilmer  W.  Lamborn, 
who  associated  with  him  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Kitts,  purchased  it,  and  under  their 
management  it  has  been  enlarged,  and  many  improvements  have  been 
made,  and  it  has  continued  to  grow  in  favor  with  the  public. 

In  1886  Mr.  James  Long  erected  a  beautiful  cottage  and  made  it  his 
summer  residence  until  recently,  when  he  sold  it  to  Mr.  A.  H.  Phillips  and 
Mr.  Carlton  Godfrey.  Also  in  1886  the  Bay  View  Club  rented  and  oc- 
cupied a  house  which  had  been  built  for  them  on  17th  avenue.  The 
members  of  the  Club  have  taken  great  interest  in  Longport,  and  have  done 
much  for  its  improvement.  They  now  own  and  occupy  their  new  club- 
house, corner  17th  and  Beach  avenues. 

Mr.  Fred  Boice  and  sisters  erected  and  opened  the  Devonshire  in 
1895,  and  have  been  very  successful  in  its  management.  In  i8g6  Mr.  A.  H. 
Phillips,  of  Atlantic  City,  became  interested  in  Longport  and  made  large 


123 


purcliases  of  property 
for  himself  as  well  as 
for  his  friends,  and  has 
done  much  to  improve 
the  property  he  pur- 
chased. The  beautiful 
residence  he  erected 
for  his  own  use,  and 
the  one  for  Mr.  R.  M. 
Elliott  are  handsome 
additions  to  Longport.  In  addition  to  the  cottages  already  named,  others 
have  been  built  by  Elizabeth  Newport,  Philip  M.  Sharpies,  David  Scott, 
Anna  B.  Hunter,  Aaron  B.  Steelman,  M.  McCoy,  Thos.  S.  Butler,  Wilton  D. 
Jackson,  Mrs.  James  Sampson,  Thos.  C.  Pearson,  John  R.  Minnick,  Samuel 
Stetzer,  Bolton  E.  Steelman,  Mrs.  Henry  Disston  and  M.  S.  McCullough. 

The  United  States  Government  also  erected  a  Life-Saving  Station  at 
the  corner  of  2:;rd  and  Atlantic  avenues. 

The  pavilion  at  the  foot  of  i6th  avenue  was  built  by  the  railroad 
company,  and  the  restaurant  connected  with  it  has  for  some  years  been 
leased  by  Capt.  James  B.  Townsend,  who  built  a  residence  for  himself, 
purchased  the  property  at  the  corner  of  17th  and  Atlantic  avenues,  and 
opened  a  store,  which  has  been  a  great  convenience  to  the  residents.        Cbc  jFcrr\i 

Longport  and  its  neighbor,  Ocean  City,  have  been  connected  with 
the  mainland  at  Somers'  Point  for  many  years  by  a  ferry.  The  service 
which  was  formerly  desultory,  and  at  times  rather  nerve-trying,  is  now 
about  as  safe,  speedy  and  comfortable  as  money  and  enterprise  can  make 
it.  The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  which  controls  the  trolley  line 
between  Longport  and  Atlantic  City,  maintains  a  service  of  fast  steam 
yachts  upon  this  route  which  are  models  of  their  kind.  They  are  beamy  and 
supplied  with  large  seating  capacity,  being  open  all  around  the  sides  in  fair 


124 


weather,  affording  an  unrestricted  view.  In  wet,  or  cold  weather,  the  sides 
are  curtained.  As  elsewhere  described,  they  form  a  part  of  a  charming 
local  round  tour,  the  continuation  from  Somers'  Point  being  by  dummy 
train  through  Pleasantville  and  across  the  meadows  back  to  Atlantic  City. 
In  1895  the  Longport  Water  and  Light  Company  was  formed.  Water 
is  obtained  in  abundance  from  an  artesian  well.  The  flow  is  so  abundant 
that  for  nine  months  in  the  year  the  surplus  is  utilized  as  power  for 
pumping. 

Much  attention  has  been  given  to  the  important  question  of  sanita- 
tion, and  at  the  present  time  it  is  not  too   much   to  say  that  the       «,,.,„,■, 
drainage  is  nearly  perfect.  Officials 

The  borough  of  Longport  was  created  by  act  of  Legislature,  March 
7th,  1898,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected  April  5th,  1898  :  Mayor, 
M.  Simpson  McCullough  ;  Councilmen,  Ar\ine  H.  Phillips,  Joseph  P.  Rem- 
ington, Samuel  Stetzer,  Wm.  H.  Bartlett  and  John  R.  Minnick  ;  Assessor, 
Robert  M.  Elliott  ;  Collector,  James  B.  Townsend;  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
J.  P.  Remington,  Jr.  ;  Commissioners  of  Appeals  in  Cases  of  Taxation, 
Wilmer  W.  Lamborn,  Bolton  E.  Steelman  and  J.  P.  Remington,  Jr.  Mr. 
Wilmer  W.  Lamborn  was  appointed  Borough  Clerk  ;  Carlton  Godfrey, 
Borough  Attorney  ;  John  P.  Ashmead,  Borough  Engineer  ;  M.  McCoy, 
Superintendent  of  Highwavs,  and  Daniel  Yates,  Marshal. 

More  hotels  and  homes  are  to  be  the  order  of  the  early  future. 
Broad  areas  still  unoccupied  will  soon 
be  well  covered  witii  pleasant  avenues 
of  cottages.  New  neighbors  will  bring 
new  stimulus  and  still  greater  am- 
bitions for  the  beautifying  and  comfort 
of  this  ideal  spot.  Nothing  can  halt 
the  impetus  of  its  steady  progress. 
The  fashion  of  a  sojourn  by  the  sea. 


once  reserved  for  the  wealthy,  is  now  the  privilege  of  all  classes  of  citi- 
zens. It  has  become  a  necessity  in  the  lives  of  vast  numbers.  To  own 
and  occupy  a  cottage  by  the  ocean  not  only  lends  a  wonderful  zest  to  the 
otherwise  monotonous  lines  of  workers  in  the  great  cities,  but  is  actually 
with  many  a  real  matter  of  economy.  Longport  is  but  an  hour  and  a 
Seasbore       l^^'f  from  Philadelphia. 

JOBS  j]-|g  jyveller  by  the  sea  knows  a  multitude  of  minor  joys  to  which  the 
people  of  the  great  cities  are  strangers.  It  is  for  him  that  the  splendors  of 
dawn  gild  the  tossing  blue  expanse  of  the  deep.  For  him  only  there  is  the 
quick  appetizing  walk  along  the  beach  before  breal<fast,  the  rare  finds 
among  the  mass  of  flotsam  and  jetsam  tossed  up  by  the  last  high  tide;  for 
him  the  sea-bird's  cry  and  the  twitter  of  the  meadow  lark  ;  for  his  appre- 
ciative eye  the  creamy  sails  along  the  bay,  just  spread  to  catch  the  first 
faint  puff  of  the  coming  breeze,  and  his  alone  the  romance  of  the  ships  that 
grow  upon  the  far  horizon  and  fade  toward  distant  lands — the  silent  mer- 
chants of  the  deep.  Neither  mountains,  inland  lakes  or  broad  rivers  can 
give  that  ecstatic  sense  of  life  and  happiness  which  is  the  daily  stimulus  of 
those  who  live  upon  the  sands  where  the  salt  billows  break  and  the  breezes 
sing  through  the  cedars. 

The  coming  and  going  of  the  sun  is  brilliant  and  spectacular — a 
wondrous  burst  of  color.  The  rise  and  decline  of  Luna  is  chaste  and  poeti- 
cal. Taken  together  they  form  one  of  the  grandest  phases  of  nature,  and 
nowhere  are  they  seen  more  frequently  in  the  perfection  of  their  golden 
and  silver  drapery  than  at  Longport.  Ilu  Spriiui 

The  vast  majority  of  city  people  know  the  sea  only  in  its  midsummer 
aspects,  but  in  every  season  it  has  its  special  charms.  In  the  springtime 
there  is  the  pleasure  of  watching  nature  as  she  responds  to  the  soft  bland- 
ishments of  the  balmy  winds  and  ardent  sunshine.  The  wide  reaches  of 
young  marsh  grass  are  of  the  most  delicate  green.  Even  the  neglected 
sand  dunes  take  on  an  emerald  tinge.     Everywhere  is  heard  the  cheerful 


126 


127 


echo  of  the  hammer  and  the  rasp  of  the  saw.  Ever\'\vhere  the  painter 
spreads  fresh  color  upon  storm-worn  surfaces.  Everybody  is  busy  making 
ready  for  the  business  of  the  summer.  It  is  like  youth  when  all  the  good 
things  of  life  are  yet  in  anticipation. 

autumn  Autumn  has  its  own  votaries.  Then  the  gunner  takes  his  innings. 
The  myriads  of  wild  fowl  that  swarm  the  creeks  and  thoroughfares  of  great 
Egg  Harbor  Bay  have  no  rest.  From  skiff  and  blind  and  sneak-box  the 
bang!  bang!  of  the  shot-gun  is  constant;  and  then,  later,  when  the  birds  are 
gone,  snow  flurries  sweep  across  the  brown  landscape  and  indigo  sea, 
driving  the  all-the-vear-round  residents  into  the  recesses  of  their  cottages, 
and  a  new  chapter  in  the  life  of  the  year 
begins.     It  is  the  holiday  time  of  winter. 

imitntcr  Winter  no  longer  stalks  hand-in- 
hand  with  desolation  through  the  empty 
avenues  of  a  deserted  city  of  pleasure. 
The  great  permanent  population  of  Atlantic 
City  has  been  elsewhere  detailed.  There 
is  a  brighter  showing  of  stir  and  life  there 
and  at  Longport  than  in  most  inland  towns. 
The  temperature  as  a  rule  is  higher,  and 
the  temptations  to  healthful,  joyous  out-of- 
door  life  are  more  constant  than  in  inland  cities.  Longport  faces  almost 
directly  toward  the  south,  and  that  accounts  for  much  of  its  well-established 
reputation  as  a  winter  refuge. 

It  is  certain  that  there  is  a  large  class  of  semi-rural  people  whose 
affairs  drag  them  into  the  cities  but  now  and  then,  and  who  have  nothing  in 
common  with  the  farmer  except  to  buy  his  surplus.  These  are  the  people 
who  should  be  caught  up  by  a  beneficent  fate  and  set  down  for  the  balance 
of  their  lives  by  the  seashore,  to  write  stories,  paint,  delve  in  hobbies  or  cut 
coupons,  as  the  case  may  be,  in  a  climate  wonderfully  exempt  from  those 


128 


ills  which  make  life  in  this  latitude, 
between  November  and  May,  ordin- 
arily a  prolonged  struggle  for  con- 
tinued existence. 

One  of   the  most  enthusiastic 
summer    residents  of  Longport  is  Mr. 
P.  M.  Sharpies,  of  West  Chester,  Pa.; 
a  gentleman  who,  with  his  family,  de- 
votes the  warmer  half  of  the  year   about  equally  to  the  seashore   and  the     H, 
Thousand  Islands.    At  the  request  of  the  editor  he  has  penned  the  following 
Jovi;  of        entertaining  description  of  the  joys  of  life  upon  the  sands : 
Uoiiciport         .'n  is  feared  that  a  description  of  the  advantages  and  pleasures  of 
Summer  life  at  Longport  will  lead  to  the  impression  that  the  writer  is  either 
a  hotel  owner  with  a  desire  to  boom  that  resort,  or  is  the  owner  of  property 
there  which  he  is  trying  to  sell.     So  let  me  preface  these  remarks  with  the 
statement  that  I  am  neither,  but  on  the  contrary  would  personally  prefer  to 
see  the  village  remain  just  as  it  is. 

An  increase  in  population  means  less  freedom,  more  conventionality, 
less  sociability  and  more  cosmopolitan  surroundings. 

At  present  the  little  town  is  just  the  right  size,  and  each  inhabitant 
has  the  feeling  that  he  owns  the  whole  place  and  can  do  in  it  as  he 
would  in  his  own  back  yard. 

It  is  rare,  indeed,  that  a  home-like  little  seashore  town  should  have 
such  complete  railroad  facilities  and  the  best  markets  in  the  land  right  at 
hand.  Its  proximity  to  Atlantic  City,  however,  and  the  fact  that  every 
ti\e  minutes  all  day  and  well  into  the  night  a  swift  trolley  car  pulls  right  up 
at  the  back  door  gives  Longport  both. 

In  front  of  the  house  where  this  is  written,  not  one  hundred  feet 
away,  is  the  full  unobstructed  stretch  of  the  finest  bathing  beach  on  the 
Atlantic   coast,  while   but   three   hundred   yards  in  the  rear  is  a  long  and 


129 


130 


substantial  fishing  and  sailing  pier  extending  well  out  into  the  deep  waters 
of  the  thoroughfare.  _, 

This  thoroughfare,  swarming  in  season  with  sea  bass,  blacl<  fish  Cboroiuibtare 
and  weak  fish,  with  an  occasional  sheepshead  and  plenty  of  small  blue  fish, 
opens  at  one  extremity  into  Great  Egg  Harbor,  as  fine  a  sheet  of  inland 
yachting  water  as  the  coast  affords,  and  in  another  direction  leads  to  miles  of 
smooth,  safe  water  where  crabbing  and  fishing  can  be  indulged  in  with  per- 
fect safety  during  the  roughest  weather. 

Miles  of  sailing  in  almost  every  direction  from  our  pier  can  be 
indulged  in  by  the  fortunate  owner  of  one  of  the  beautiful,  obedient  and  con- 
venient, though  illy  named,  "  cat  boats."  Half  an  hour's  sail  in  one  direc- 
tion brings  us  to  oyster  beds  and  oyster  houses  where  the  finest  bivalves 
can  be  purchased  for  seventy-five  cents  per  bushel,  while  in  another  direc- 
tion the  best  fishing  or  crabbing  is  found. 

Atlantic  City  is  within  sailing  distance,  while  Ocean  City  is  but  one 
and  a  half  miles  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  close  alongside  are  Somers' 
Point  and  Pleasantville — all  reached  over  inland  waters  safe  to  sail  on  at 
_,     ™  any  time. 

■jliilct  Before  reaching  Ocean  City,  and  less  than  a  mile  from  our  pier,  is 
the  "  Inlet,"  opening  right  out  into  the  broad  ocean,  so  that  when  sea  fish- 
ing and  sailing  are  at  their  best  no  time  is  lost  in  getting  right  on  to  the 
fishing  grounds  with  least  delay. 

This  latter  feature,  lost  sight  of  by  many  sojourners  at  the  seaside, 
is  one  of  the  leading  attractions  to  the  writer  when  he  is  at  Longport.  The 
ocean  fishing  is  at  its  best  in  September  and  October,  and  if  I  ma\-  be 
excused  for  expressing  my  opinion  1  will  state  that  there  are  no  other 
months  half  so  enjoyable  at  the  shore  as  those  of  September  and  October. 
The  best  bathing  can  be  enjoyed  throughout  September,  while,  as  stated, 
fishing  and  sailing  are  at  their  finest ;  mosquitoes  have  departed,  or  are  less 
rabid  in  their  attacks  ;    the  gunning  is  beginning  to  get  interesting  for  those 


131 


who  indulge.  The  fishing  and  sailing  continue  into  October  and  Novem- 
ber ;  the  air  is  something  delightful,  and  the  woods  at  Longport  become 
beautiful.  1  know  that  even  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Longport  will 
e.xclaim  that  there  are  no  woods,  but  ne\'ertheless,  within  five  or  ten  min- 
ute's walk  from  our  house  there  is  a  beautiful  stretch  of  woods,  composed 
of  holly  trees  with  trunks  a  foot  or  more  in  diameter,  large  evergreens  and 
aged  oak  trees.  A  walk  through  this  woods  in  October  is  a  treat.  Bushels 
of  luscious  wild  fox  grapes  and  sprightly  chicken  grapes  can  be  had  for  the 


pulling,  while  great  trees,  covered  with  the  red  holly-berries  or  oaks  with 
the  drooping  bitter-sweet,  are  at  every  side. 

Before  the  end  of  September  nearly  all  the  Summer  residents  of 
Longport  have  departed,  but  "  our  house  "  is  only  a  stone's  throw  from  the 
United  States  life-saving  crew,  so  we  would  never  get  lonely  even  in  the 
middle  of  winter.  These  brave  and  e.xperienced  men  of  the  ocean  are  kind 
and  obliging  to  a  degree.  Rubber  boots,  gum  coats,  guns,  and  other  requi- 
sites are  gladly  loaned  to  any  of  us  who  may  be  short  of  such  supplies,  and 


132 


133 


advice  regarding  the  weather,  as  well  as  help  in  sailing  or  fishing  make 
things  especially  interesting.  Twice  a  week  the  life-saving  apparatus  is 
IFn  Xate  brought  out  and  a  most  interesting  drill  takes  place,  including  the 
Butumn  throwing  of  a  line  to  an  imaginary  wreck,  and  the  saving  of  some 
one  in  the  breeches  buoy,  besides  practice  in  the  breakers  with  the 
life-saving  boat. 

Now  you  think  I  have  been  all  over  the  special  attractions  of  Long- 
port,  but  1  have  not,  for  there  are  yet  to  be  extolled  the  cool  breezes  which 
always  blow  at  Longport,  though  Atlantic  City  may  be  suffering  with  the 
heat  ;  the  purest  artesian  water,  the  bathing  beach  which  slopes  so  gradu- 
ally into  the  ocean  and  as  hard  as  a  board  ;  the  fleet  of  steamers  sailing 
every  few  minutes,  and  for  ten  cents  will  take  you  a  long  cruise  over  Great 
Egg  Harbor ;  besides  the  shell  beach,  the  sand  dunes,  and  the  only  sandy 
bay  beach  to  be  found  on  the  coast.  But  it  would  require  a  volume  to 
describe  all  these  and  others.  " 


134 


atlantic  (Iit\>.     Cbaptcv  IDmiH. 


The  numerous  sea-coast  beacons  established  and  maintained  by  the 
national  government  along  our  coasts  form  both  the  most  conspicuous  and 
picturesque  features  of  the  immediate  ocean  front.  Perched  often  upon  lofty 
li9bt=>b0U6C5  promontories  or  reared  upon  tempest-battered  reefs,  they  attract  the 
eye  and  appeal  to  the  imagination  with  a  force  only  exceeded  by  the  senti- 
ment awakened  upon  passing  one  of  those  restless  outer  guards  of  our  land, 
the  solitary  light-ships.  The  models  upon  which  our  light-houses  are 
constructed  are  of  almost  infinite  variety,  conforming  to  the  location 
and  desired  range  of  light,  as  well  as  tu  the  personal  ideas  of  the 
engineers  and  board  in  charge. 

Light-houses  for  the  guidance  and  warning  of  mariners  are 
nearly  as  old  as  civilization.  The  first  recorded  light-house  was  the 
tower  of  Pharaoh,  of  Ale.xandria,  built  nearly  three  centuries 
before  Christ.  The  oldest  e.xisting  light-house  is  at  Cor- 
unna,  Spain.  It  was  built  in  the  reign  of  Trojan  and 
anticiuitv?  reconstructed  in  1634. 
of  JScacons  jhe  first  beacon  light  upon  our  shores  was  main- 
tained by  the  merchants  of  Boston  at  Allerton  Point,  where 
"  fier-bales  "  were  burned  in  an  iron  basket  upon  the  top  of  a  stone  tower. 
In  Boston  harbor,  too,  was  placed  the  first  real  light-house  of  the  Atlantic 
coast  in  1715-16  upon  Little  Brewster  Island.  It  was  erected  at  the  expense 
of  the  Province. 

The  control  of  the  light-houses  was  assumed  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment in    178Q.     At  that  time  but  one  light,  that  of  Sandy  Hook,   was 


135 


maintained  within  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  This  was  established  in  the 
year  1762.  The  Hghts  now  maintained  within  the  limits  of  Atlantic  county 
are  at  Tucker  Beach  and  Atlantic  City  (Absecon  Light).  The  former  guards 
the  entrance  into  Little  Egg  harbor.  It  is  distinguished  by  a  black  tower 
forty-six  feet  high  upon  top  of  a  white  dwelling  with  lead-colored  trimmings 
and  green  shutters.  Its  location  is  eighteen  miles  southwest  from  Barnegat 
light  and  ten  miles  northeast  from  Absecon  light.  It  shows  a  fixed  white 
light  varied  by  red  flashes,  the  light  showing  white  for  one  minute  followed 
by  six  red  flashes  at  intervals  of  ten  seconds,  visible  twelve  and  one  half 

B  TRoblc  ni''es. 
Beacon  Absecon  light,  which  is  probably  familiar  to  more  people  than  any 
other  light-house  upon  the  Atlantic  coast  south  of  the  Highlands,  is  set  upon 
a  shapely  brick  tower  159  feet  high,  having  a  broad,  red  band  in  the  centre, 
the  balance  above  and  below  being  white.  At  its  base  are  two  white  dwell- 
ings with  lead-colored  trimmings  and  green  shutters  facing  upon  Rhode  Island 
Avenue.  It  shows  a  fixed  white  light,  visible  nineteen  miles.  It  is  dis- 
tant from  Barnegat  light  twenty-eight  miles,  and  from  Cape  May  light 
thirty-seven  miles.    This  light  was  built  in  1853  at  a  cost  of  5 50,000.        Uicw  from 

Thousands  of  visitors  annually  toil  up  its  winding  iron  stairway 
to  be  rewarded  at  the  top  by  a  magnificent  panorama  of  land  and  sea,  all  of 
the  once  desolate  strips  of  sandy  beach  being  dotted  with  a  chain  of  beautiful 
summer  resorts  of  more  or  less  note,  while  in  the  foreground  is  peerless 
Atlantic  City  with  its  mile  upon  mile  of  beautiful  streets  and  avenues  ;  its 
hundreds  of  hotels,  countless  stores,  public  buildings  and  private  homes  ; 
its  unrivalled  beach  and  magnificent  Boardwalk  ;  its  triu  of  railroads,  and 
numerous  heavy  trains  hurrying  to  and  fro  laden  with  pleasuring  humanity  ; 
Its  fleets  of  fairy-sail  craft,  and  its  great,  happy  population,  temporary  and 
permanent  together,  enlivening  all  of  its  open  spaces,  a  scene  which  every 
old  resident  must  gaze  upon  with  a  thrill  of  pride  and  every  stranger  view 
with  wonder.     The  venturer  who  toils  up  the  two  hundred  and  twenty- 


136 


eight  steps  of  Absecon  tower  is  interested,  too,  in  the  beautiful  mechanism 
of  the  great  lamp  set  in  the  midst  of  its  prismatic  Fresnel  lantern.  Just 
beneath  and  upon  the  le\el  with  the  exterior  gallery  is  the  little  watch- 
room  in  which  the  keeper  holds  nightly  vigil.  The  post  of  light-house 
keeper  was  held  for  many  years  by  genial  Major  "  Abe  "  Wolf,  long  a 
familiar  figure  in  the  town.  Many  a  stormy  winter's  night  has  the  writer 
shared  his  watch  and  listened  to  his  yarns,  while  the  howling  gale  outside 
shook  and  swayed  the  great  structure  in  which  we  sat,  and  the  roar  of  the 
surf  was  incessant.  The  Major  maintained  intimate  relations  with  scientists 
and  sportsmen  in  the  city,  to  whom  he  frequently  sent  fine  specimens  of 
aquatic  fowl,  and  sometimes  very  rare  birds  which,  flying  with  great  force 
against  the  glass  prisms,  were  easily  picked  up  in  a  stunned  condition  upon 
the  gallery  or  at  the  foot  of  the  light-tower.  The  cats  of  the  town  were  aware, 
with  true  feline  intuition,  just  when  the  fat  and  toothsome  birds  were  likely  to 
fall,  and  very  often  deprived  the  Major  of  coveted  specimens,  and  such  was 
his  antipathy  for  these  nocturnal  hordes  that  he  sometimes  snared  them 
and  sent  them  home  minus  their  caudals  ;  and  it  is  estimated  that  during 
his  incumbency  the  majority  of  the  cats  in  Atlantic  City  possessed  tails 
more  or  less  abbreviated,  and  their  descendants  might  well  make  claim  to 
consanguinity  with  the  famous  cats  of  Manx.      Fine  specimens  of 


brant  and  other  strong  flyers  were  to  be  seen  domesticated  among  «r  _ 
the  Major's  flocks  of  chickens  and  ducks.  f     ^ 

The  light-house  is  open  in  summer        _^ '  f 

for  visitors  from  9  A.  M.  to  noon,  and  in  win- 
ter from  II  A.  M.  to  noon,  Sundays  and  stormy  days  excepted. 

The  following   descriptions  of  lights  and   buoys  in  the 
vicinitv  of  Atlantic  City  are  obtained  from  official  sources  : 


O      =     03  _ 


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140 


Btlantlc  (rit\?. 


Cbaptcr  PJ'. 


The  establishment  of  the  Life-Saving  Corps  adjoins  the  light-house 

reservation.     When  the  Atlantic   City,  or   Ahsecon,    light  was  established 

here  the  site  was  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  surf 

line,  but  in  later  years  the  hook  of  sand  which  formerly 

extended  outward  upon  the  west  side  of   the  Inlet  has 

been  scoured  away,  and  it  was  finally  found  needful  to 

^.     »,.^  build  jetties  in  front  of  the  tower  to  keep  the  sea 

(I  be  Xife=  -  ^ 

Saving  Service       from  undermining  it. 

an?  XUrccf?6        ,    ^,      , ,  u      ,   •      .      j-  .         t 

As  the  Absecon  beach  is  at  a  distance  from  the  great 

ha\'ens  to  and  from  which  the  trans- Atlantic  commerce  plies 

it  IS  but  rare  that  great  steamships  come  to  grief  upon  this 

stretch  of  coast.     The  wreckage  of  vessels,  both 

sail  and  steam,  engaged  in  coastwise  traftk 

is  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  the  eagle-eyed  patrol  located  here  holds  a 

fine  record  for  deeds  of  humanity  and  daring. 

The  original  Go\'ernment  Boat-House  at  tliis  point  was  opened  about 
forty  years  ago,  its  first  keeper  being  Ryan  Adams,  one  of  the  early  resi- 
dents who  came  here  in  1833.  He  was  succeeded  by  Samuel  Adams,  and 
he,  in  turn,  by  Barton  Gaskill  who  was  the  incumbent  for  sixteen  years,  hi 
June,  1878,  the  station  was  removed  to  its  present  site  upon  Vermont  a\'enue, 
near  the  light-house,  Capt  .Amasa  Bowen  being  appointed  keeper.  The 
building  now  in  use  was  finished  in  18S4,  and  is  one  of  the  model  stations 
of  the  coast.  The  first  fioor  contains  three  rooms  and  a  pantry,  the  second 
floor  having  three  bed-rooms  with  a  tower  abo\'e  where  a  constant  watch  is 


GIVING  THF 


141 


Statititicsi 


maintained  for  vessels  which  may   need  lielp.     The  crew  consists  of  the 
keeper  and  seven  men.     The  present  keeper  is  Timothy  H.  Parker.     The 
names  of  the  crew  are:    I.  S.  Conover,  Wm.   B.  Treux,  Thos.  R.        ^^^^  atlantic 
Ni.xon,  George  Tomlinson,  Joseph  Holdscom,  George  Strickland  and        ^'tv>  Station 
Henry  Headley.      The  shore  is  patrolled  at  night  by  the  guards  in  relief. 

Upon  the  first  clear  day  of 
each  week  the  crew  drills 
at  8  A.  M.  upon  the  beach, 
with  mortar,  life-line  and 
surf-boat.  The  apparatus 
stored  in  the  station  is  varied 
and  interesting,  and  is  ex- 
plained courteously  to  visi- 
tors at  any  hour  of  the  day. 
The  Atlantic  City  Life- 
Saving  Station  is  one  of 
thirty-nine  located  at  nearly 
equally  distant  points  upon  the  New  Jersey  coast,  which  is  known  as  the 
Fourth  District  of  the  Life-Saving  Service,  the  superintendent  of  which 
is  located  at  Washington.  The  records  of  the  service  show  that  in  the  ten 
years  between  1885  and  1894  inclusive  (the  most  recent  data  at  hand)  the 
following  was  accomplished  by  the  crews  of  the  Fourth  and  Fifth  Districts 
between  Atlantic  City  and  Chincoteague,  Va.  : 

Total  number  of  casualties, 447 

Property  involved, 16,135,325 

Property  saved, |4, 594,860 

Persons  on  board, 2,671 

Lives  lost 17 

A  competent  authority  has  estimated  that  in  the  past  seventy  years 

upward  of  500  ships  have  been  lost  upon  Absecon  beach,  or  within  sight  of 

it.     When  it  is  remembered  that  until  the  Life-Saving  Service  was  insti- 


142 


tuted  there  was  but  little  help  to  be  had  from  the  shore,  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  above  report  and  the  heroic  work  of  this  fearless  body  of 
Sbiu  pi-iblic  servants  become  more  manifest. 
asbore  When  the  rumor  goes  forth,  like  a  great  electric  thrill,  from 
house  to  house  and  lip  to  lip  all  through  the  widespread  city,  be  it 
summer  or  winter,  that  there  is  a  wreck  upon  the  shoals  the  beach 
is  presently  black  with  an  excited,  deeply  inter- 
ested throng.  The  myriad  of  occupants  of  the 
great  brilliantly  lighted  hotels  forsake  the  rich  parlors  and  cafes  for  the 
Boardwalk,  shivering  with  sympathetic  apprehension  as  they  watch  the 
rockets  gleaming  momentarily  far  out  in  the  tumultuous  waste  of  waters, 
and  see  the  red  glare  of  the  Coston  torches  as  the  life-hoats  speed  away 
to  the  rescue.  It  is  something  well  worth  while  to  be  in  Atlantic  Cit\- 
when  a  wreck  comes  in.  It  is  rare,  nowadays,  that  lives  are  lost  upon  this 
coast  through  disasters  to  ships,  but  in  the  course  of  a  year,  from  one  reason 
or  another,  unfortunate  shippers  lose  their  vessels  along  here,  or  are  obliged 
to  jettison  a  part  of  their  cargo  to  get  awa\'  from  the  dangerous  shoals  in 
front.  When  the  alert  town  boys  begin  to  throng  up  from  the  shore  with 
bunches  of  bananas  or  bo.xes  stenciled  with  foreign  marks  which  look  sus- 
piciously like  tine  imported  wines,  it's  high  time  to  make  a  break  for  the 
beach    and   take    a    chance    in   the    lottery   of   the    sea,    which   sometimes 

Jfamous         rewards  the  patient  searcher  in  a  most  magnificent  fashion. 

'Mrccfts  Prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Life-Saving  Service  along  this  coast 
no  systematic  record  of  wrecks  was  kept ;  the  only  data  obtainable  was  to  be 
found  in  the  often  unreliable  panellings  of  the  older  natives  and  their  ances- 
tors, scribbled  upon  the  fly-leaves  of  old  books,  or  existing  in  the  traditions 
of  the  families  who  formerly  gleaned  considerable  profit  from  the  misfor- 
tunes of  those  who  were  cast  upon  this  forlorn  and  inhospitable  coast.  There 
are  tales  without  end  of  big  ships  which  have  been  broken  upon  the  bar 
and  swept  in  piecemeals  to  litter  the  shore  far  and  wide  with  twisted  and 


143 


torn  wreckage.  One  of  the  oldest  of  these  local  records  refers  to  the  wreck 
of  the  British  transport  Mermaid,  at  Egg  Harbor  Inlet  in  1779,  while  bring- 
ing troops  from  Halifax,  when  145  persons  were  drowned. 

The  wreck  of  the  ship  Ghergcs  Kalni  occurred  in  1830.  The  majority 
of  the  passengers  were  saved,  but  Captain  Busk,  the  commander,  is  said  to 
have  deliberately  submitted  to  drowning  rather  than  face  the  underwriters. 

Soon  afterward  the  John  Willcits 
came  ashore  with  some  loss  of  life, 
and  in  1845  the  Rainboii'  was  lost 
here.  Upon  Long  Beach  the  brig 
Patapsco  was  lost  in  1847,  not  far 
from  the  remains  of  the  schooner 
General  Scott,  wrecked  seven  years 
earlier,  whose  captain  was  the  only 
survivor.  In  1856  the  Charles  Col- 
gate came  ashore  at  Long  Beach, 
and  two  years  later  the  Firing 
Diitelnuan  drove  in. 

LIpon  Brigantine  and  Abse- 
con  shoals  in  1847,  '48  and  '49  the 
schooners  Ann  Nile,  Ida,  IValter  A. 
Merchant,  Brook  Haven,  and  barges 
Chester  and  Mary  Ellen  were  lost. 
These  disasters  probably  represent 
an  average  of  the  vast  destruction 


of  life  and  property  upon  this  coast  before  the  laggard  authorities  of  the 
general  government  could  be  induced  to  light  and  patrol  this  dangerous  sea- 
line,  as,  between  1847  and  1856,  sixty-four  vessels  were  lost  here.  The 
fearful  wreck  of  the  barque  Powhatan,  upon  Long  Beach,  twenty-five  miles 
north  of  Atlantic  City,  took  place  in  1854,  when  all  of  the  passengers,  mainly 


144 


ttt 


1 


immigrants  coming  from  Havre,  with  the  crew,  numbering  in  all  311  souls, 
perished.  Nearly  fifty  bodies  came  ashore  upon  Absecon  beach.  Upon 
the  same  night  the  schooner  Manhattan  was  lost  at  the  same  place,  eight 

being  drowned.  Since  the  light- 
house was  founded  one  of  the 
worst  wrecks  was  that  of  the 
Santiago  de  Cuba  in  1867,  upon 
Long  Beach,  which  was  attended 
by  seven  fatalities. 

One   of   the    most   curious 
wrecks    which    ever    came    upon 
the  Atlantic  City  beach  was  that 
'    of  the  steamer  Rockawaj',  a  great 
excursion  vessel,  which  was  launched  with  much  ceremony  upon  March  23, 
1877  ;    started  in  tow  for  New  York  harbor,  and  having  broken  away  from 
the  tug  in  a  gale,  broke  her  back  upon  the  shoal  and  came  upon  the  shore 
in  front  of  the  hotels  in  two   f  i  I 

parts,   being  dri\'en   so   high    '  " 

that  visitors  could  board  her 
dry-shod  at  high  tide. 

Upon  January  g,  1884. 
a  fine,  large,  three-masted 
schooner,  the  Robert  Morgan, 
of  New  Haven,  came  ashore 
at  the  foot  of  New  York  av- 
enue, and  fi\e  months  later 
she  was  taken  off  with  but 
little  injury  ;  although  during  her  involuntary  visit  she  was  so  high  and  dry 
that  people  could  walk  around  her  at  low  tide,  and  an  admission  price  was 
cliarged  to  see  her  decks  and  interior. 


145 


Among  the  tlironging  memories  of  far  away  winter  nights  spent  upon 

CbC  %OVC  '  -'  fc  ^  h 

letter  the  tumultuous  beach  with  the  men  of  the  coast  guard  there  comes 
to  the  writer  the  thought  of  a  letter  rescued  by  him  from  a  mass  of  drift 
two  days  after  one  of  the  most  fearful  wrecks  ever  known  upon  the  Atlantic 
coast,  and  which  gave  occasion  for  these  lines  : 

HER    LETTER. 

We  walked  at  night  the  wreck-strewn  sand. 
We  walked  and  watched  the  dying  storm  : 

With  eager  eye  and  ready  hand 
We  sought  to  find  some  sea-tossed  form. 

And  as  we  walked,  the  guard  and  I, 

The  tide  crept  out  till  broad  and  gray 
The  shingled  sand  lay  smooth  and  dry. 

Beneath  our  fitful  lantern's  ray. 

On  either  side  and  everywhere 

Lay  limp  and  broken  bits  of  wreck, 
Of  clothing,  ropes,  of  wooden  ware — 

All  kind  of  things  one  finds  on  deck. 

From  out  this  scattered  wreckage  waste 

I  stopped  and  picked  a  little  note  ; 
A  dainty  monogram  was  traced 

Above  the  lines  the  owner  wrote  : 

"  My  darling,"  but  it  gave  no  name. 

As  if  he  only  of  mankind 
To  such  sweet  title  had  a  claim  ; 
The  words  were  coined  her  love  to  bind. 

'Twas  written  full,  and  crossed  again. 

All  interlined  with  afterthought; 
'Twas  spotted  o'er  with  Salter  stain 

Than  e'en  the  sea  could  yet  have  wrought. 

"  My  darling  ;  "  there  a  fold  was  pressed. 

The  words  just  here  were  fainter  yet, 
As  though  'twere  worn  upon  his  breast, 

A  prized  and  sacred  amulet. 


146 


Anon,  she  wrote  her  hopes  and  fears, 

Of  fickle  fortune's  smile  or  frown, 
Of  homelike  joys  in  coming  vears. 

When  they  were  wed  and  "  settled  down." 

She  spoke  of  spring  and  Easter  flowers. 

Of  silk  and  satin  for  her  bonnet. 
Of  sick  friends,  funerals,  marriage  dowers. 

Her  new  suit  and  the  trimmings  on  it. 

And  so  this  unknown  maiden  wrote 

Her  loving  letter  to  its  end. 
And  little  dreamed  the  waves  would  float 

Her  v\riting  to  a  stranger's  hand. 

Somewhere,  to-night,  a  girlish  face 

Is  raised  to  God  in  mute  despair  ; 
Somewhere  a  woman  prays  for  grace 

And  strengtli  of  soul  her  load  to  hear. 

Somewhere  along  the  wintry  coast 

Her  hopes  lie  buried  in  the  sand. 
While  this  tells  of  the  love  that's  lost — 

This  sea-stained  letter  in  my  hand. 

F.  H.  T. 

It  is  pleasant  to  relate  that  after  a  time  there  came 
a  letter  from  a  Western  town  bearing  the  same  "dainty 
monogram  "  claiming  the   stray  love-missive  from  the 
author  of  the  verses,  and  beneath  the  maiden's  peti- 
tion were  a  few  nervous  lines  from  the  young  officer 
liimself,  who  had   been  dragged  from  the  surf  as 
dead,  but  who  was,  at  the  writing,  slowly  recov- 
ering at  the  home  of  his  boyhood.    "  And  so  they 
were    married,"   and   this   little   true 
story  of   the    sea  turns   out  just  as 
things  should,  but  seldom  do. 

And  then  there  was  the  bottle 


found  rolling  up  and  down  the  sand  in  the  shallows   which   held  a  pretty 

message   from  a  romantic    little   maiden    away   up   the   coast   at    Asbury 

Park,  who  hoped  that  her  venture,  which  had  been  adrift  now  half 

Che  /Ifteei^aqc 
a  year,  would  come  to  some  handsome  youth  in  a  far-off  land,  and       ,„  ^  jsonie' 

that  he  would  lose  no  time  in  his  response.      Alas  I    little  maiden ;  it  was 
picked  up  by  a  middle-aged  man  with  a  family,  who  printed  it  in  a  news- 
paper  and    sent    you    a    marked   copy 
as   a   warning. 

The  publishers  of  this  work 
take  pleasure  in  stating  that 
in  its  preparation  they  have 
been  supplied  with  the  fol- 
lowing complete  data  in  re- 
gard to  the  various  marine 
casualties  which  have  occur- 
red upon  this  coast  since  the  Life- 
Saving    Service    was    instituted,    by 
General  Superintendent,  S.  J.  Kimball,  of   Washington.      As  a  record  for 
future  reference   this  list  will   doubtless    prove    one  of    the  most  valuable 
features  of  this  publication  : 


o    ■=  s 


pjBoq  uo 
suosjadjo  J3quin>j 

vO   t^2;    t^TTTM^   ^^O^O    r^-tMO    I^t.~r)~    «    u^t-Tf-y;    ini/novO 

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1  3  500 

500 
17     140 

25    000 

10    000 

300 

22  000 

600 
100 

23  000 
15    000 

75 

7  950 

2  500 

210 

2  435 

1  920 

p.A.s.<,.do.d   i      88     888§     S     §l8i:2§§>       il    §1    8 

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2: 

2 

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0 

Sc.  Ware 

Sc.  Alfred  W.  Fiske 

Sc.  Yht.  Marv  McCabe 

Sc.  Ella  Arnsden 

Sc.  Atlantic 

Sc.  .Seabird 

Sc.  Kate  C.  Rich 

Str.  Nederland 

Sc.  Northern  Light 

Sc.  West  Wind  ' 

Sc.  Brandywine 

Sc.  R.  J.  Corson 

Sc.  Elizabeth  W.  C.odfiev 

Yht.  N.  King 

Sc.  Benjamin  l'"ranklin 

Sc.  Mary  Stainlish 

Str.  Richmond 

Sip.  W.  VV.  Wallace 

Sc.  B.  N.  I  lawkins 

Sc.  Twilight 

Sc.  Annie  S.  Carll 

Sc.  Dick  Williams 

Bk.  Wilhelmina 

.Sc.  Asenath  A.  Shaw 

Sc.  J.  B.  Van  Dusen 

Sc.  C.  and  C.  Brooks 

Sip.  John  Leach 

Sc.  Lydia  Budd 

Datk 

187 1— November  25 

1872— No\ember   16 

1873— August  23 

No\'ember  14 

1874 — January  16 
January   18 
March '29 
April  16 
May  13 
November  i 

187s— February   3 
September  2 
November  15 

1876— January  10 
May  14 

1877 — February  18 
August  13 
November   18 

1 878 — January  6 
January  26 
Januar\-  30 
November  2 
I  U-cenibei"  4 
1  )e(  ember  b 
December  20 
1  )ecember  24 

1879— June  21 
June  27 

149 


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josniEA  p3jBiu[;sa 


p3AES  Xijadojd 
joaniEA  paiBuiijsg 


paAiOAui  Ajjsdojd 
joan[EApaiEmiis3 


O  o 

00    O 


008800    .^ses  e"  o  909000 


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150 


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151 


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paA[OAni  Aijadojd 
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$5  000 

2  100 
6  600 

6  300 

3  000 

3  000 
I  880 

25  000 
I   550 

4  000 

3  '20 

10  450 
205  000 

I  450 

4  300 
3  900 
9  200 
I  000 

28  000 

7  000 
6  000 
I    100 

14  Soo 

850  000 

I  200 

5  000 
1;  700 

8  800 

1  200 
17  000 

2  500 

Locality 

Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Inlet 
Ab.secon  Bar 
Absecon  Bar 
Absecon  Bar 
Great  Egg  Harbor  Inlet 
Brigantine  Shoals 
Great  Egg  Harbor  Inlet 
Great  Egg  Harbor  Inlet 
Great  Egg  Harbor  Inlet 
Ab.secon  Inlet 
Brigantine  Shoals 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon  Beach 
Absecon  Bar 
Absecon  Inlet 
Absecon' Inlet 
Brigantine  Shoals 
Brigantine  Shoals 
Absecon  Inlet 
(ireat  Egg  Harbor  Inlet 
(ireat  Egg  Harbor  inlet 
Brigantine  Shoals 
Absecon  Bar 
Brigantine  Shoals 
Absecon  Inlet 

33Eimox 

rj-u-,n    rJOOCOiO   u~tN    0    0   t^r^HH    w    --OnC  no  no   r^  r^aO   rO  r^  i^nO   t^  O    OnOO  00 

Rig  and  Namr 

Sc.  Sam'l  L.  Russell 

Sip.  Greenwood 

Sip. -John  W.  Fo.x 

Sc.  Eva  I.  Shenton 

Sc.  A.  H.  yuinby 

Sc.  Annie  S.  Carll 

Sc.  Annie  Godfrey 

Str.  George  Law 

Sip.  J.  W.  Luce 

Sc.  Louisa  B.  Robinson 

Sc.  Louisa  B.  Robinson 

Sc.  Hein-y  B.  \\'inship 

Barkentine  Nicanur 

Sc.  Palestine 

Sc.  Three  Brothers 

Sc.  John  \V.  Hall,  Jr. 

Sc.  Hattie  Baker 

Bk.  Stafford 

Sc.  Commodore 

Yht.  Ida 

Sc.  Henry  M.  Clarke 

Sc.  Annie  Godfrey 

Sc.  Benj,  B.  Church 

St.  Sh.  Venezuela 

Sc.  Annie  E.  Fouler 

Sc.  Arthur 

Sc.  Marcia  S.  Lewis 

Barkentine  Baldwin 

Sc.  I'lduard  M.  Hartshorn 

Sc.  Booth  Brothers 

Yht.  j.  O.  Smith 

Q 

May  2 
May  9 
May  14 
August  14 
December  5 
December  22 

1889 — January  5 
March  24 
April  2 
April  25 
August  2 
August  23 
September  2 
September  10 
November  30 
November  30 
December  20 

i8go — June  2 

1S91— May  31 

1891— August  iS 
August  25 
December  11 
December  19 

1892 — February  5 
June  5 
June  16 
September  2 

1893 — March  2 
March  7 
May  4 
July  29 

152 


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1 

I^S'  atlantic  Cit^.          Cbapter  ?|. 

»" 

Dr.  Charles  C.  Abbott,  an  ardent  naturalist,  has  wandered  much 
along  this  coast,  and  the  following  extracts  from  an  essay  born  of  his  pen 

Sbodcjinal       m^Y  well  have  place  in  the  lore  of  the  region. 

jrootprlnts  ,,^  ponderous  geologist,  with  weighty  tread  and  weightier  manner, 
brought  his  foot  down  upon  the  unoffending  sod  and  declared,  'These 
meadows  are  sinking  at  a  rapid  rate;  something  over  two  feet  a  century.' 
We  all  knew  it,  but  Sir  Oracle  had  spoken,  and  we  little  dogs  did  not  dare 
to  bark. 

Not  long  after  1  returned  alone  to  these  ill-fated  meadows  and  began 
a  leisured,  all-day  ramble.  They  were  very  beautiful.  There  was  a 
wealth  of  purple  and  of  white  boneset  and  iron  weed  of  royal  dye.  Sun- 
flower and  primrose  gilded  the  hidden  brooks,  and  every  knoll  was  banked 
with  rose-pink  centaury.  Nor  was  this  all.  Feathery  reeds  towered  above 
the  marsh,  and  every  pond  was  empurpled  with  pontederia  and  starred  with 
lilies.  Afar  off  acres  of  nut-brown  sedge  made  fitting  background  for  what 
meadow  tracts  were  still  green  and  grassy,  while  close  at  hand,  more  beau- 
tiful than  all,  were  struggling  growths  held  down  by  the  golden  dodder's  net 
that  overspread  them. 

It  does  not  need  trees  or  rank  shrubbery  to  make  a  wilderness.  This 
low-lying  tract,  to-day,  with  but  a  summer's  growth  above  it,  is  as  wild  and 
lonely  as  the  Western  plains.  Lonely,  that  is,  as  man  thinks,  but  not 
forsaken.  The  wily  mink,  the  pert  weasel,  the  musk-rat  and  meadow 
mouse  ramble  in  safety  through  it.  The  great  blue  heron,  its  stately  cousin, 
the  snowy  egert,  and  the  dainty  bittern  find  it  a  congenial  home. 


156 


THonic 


Tlie  fiery  dragonfly  darts 
and  lazy  butterflies  drift  across 
the  blooming  waste ;  bees  buzz  angrily  as  you 
approach;    basking  snakes  bid  you   defiance.      Verily,  this  is  wild  life's 

domain  and  man  is  out  of  place. 

It  was  not  always  so.  The  land  is  sinking,  and  what  now  of  that 
older  time  when  it  was  far  above  its  present  level — a  high,  dry,  upland 
track  along  which  flowed  a  clear  and  rapid  stream.'  The  tell-tale  arrow 
point  is  our  guide,  and  wherever  the  sod  is  broken  we  have  an  inkling  of 
Indian  history.  The  soil,  as  we  dig  a  little  deeper,  is  almost  black  with 
charcoal  dust,  and  it  is  evident  that,  centuries  ago,  the  Indians  were  content 
to  dwell  here,  and  well  they  might.  E\en  in  Colonial  days  the  place  had 
merit,  and  escaped  not  the  eager  eyes  of  Penn's  grasping  followers.  It  was 
meadow  then,  and  not  fitted  for  his  house,  but  the  white  man  built  his  barn 
above  the  ruins  of  his  dusky  predecessor's  home.  All  trace  of  human  habi- 
tation now  is  gone,  but  the  words  of  the  geologist  kept  ringing  in  my  ears, 
and  of  late  I  have  deen  digging.  It  is  a  little  strange  that  so  few  traces  of 
the  white  man  are  found  as  compared  with  relics  of  the  Indian.  From  the 
barn  that  once  stood  here  and  was  long  ago  destroyed  by  a  flood  it  might  be 
e.xpected  to  find  at  least  a  rusty  nail. 

The  ground  held  nothing  telling  of  a  recent  past,  but  was  eloquent  of 
the  distant  long  ago.  Dull,  indeed,  must  be  the  imagination  that  cannot 
recall  what  has  been  by  the  aid  of  such  material  as  the  spade  here  brought 
to   light.     Not   only  were   the  bow   and   spear  proved   to   be  the  common 


157 


weapons  of  the  time,  but  there  were  in  even  greater  abundance,  and  of 
many  patterns,  knives  to  flay  the  game.     It  is  not  enough  to  merely  glance 

at  a  trimmed  flake  of  flint  or  carefully  chipped  splinter  of  argillite,  and 
tbe  past  say  to  yourself,  'a  knife.'  Their  great  variety  has  a  significance  that 
should  not  be  overlooked.  The  same  implement  could  not  be  put  to  every 
use  for  which  a  knife  was  needed  ;  hence  the  range  in  size  from  those  of  sev- 
eral inches  in  length  to  tiny  flakes  that  will  likely  remain  a  puzzle  as  to  their 
purpose.  It  is  supposed  and  possibly  asserted  that  the  Indian  knew  nothing 
of  forks,  but  that  he  plunged  his  fingers  into  the  boiling  pot  or  held  in  his 
bare  hands  the  steaming  joints  of  bear  or  venison  is  quite  improbable.  Now, 
the  archseologist  talks  glibly  of  bone  awls  whenever  a  sharpened  splinter  of 
bone  is  presented  to  him,  as  if  only  to  perforate  leather  were  such  imple- 
ments intended.  They  doubtless  had  other  uses,  and  1  am  sure  more  than 
one  split  and  sharpened  bone  that  was  found  would  have  served  excellently 
well  as  a  one-tined  fork  wherewith  to  lift  from  the  pot  a  bit  of  meat. 
Whether  or  not  such  forks  were  in  use,  there  were  wooden  spoons,  as  a  bit 
of  a  bowl  and  mere  splinter  of  the  handle  served  to  show.  Kalm  tells  us 
they  used  the  laurel  for  making  this  utensil,  but  1  fancied  my  fragment  was 
hickory.  Potsherds  everywhere  spoke  of  the  Indians  feasting,  and  it  is 
now  known  that  besides  bowls  and  shallow  dishes  of  ordinary  sizes,  they 
had  huge  vessels  also,  of  several  gallons'  capacity.  All  these  are  broken 
now,  but,  happily,  fragments  of  the  same  dish  are  often  found  together,  and 
so  we  can  reconstruct  them." 

But  what  did  the  Indians  eat  .-'  Quaint  old  Gabriel  Thomas,  writ- 
ing about  1696,  tells  us  that  "they  live  chiefly  on  Mii^e  or  Indian  Corn 
rosted  in  the  Ashes,  sometimes  beaten  boyl'd  with  Water,  called  „,„,  ^  _.. 
Homine.  They  have  cakes,  not  unpleasant ;  also  Beans  and  Pease,  Cbex}  Eat? 
which  nourish  much,  but  the  Woods  and  Rivers  afford  them  their  pro- 
vision ;  they  eat  morning  and  evening,  their  Seats  and  Tables  on  the 
ground." 


158 


In  a  great  measure  this  same  story  of  the  hidians'  food  supply  was 
told  by  the  scattered  bits  found  mingled  with  the  ashes  of  an  ancient 
hearth.  Such  fireplaces  or  cooking  sites  were  simple  in  construction,  but 
no  less  readily  recognized  as  to  their  purpose.  A  few  flat  pebbles  had  been 
brought  from  the  bed  of  the  river  near  by  and  a  small  paved  area,  some 
two  feet  square,  was  placed  upon  or  very  near  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Upon  this  the  fire  was  built,  and,  in  time,  a  thick  bed  of  ashes  accumulated. 
Just  how  they  cooked  can  only  be  conjectured,  but  the  discovery  of  very 
thick  clay  vessels  and  great  quantities  of  fire-cracked  quartzite  pebbles 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  water  was  brought  to  the  boiling  point  by  heat- 
ing the  stones  to  a  red  heat  and  dropping  them  into  the  vessel  holding  the 
water.  Thomas,  as  we  have  seen,  says  corn  was  "  boyl'd  with  water." 
Meat  also  was,  I  think,  prepared  in  the  same  manner.  Their  pottery 
probably  was  poorly  able  to  stand  such  harsh  treatment,  which  would  e.\- 
plain  the  presence  of  such  vast  quantities  of  fragments  of  clay  vessels. 
Of  traces  of  vegetable  food  none  are  now  to  be  found,  except  very  rarelv. 
A  few  burnt  nuts,  a  grain  or  two  of  corn,  and,  in  one  instance,  what  ap- 
peared to  be  a  charred  crab  apple  completes  the  list  of  what  as  yet  have 
been  picked  from  the  mingled  earth  and  ashes.  This  is  not  surprising,  and 
what  we  know  of  vegetable  food  in  use  among  the  Delaware  Indians  is 
almost  wholly  derived  from  those  early  writers  who  were  present  at  their 
feasts.  Kalm  mentions  the  roots  of  the  golden  club,  arrow  leaf  and  ,„  ,  , 
groundnut,  besides  various  berries  and  nuts.  It  is  well  known  that  Xa1l^ 
extensive  orchards  were  planted  by  these  people.  It  may  be  added  that, 
in  all  probability,  the  tubers  of  that  noble  plant,  the  lotus,  were  used  as 
food.  Not  about  these  meadows,  but  elsewhere  in  New  Jersey  this  plant 
has  been  growing  luxuriantly  since  Indian  times. 

Turning  now  to  the  consideration  of  what  animal  food  they  con- 
sumed, one  can  speak  with  absolute  certainty.  It  is  clear  that  the 
Delawares  were  meat  eaters.     It  needs  hut  little  digging  on  any  village  site 


159 


to  prove  this,  and  from  a  single  fireplace,  deep  down  in  the  staff  soil  of  this 
sinking  meadow,  have  been  taken  bones  of  the  elk,  deer,  bear,  beaver,  rac- 
a  %i»X  coon,  muskrat  and  gray  squirrel.  Of  these  the  remains  of  deer  were 
of  Game  largely  in  excess,  and  as  this  holds  good  of  every  village  site  1  have 
examined,  doubtless  the  Indians  depended  more  largely  upon  this  animal 
than  upon  all  the  others.  Of  the  list  only  the  elk  is  extinct  in  the  Delaware 
Valley,  and  was  probably  rare  even  at  the  time  of  the  European  settlement 
of  the  country,  except  in  the  mountain  regions.  If  individual  tastes  varied 
as  they  do  among  us  we  have  certainly  sufficient  variety  here  to  have  met 
every  fancy.  Not  one  of  the  animals  named  but  is  considered  eatable 
among  ourselves,  although  raccoon  is  scarcely  a  delicacy.  Eyebrows  may 
raise  at  the  suggestion  of  dining  on  muskrats  ;  but  he  who  has  had  their 
hind  legs  properly  cooked,  knows  what  a  royal  dish  they  make.  Prominent 
among  the  bird-bones  were  those  of  the  wild  turkey,  but  traces  of  smaller 
game  were  found.  The  turkey  has  been  extinct  on  these  same  meadows 
less  than  one  hundred  years.  Fish  of  many  kinds  have  been  recognized 
from  the  scattered  bones,  jaws,  with  teeth  and  spines,  and  frequently  the 
large  horny  plates  of  the  sturgeon  are  found.  It  is  said  that  these  were 
used  as  knives,  their  edges  being  made  sharper  by  grinding.  It  is  very 
likely,  and  knives  of  jasper,  of  just  such  shape  and  size,  are  not  uncom- 
mon. Of  course,  the  Indian  well  knew  the  merit  of  our  oyster,  as  the 
huge  shell  heaps  on  the  sea-coast  testify,  but  here  he  was  content  to  use 
our  river  mussels,  and  with  proper  seasoning  they  can  be  made  palatable. 
I  have  known  one  to  be  worried  down,  backed  by  a  wad  of  pepper-grass. 
Mussel  shells,  like  sturgeon  scales,  were  also  used  as  knives. 

With  a  food  supply  as  varied  as  this  (and  nothing  whatever  has  been 
surmised),  an  ordinary  meal  or  an  extraordinary  feast  can  readily  be  re- 
called, so  far  as  its  essential  features  are  concerned.  It  is  now  September, 
and  save  where  the  ground  has  been  ruthlessly  uptorn,  everywhere  is  a 
wealth  of  early  autumn  bloom.      A  soothing  quiet  rests  upon  the  scene, 


1 60 


bidding  us  to  retrospective  thought.  Not  a  bit  of  stone,  of  pottery  or  a 
burned  and  blackened  fragment  of  bone  but  stands  out  in  the  mellow  sun- 
shine as  the  feature  of  a  long  forgotten  feast.  A  I  dreamily  gaze  upon  the 
gatherings  of  half  a  day,  I  seem  to  see  that  ancient  folk  that  once  dwelt  in 
this  neglected  spot;  seem  to  be  a  guest  at  a  pre-Columbian  dinner  in  New 
Jersey. 


i6i 


atlantic  Cit^.         Cbaptcr  J'p. 


"Let's  walk  up  to  the  Inlet  and  take  a  half  dozen  raw."  A  common- 
place suggestion,  but  how  interesting  if  you  care  anything  about  the  family 
affairs  of  the  oyster,  especially  the  famous  Absecon  oyster  of  Atlantic  City. 
~  -V.  J.  J  To  begin  with  you  may  be  surprised  to  know  that  the  oyster  is  a 
aiisccoiu-  Jersey  farm  product.  The  great  area  of  soil  which  is  always  coming 
down  the  little  rivers  is  the  agency  which  makes  the  Absecon  possible. 

The  most  valuable  part  of  the  soil  of  this  great  tract  of  farming  land, 
ultimately  finds  its  way  to  the  bay,  in  whose  quiet  waters  it  makes  a  long 
halt  on  its  journey  to  the  ocean,  and  it  is  deposited  in  the  form  of  fine,  light, 
black  sediment,  known  as  oyster-mud. 

This  is  just  as  valuable  to  man,  and  just  as  fit  to  nourish  plants  as 
the  mud  which  settles  every  year  on  the  wheat  fields  and  rice  fields  of 
Egypt.  It  is  a  natural  fertilizer  of  inestimable  importance,  and  it  is  so  rich 
in  organic  matter  that  it  putrefies  in  a  few  hours  when  exposed  to  the  sun. 
In  the  shallow  waters  of  the  bay,  under  the  influence  of  the  warm  sunlight, 
it  produces  a  most  lu.xuriant  vegetation  ;  but  with  few  e.xceptions,  the  plants 
which  grow  upon  it  are  microscopic  and  invisible,  and  their  very  existence 
is  unknown  to  all  except  a  few  naturalists.  The  oyster  obtains  the  lime  for 
its  shell  from  the  water,  and  while  the  amount  dissolved  in  eacli  gallon  is 
very  small,  it  extracts  enough  to  provide  for  the  slow  growth  of  the  shell. 
It  is  very  important  that  the  shell  be  built  up  as  rapidly  as  possible,  for  the 
oyster  has  many  enemies  continually  on  the  watch  fur  thin-shelled  speci- 
mens. In  the  lower  part  of  the  bay  I  have  leaned  over  a  wharf  and  watched 
the  sheepshead  moving  up  and  down  with  their  noses  close  to  the  piles. 


162 


0 


crushing   tlie    shells 

of   tlie    young   oysters 

between    their    jaws    and 

sucking  out  the  soft  bodies. 

As  1  watched  them  1  have  seen 

tlie   juices  from    the    bodies  of   the 

little   ov'sters    streaming  down  from 

the  corners  of   their  mouths,   to  be  swept 

away  by  the  tide. 

In  order  that  the  oyster  may  grow  rapidly,  and  may  be  securely  pro- 
tected from  its  enemies,  it  must  ha\e  lime.  The  lime  in  tlie  water  of  the 
bay  is  derived  in  great  part  from  the  springs  of  the  interior,  which,  flowing 
through  limestone  regions,  carry  some  of  it  away  in  solution,  and  this  is 
finally  carried  down  the  ri\'ers  and  mto  the  bay.  Some  of  it  is  no  doubt 
derived  from  deposits  of  rock  in  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  and  some  from  the 
soil  along  the  shores,  but  the  oyster  obtains  a  ver>'  considerable  portion  of 
its  lime  in  a  much  more  direct  way,  by  the  decomposition  of  old  oyster 
shells.     On  the  oyster-beds  an  old  shell  is  soon  honeycombed  by  boring 


163 


sponges  and  other  animals,  and  as  soon  as  the  sea-water  is  thus  admitted  to 

its  interior,  it  is  rapidly  dissolved  and  diffused.     In  a  few  years  nothing  is 

left,     it  has  all  gone  back  into  a  form  which  makes  it  available  as  oyster 

food,  and  it  soon  begins  its  transformation  into  new  oyster  shells.     If  all  the 

shells  could  be  returned  to  the  beds,  this  source  of  supply  would  be  greatly 

increased. 

The  full-grown  oyster  is  able  to  live  and  flourish  in  soft  mud  so  long 

as  it  is  not  buried  too  deeply  for  the  open  edge  of  the  shell  to  reach  above 

the  mud  and  draw  a  constant  supply  of  water  to  its  gills  ;  but  the  oyster 

embr\-o  would  be  ingulfed  and  smothered  at  once  if  it  were  to  fall  on  such  a 

bottom,  and  in  order  to  have  the  least  chance  of  survival  it  must  find  some 

solid  substance  upon  which  to  fasten  itself,  to  preserve  it  from  sinking  in 

the  soft  mud,  or  from  being  buried  under  it  as  it  shifts  with  wind  and  tide. 

in  the  deposits  which  form  the  soft  bottom  of  sounds  and  estuaries  solid 

bodies  of  any  sort  rarely  occur,  and  the  so-called  rocks  of  the  Chesapeake 

-ru    c-»,  .^^i^         are  not  ledges  or  reefs,  but  accumulations  of  oyster  shells. 
Cbe  Struggle  ^ 

of  Xlfe  A  young  oyster  which  settles  upon  a  natural  oyster-bed  has  a  much 
better  chance  of  survival  than  one  which  settles  anywhere  else,  and  a 
natural  bed  thus  tends  to  perpetuate  itself  and  to  persist  as  a  definite,  well- 
defined  area.  As  the  flood-tide  rushes  up  the  channels  it  stirs  up  the  fine 
mud  which  has  been  deposited  in  the  deep  water.  The  mud  is  swept  up  on 
to  the  shallows  along  the  shore,  and  if  these  are  level,  much  of  the  sedi- 
ment settles  there,  if,  however,  the  flat  is  covered  by  groups  of  oysters, 
the  ebbing  tide  does  not  flow  off  in  an  even  sheet,  but  is  broken  up  into 
thousands  of  small  channels,  through  which  the  sediment  flows  down,  to  be 
swept  out  to  sea.  The  oyster-bed  thus  tends  to  keep  itself  clean,  and  it 
follows  that  the  more  firmly  established  an  oyster-bed  is  the  better  is  its 
chance  of  perpetuation,  since  the  young  spat  finds  more  favorable  condi- 
tions where  there  are  oysters,  or  at  least  shells  already,  than  it  finds  any- 
where else.     Now,  the  practical  importance  of  this  description  of  a  natural 


164 


bed  is  this  :  Since  it  tends  to  remain  permanent,  because  of  the  presence  of 

oyster  shells,  the  shelling  of  bottoms  where  there  are  no  oysters  furnishes 

a  means  for  establishing  new  beds  or  for  increasing  the  area  of  the  old  ones. 

The  oyster  dredgers  state,  with  perfect   truth,  that   b\'  breaking  up   the 

crowded  clusters  of   oysters  and  by  scattering  the  shells,  the  use        ancient 

of  the  dredge  tends  to  enlarge  the  oyster-beds.  -  '"'■" 

Although  the  development  of  this  industry  on  a  large  scale  is  quite 
modern,  seed  oysters  for  planting  have  been  raised  artificially  upon  a  small 
scale  in  Italy  for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  by  a  very  simple  method. 
Pliny  relates  that  the  artificial  breeding  of  oysters  was  first  undertaken  by 
a  Roman  knight,  Sergius  Orata,  in  the  waters  of  Lake  Avernus,  and  that 
the  enterprise  was  so  successful  that  its  director  soon  became  very  rich. 
At  the  present  day  the  methods  which  were  introduced,  and  probably  in- 
vented by  Orata,  are  still  employed  by  the  oyster  cultivators  of  Lake 
Fusaro,  a  small  salt-water  lake. 

in  quite  modern  times  the  study  of  these  old  methods  of  oyster 
culture  has  resulted  in  the  development  of  the  improved  methods  which  are 
now  employed  in  France.  In  1853,  M.  De  Bon,  then  Commissioner  of 
Marine,  was  directed  by  the  Minister  to  attempt  to  restock  certain^e.xhausted 
beds  by  planting  new  oysters  upon  them,  and  during  this  work,  which  was 
perfectly  successful,  he  discovered  that,  contrary  to  the  general  opinion,  the 
oyster  can  reproduce  itself  after  it  has  been  transplanted  to  bottoms  on 
which  it  never  before  existed,  and  he  at  once  commenced  a  series  of  experi- 
ments to  discover  some  way  to  collect  the  spat  emitted  by  those  oysters, 
and  he  soon  devised  a  successful  apparatus,  which  consisted  of  a  rough  board 
floor,  raised  about  eight  inches  above  the  bottom,  near  low-tide  mark, 
covered  by  loose  bunches  of  twigs. 

An  average  Maryland  oyster  of  good  size  lays  about  sixteen  million 
eggs,  and  if  half  of  these  were  to  develop  into  female  oysters,  we  should 
have  from   a   single  female  eitilit  million   female   descendants  in   the   first 


165 


generation,  and  in  tlie  second,  eiglit  million  times  eight  million  or  64,000,- 

000,000,000.      In  the  third  generation  we  would  have  eight  million  times 

this  or  21^,000,000,000.000,000,000.     In  the  fourth,  4, 006, 000, 000,- 
Somc 
Calculations         000,000,000,000,000,000.      In  the  fifth,  33,600,000,000,000,000,000,- 

000,000,000,000,000,000  female   oysters  and  as  many   males,   or,   in   all, 
66,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. 

Having  thus  embarked  upon  the  limitless  sea  of  statistical  fact  I  pre- 
pared to  further  enhance  the  appreciation  of  my  companion  for  the  festive 
and  toothsome  oyster,  but  he  had  fled  from  the  scene.  Some  people  have 
a  strange  dislike  for  concrete  knowledge  as  expressed  in  numerals. 


166 


Etlantic  am,       Cbapter  IPI. 


There  are  frequent  points  of  descent  from  the  Boardwalk  to  the  wide 
space  of  shore  in  front. 

The  wife  and  iier  sister  and  lier  cousin  have  a  simultaneous  craving  to 
"come  unto  these  yellow  sands,"  and  a  little  fair-complexioned  niece  -^  nj^,,  ipj^turc 
of  mine  has  long  had,  however  she  has  smothered  that  longing.  So  '•"'f  ^l'*-  ^Geacb 
we  descend,  and  soon  we  have  that  pleasant  sensation  (a  belt  of  dry  yield- 
ing dust  passed)  of  standing  upon  the  firm  cool  sand.  Hey,  for  the  treasures 
of  the  shore  !  Alice  must  have  her  shoes  and  socks  off,  and  be  let  loose  to 
scamper  and  to  paddle  at  her  will.  Let  her  race  about  to  her  heart's  con- 
tent, leaving  the  wet  sands  slowly  to  efface  the  gleaming  prints  of  her  little 
naked  feet,  or  let  her  select  a  firm  swell  of  sand,  and  with  busy  spade  erect 
an  edifice,  while  we  elders  dwell  again  on  the  well-worn  thought,  how, 
indeed,  this  is  a  type  of  the  labor  of  many  a  life  ;  how  many  spend  the 
hours  between  morning  and  evening,  just  merely  in  sand-arciiitecture  ;  then 
death  brims  up  in  full  flood,  and  the  shore  is  empty  of  them,  and  all  their 
busy  labor  is  levelled,  and  has  left  no  mark,  and  is  as  though  it  had  never 
been.  For  when  at  last  the  tide  goes  down,  you  shall  not  discover  it ;  it 
was  not  like  a  rock  wall,  that  was  submerged  for  a  while,  but  appears  w  hen 
the  waters  draw  off.  The  builder  is  not  there  :  "  He  passed  away,  and  lo  ! 
he  was  not :  yea,  I  sought  him,  but  he  could  not  be  found."  The  builder  is 
gone,  and  his  works  do  follow  him.  There  is  nothing  to  show  in  eternity 
for  all  the  long  and  careful  labors  of  time. 

How  furrowed  are  the  sands  when  the  tide  has  drawn  away  from 
them  !  There  was  such  sparkle  and   glee  when  the  pleased  waters  were 


167 


swelling  and  glittering  over  this  tract ;  but  they  drew  off  by  degrees,  and 
now  how  all  the  smooth  face  is  mapped  out  in  furrows  and  wrinkles  !     It  is 
^^    „.^  tired  of  its  toys,  the  tickle  sea  ;  it  has  left  behind,  little  prized,  these 

of  %itc  shells  and  seaweed,  these  smooth  pebbles  ;  these  round  chalk  mar- 
bles, and  pyramids  and  cones  of  spar.  But  it  cannot  rest;  see  it  is  coming 
back  again  even  now  ;  the  far  murmur  grows  into  a  hoarse  roar  ;  the  silver 
curves  hasten  each  after  each  along  the  level  sand  ;  for  a  time  it  was  sick  at 
heart,  and  tired  of  all ;  moaning,  bankrupt,  broken-hearted,  weary,  just  now; 
quitting,  as  worthless,  its  possessions  and  its  playthings  ;  and  now  the  turn 
has  come  ;  the  old  eagerness  has  awakened,  the  thoughtless,  fervent  pursuit 
is  resumed.  Ah  !  some  do  indeed 
make  life  a  series  of  rises  and  fall- 
ings of  the  tide  ;  now  it  is  a  loss, 
and  they  leave  life's  bare  shore  to 
moan  in  solitude  far  from  men  ; 
now  another  prize  has  allured 
them,  and  see  how  earnest  and 
continuous  the  plashing,  ever- 
advancing  pursuit  again.  Deso- 
late, bankrupt  just  now  ;  but  a  second  object  attracts,  and  the  old  excite- 
ment and  eagerness  return.    This  in  some  cases,  but  not  always,  nor  often. 

O  nature,  quiet  nature  !  we  cannot  then  keep  our  thoughts,  ourselves 
rather,  out  of  you  ;  you  must  ever  suggest  to  us  the  sad  or  strange  or  glad 
realities  of  our  own  life  ;  you  are  ever  a  parable,  an  allegory,  of  which  the 
history  of  man  is  the  ready  interpretation.  The  song  of  a  bird  ;  the  tint  of 
a  sunset ;  the  dance  of  the  falling  snow  ;  the  thud  of  the  waves  advancing 
or  retreating — these  are  but  the  accompaniment  to  which  the  life  of  man  is 
the  glad  or  sober  song. 

There  was  a  time  with  most  of  us  when  we  neither  knew  nor  cared 
from  what  quarter  the  wind  blew — when  we  had  not  the  remotest  conception 


1 68 


that  the  direction  of  the  air-ciirrents  could  concern  us  at  all.     Those  were 

the  da\^s  of  childhood's  happy  ignorance  ;  when  we  l<new  nothing  of  the 

contents  of  the  human  thorax  beyond  what  others  chose  to  tell  us  ;      21  •miorD  on 

when  lungs,  and  liver  and  heart,  were  things  we  sometimes  heard       ^'■'"-  ^^'^^  tUiii? 

mentioned,  but  did  not  trouble  our  heads  about,  having  very  vague  notions 

of  their  existence  ;  when  the  stomach  was  only  known  by  its  cravings,  and 

the  nerves  were  a  mystery  intelligible  only  to  elderly  people.    A  blissful 

state  of  things  that,  more  permanent,  it  would  appear,  among  our  ancestors 

than  with   the  average  of  mortals   now-a-days.       The  first  practical   idea 

about  the  east  wind  that  a  young  fellow  gets  hold  of  is  that  it  is  good  for 

sliding  and  skating,  because  it  locks  up  the  canals  and  streams,  and  covers 

the  ponds  and  ornamental  waters  with  practicable  ice.      We  can  well  recall 

the  eagerness  and  the  profound  interest  with  which  we  used  to  watch  the 

weathercock  on  the  church  tower  in  our  skating  days,  and  the  mortification, 

not  to  say  disgust,  with  which  we  saw  the  brazen  indicator  veer  spitefully 

southwards. 

As  we  grow  older  we  grow  more  conscious  of  the  mysterious  ma- 
chinery within  us,  and  the  atmospheric  conditions  without  us,  and  of  the 
marvellous  and  ominous  sympathy  there  is  between  the  two.  But  if  we 
are  in  a\-frage  health  it  is  long  before  we  begin  to  quarrel  with  the  east 
wind.  For  a  time  we  love  to  face  it,  and  even  take  it  to  our  embrace, 
feeling  that  it  is  a  might\-  breath,  strong  to  build  up  the  stalwart  frame  and 
renew  the  energies  of  youth.  We  revel  in  it,  and,  rejoicing  in  the  freshness 
it  brings,  and  the  vigor  it  imparts,  can  repeat  with  pleasure  Mr.  Kingsley's 
a  JBoi^'tcrou''        rhapsody  in  praise  of  the  east  wind. 

3fr(cn^  But  by-and-by  we  find  it  rather  too  much  for  us — just  a  leetk  too 
boisterous  and  rude  ;  and  though  we  hardly  confess  to  that  much,  we  catch 
ourselves  shirking  its  proffered  embrace,  shunting  ourselves  to  the  lee  side 
of  a\'ailable  shelter  when  it  blows  hard,  and  buttoning  up  to  the  chin  when 
it  must  needs  be  encountered.     Still,  we  c\ui  encounter  it,  and  get  the  better 


WHEN   THE   EA 


of  it  too,  in  a  brisk  wali<  or  a  gay  canter  along  the  open  downs  ;  and  we  do 
so  occasionally,  perhaps  pluming  ourselves  on  our  hardiness.  But  it  may 
happen  that  we  do  it  once  too  often,  or  without  sufficient  care,  and  then  the 
east  wind  gets  a  grip  of  our  breathing  apparatus,  and  shows  that  he  is 
master  by  consigning  us  to  the  bed  or  the  easy  chair,  to  a  slop  diet  and  tee- 
totalism — to  the  hot  mustard  "foots."  When  a  man,  verging,  say  upon  the 
fifth  age  of  Shakespeare,  has  had  one  or  two  experiences  of  this  kind,  it  is 
truly  marvellous  to  note  how  learned  he  becomes  upon  the  subject  of  the  east 


wind.  He  need  not  look  at  the  weathercock  for  information  ;  he  has  an 
index  with  him — a  sort  of  weather-gauge — that  tells  him  when  it  is  coming, 
as  sure  as  a  gun  ;  he  scents  it  afar,  even  while  sitting  by  his  fireside  ;  can 
tell  of  its  advent  twenty,  thirty,  forty  hours  before  its  arrival  ;  he  will 
wake  up  in  the  night  and  say  to  his  wife,  "The  wind  is  getting  into  the 
east,"  and,  turning  under  the  blankets,  go  to  sleep  again  to  dream  of  it  and 
the  plagues  it  may  bring  with  it.  He  does  not  indorse  the  poet's  invocation — 
"Hail  to  thee,  north-easter!" 


170 


— rather  he  dreads  its  approach  and  only  hopes  to  have  done  with  it  as  soon 
as  possible. 

The  east  wind  caroms  upon  Atlantic  City  at  an  acute  angle,  and 
although  it  may  come  to  us  laden  with  the  fogs  of  Newfoundland  its  effects 
are  felt  less  than  at  any  other  place  upon  the  coast. 

Nothing  else  so  strongly  appeals  to  the  imagination  of  the  frequenter 

of  the  sea-coast  as  the  mysteries  of  its  myriad  victims — the  countless  ships 

which  are  scattered  upon  its  sunless  floor,  gone  from  the  ken  of  man 

Zbc  Jflooc  oi 
and  forgotten  in  the  limbo  of  time  past  and  blotted  from  memory.       tbc  Sea 

The  idea  that  ships  are  likely  to  be  buried  in  the  accumulations 
which  are  forming  on  the  deeper  sea-floor,  rests  upon  a  mistaken  conception 
as  to  the  speed  with  which  sediments  are  laid  down  at  a  distance  from  the 
shore.  These  deposits  of  the  open  oceans  are  so  slowly  made  that  we 
must  decree  it  excessive  to  suppose  that  a  depth  of  a  single  inch  can  be 
formed  in  a  thousand  years.  It  is  likely  that  in  no  case,  save  near  the 
coast-line,  or  in  the  rare  places  where  the  showers  of  volcanic  waste  bring 
an  unusually  large  amount  of  detritus,  can  a  ship  be  buried  in  the  accumu- 
lating strata  so  as  to  be  preserved  in  a  recognizable  form.  If  the  creatures 
of  the  far  future,  to  whom  it  may  be  given  to  scan  the  rocks  which  are  now 
forming  and  are  hereafter  to  be  uplifted  into  dry  land,  are  to  find  a  trace  of 
their  remote  ancestors  in  the  deposits,  they  will  secure  it  not  by  finding  the 
hulks  of  great  vessels,  probably  not  from  the  bones  of  men  or  the  common 
implements  which  serve  them  in  seafaring,  but  from  the  objects  composed 
of  glass,  or  more  likely  those  made  of  the  rarer  metals,  such  as  gold  and 
platinum.  Of  the  vast  wreckage  of  an  iron  warship  such  as  the  Captain, 
w  hich  sank  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  the  hulk,  great  guns,  shot  and  shell,  the 
timber,  and  all  the  forms  of  its  crew  will  probabl\-  disappear  before  they 
are  entombed  in  the  slowly  gathered  strata.  The  geological  remainder  will 
perhaps  be  the  coal  of  her  fuel  store,  the  gold  of  the  watches  and  trinkets 
and  the  massive  glass  objects  which  abound  in  such  a  ship  ;  in  all  but  a 


171 


small  and  little  indicative  part  of  what  went  to  tine  bottom  of  the  sea  when 
the  vessel  foundered.  It  has,  to  many  persons,  been  an  interesting  specu- 
lation as  to  the  aspect  of  the  countless  wrecks  which  have  been  swallowed 
up  by  the  North  Atlantic  since  the  churn  of  waters  has  been  ploughed  by 
the  keels  of  ships.  Their  number  is  probably  to  be  reckoned  by  the  tens 
of  thousands,  and  the  greater  part  of  them  lie  in  a  comparatively  small  part 
of  that  field.  If  we  count  this  portion  of  the  Atlantic  which  is  most  peopled 
with  wrecks  as  having  an  area  of  3,000,000  square  miles,  and  estimate  the 
total  number  of  such  ruins  within  this  space  as  30,000,  we  would  have  an 
average  of  one  sunken  ship  for  each  hundred  square  miles  of  surface. 


A   BALTIMORE 
KELLE  AND  TWO 
PHILADELPHIANS 


172 


Htlantic  (Tit^.     Chapter  fpnn. 


[Angus  Sinclair,  in  Locomotive  Engineering  for  August,  i8g8  :] 

"  It  has  been   my  privilege  to  ride  on  a  great  many   fast  trains  in 
America  and  Great  Britain.     1  have  a  hahit  of  carrying  a  stop  watch  and  of 
using  it  to  time  the  speed  between  mile  posts,  which  practice  has       _,      «    .    . 
given   me  positive  evidence  of   the  speed  attained  or  maintained.        JTraln 

After  watching  the  speed  of  celebrated  trains  in  the  British  Isles,  1 
have  at  certain  times  been  moved  to  remark  to  railway  men  and  others 
that  some  trains  in  America  made  better  time  than  those  of  other  countries. 
When  I  proceeded,  by  referring  to  my  note  book,  to  give  particulars,  the 
best  of  friends  would  regard  me  with  a  pitying  smile  which  said  as  plainly 
as  possible  'he  has  acquired  skill  in  the  Yankee  habit  of  boasting  and  lying.' 
B  TRun  to  ■^^  '  '"^  going  to  be  visiting  among  railway  friends  abroad  for  a  few 
tbc  Sbore  weeks  I  wished  to  witness  for  myself  the  run  of  the  fastest  train  in 
the  world,  that  runs  from  Camden  to  Atlantic  City,  a  distance  of  55.5  miles 
in  50  minutes,  an  average  speed  of  62.2  miles  per  hour.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  Mr.  Theodore  Voorhees,  Vice-President  of  the  Philadelphia  and 
Reading  Railway,  I  received  permission  to  ride  on  the  engine  of  that 
celebrated  train.  The  train  is  due  to  leave  Camden,  which  is  across  the 
Delaware  River  from  Philadelphia,  at  3.50  P.  M.,  and  I  was  there  in  good 
time  to  witness  the  preliminary  touches  given  to  the  locomotive  before 
starting  upon  a  trip  that  must  put  a  severe  test  upon  various  elements  of 
the  engine. 

Half   an    hour  before    starting  time   the  engine  was    backed    up    to 
the  train,    which  consisted  of    seven  passenger  cars.       I    happened  to   be 


173 


174 


exceptionally  fortunate  to  take  notes  of  an  extraordinary  feat  of  fast  train 
running,  for  it  was  the  first  time  that  seven  cars  had  been  hauled  on  this 
train,  tlve  or  six  cars  having  been  the  usual  load  last  season.  Each  car 
averages  75,000  pounds,  and  the  engine,  in  working  order  with  tender, 
weighs  about  218,000  pounds,  so  there  were  525,000  pounds  of  train, 
making  a  total  of  743,000  pounds,  or  371^^  tons  to  be  moved.  Che  .ISiCi  Enainc 

1  found  a  crowd  of  interested  admirers  about  the  engine  watching 
every  move  of  the  engineer  and  fireman,  both  of  whom  were  quietly 
attending  to  the  duties  of  preparing  the  engine  to  do  its  work  without 
chance  of  failure.  The  engineer,  Mr.  Charles  H.  Fahl,  kept  moving  about 
the  engine  scanning  every  part,  and  dropping  a  little  oil  on  the  parts  that 
needed  the  greatest  amount  of  lubrication.  While  I  remained  watching  him 
he  oiled  the  principal  bearings  twice,  and  then  carried  his  cans  to  the  cab, 
apparently  satisfied  that  his  full  duty  had  been  performed.  The  fireman, 
Mr.  John  Pettit,  was  engaged  throwing  a  few  shovelfuls  of  coal  at  brief 
intervals  into  the  enormous  firebox  which  has  86  square  feet  of  grate  area, 
and  watching  at  intervals  to  find  a  thin  spot  that  needed  covering  up. 

These  trains  were  run  for  three  months  last  year  on  the  50  minute 
schedule,  with  the  same  men  on  the  engine,  without  a  single  mishap,  or 
without  losing  a  minute  of  time.  The  engine  never  had  a  hot  pin  or 
bearing,  and,  in  spite  of  the  tremendous  work  put  upon  it,  was  always 
ready  to  turn  round  and  take  out  another  train  without  a  minute's  delay. 
That  fine  record  was  due  to  the  care  in  seeing  that  everything  was  in  good 
order  before  the  start  was  made.  In  conversing  with  \'ice-President 
Voorhees  I  found  that  he  attributed  the  successful  running  of  this  train  in  a 
great  measure  to  the  care  and  skill  of  the  engineer  and  fireman. 
Cbc  Start  At  3.50  precisely  the  signal  came  to  start  and  the  engine  moved 
ahead  without  slip  or  quiver.  A  few  turns  of  the  great  driving  wheels 
forced  the  train  into  good  speed  and  away  \\e  rushed  out  through  the 
yards,  through   the  suburban   residences  and  away  past  smiling  vegetable 


175 


farms.  On  reaching  the  first  mile  post  to  be  seen,  which  was  about  a  mile 
out,  1  had  my  watch  in  hand  and  the  second  one  was  passed  in  68  seconds. 
An  interval  of  62  seconds  brought  us  to  the  following  post,  and  then  the 
succeeding  notations  were  60,  59,  56,  52,  50,  48,  46,  52,  53,  53,  51,  50,  52, 
49,  50,  53,  52,  50,  49,  44,  45,  42,  44  seconds  for  each  succeeding  mile, 
•  Then  I  made  up  my  mind  that  the  high  speed  was  authentic  and  put  my 

watch  in  my  pocket  the  better  to  note  particulars  about  the  handling  of  the 
engine. 
In  the  dab  1  was  sitting  on  the  fireman's  side  and  could  not  see  how  the 
engineer  was  handling  his  reverse  lever  and  throttle  lever,  but  I  noticed 
that  there  was  no  change  in  the  point  of  cut  of^  after  the  train  was  going 
forty  miles  an  hour,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  steam  was  permitted  to 
follow  the  piston  at  a  little  more  than  half  stroke.  The  steam  pressure 
gauge  could  be  easily  noted,  and  the  safety  valve  blew  off  at  230  pounds 
per  gauge  pressure.  The  fireman  appeared  to  do  his  best  to  keep  the 
pressure  about  five  pounds  short  of  the  popping  point,  and  he  did  his  work 
well,  but  tlie  indications  were  that  he  had  more  difificulty  in  keeping  the 
steam  down  to  the  popping  point  than  in  letting  it  rise.  He  did  not  seem  to 
work  mucJT  on  the  fire.  He  watched  it  very  closely,  and  threw  in  a  few 
lumps  occasionally,  but  there  was  no  hard  work  in  supplying  all  the  steam 
needed  to  do  the  enormous  work  of  pulling  the  heavy  train  at  the  speed 
noted.     The  coal  used  was  small  lump  similar  to  house  furnace  coal. 

The  road  is  a  little  undulating,  but  the  rises  and  descends  seemed  to 
make  little  difference  to  the  speed.  Out  through  stretches  of  farm  lands, 
away  through  spreading  woods  and  moor-like  regions  of  scrub  oaks  the 
train  rushed  along,  neither  curve  nor  grade  seeming  to  restrain  its  velocity. 
The  engine  rode  with  astonishing  smoothness.  When  I  have  ridden  on 
other  engines  working  hard  and  keeping  up  speed  over  70  miles  an  hour, 
there  was  always  a  harsh  vertical  vibration  due  probably  to  the  jerk  of 
compression,  but  that  disagreeable  sensation  was  entirely  absent  in   this 


176 


compound.  The  work  done  gauged  in  horse  power  per  hour  was  enormous, 
and  perhaps  unprecedented  for  a  locomotive,  but  it  was  performed  with 
remari\abie  smoothness,  and  the  impression  was  always  present  that  the 
engine  still  had  some  margin  of  power  in  reserve  which  could  be  used  if 
necessary. 

About  four  miles  from  Atlantic  City  a  signal  was  against  the  train 
and  the  speed  was  reduced  to  about  20  miles  an  hour  before  the  signal  was 


lowered.      That  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  succeeding 
mile  post.     I  noted  the  time  from  that  mile  post  to  the  ne.xt  one  and  the 

mile  was  run  in  60  seconds.     'Ihat  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  power      Over  70  /IBUee 

,  .,  an  "jHour 

of  the  engme. 

Two  minutes  were  used  in  running  the  last  two  miles  through  the 
switches.  At  least  one  minute  was  lost  with  the  signal  check.  With  these 
deductions  I  calculate  that  the  average  run  was  made  at  a  speed  of  over  70 
miles  an  hour." 


177 


Btlantic  Cit\».       Cbaptcr  IIHIP. 


[Extracts  from  an  article  which  appeared  in  the  Cfnturv  Mdga^iiir,  for 

January,    1898,   which    very   aptly   portrays   Atlantic    City   of  to-day    and 

Atlantic  ilitfl  as        furnishes    ample   demonstration   and  proof  for  the   now   practically 

a  TlUintcr  anC>        undisputed  title  of  "  the  greatest  all  the  year  resort  of  the  world  :  "] 

Srring  IRceort  ^  ,.  ,  ■         ,  ,.     .u  ^, 

"  Durmg  the  winter,  accordmg  to  the  reports  issued  by  the  weather 

bureau,  the  thermometer  at  Atlantic  City  averages  higher  than  at  any 
other  point  on  the  North  Atlantic  Coast.  The  fact  needs  no  proof,  for  it  is 
evident  almost  at  once  to  any  visitor.  But  the  explanation  requires  some 
observation  of  the  course  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  This  great  river  of  warm 
water  approaches  so  near  to  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  that  it  furnishes  an 
excellent  natural  "  hot-water  "  system  for  warming  the  sea-breezes  jn^(.  q,ii\x 
that  constantly  sweep  over  this  great  city  of  the  coast.  ^  "^''"" 

One  may  say  with  little  exaggeration  that  the  waves  which  wash 
the  Florida  Coast  are  the  same  as  those  that  here  visit  the  Northern  States. 
At  no  other  point  does  the  great  Stream  make  a  "  P.  P.  C."  call  before 
setting  out  upon  its  voyage  across  the  ocean  to  look  after  the  comfort  of 
our  British  Cousins.     Fortunately  the  comparative  warmth  of  the  climate 

during  the  winter  is  not  fol- 
lowed  by   the   same    rise 
of   temperature  in   the 
summer.    Owing  to 
the    nearness    of 
the  great  Ocean, 
which   acts  as  a 


regulator  of   heat,  Atlantic  City  is  em- 
phatically   a    resort    for    all    the    year. 
Cooled    by    sea-breezes    in    summer, 
and,   strange  as  it  may  seem,  warmed 
by  the  same  breezes  during  the  winter, 
the    result    is   an    equal    climate    that   is 

tlhe  rmu-^ic       e-'^'^i'^tly  adapted   for  those  enjoying  good   health  or   for   invalids. 

Of  tbc  Surf  The  thunder  of  the  sea  along  the  shore  is  heard  at  once  upon 
alighting  from  the  train  ;  and  it  is  but  a  few  minutes'  ride  to  any  of  the 
many  delightful  hotels  that  the  throng  of  visitors  has  caiised  to  spring 
up  all  along  the  wonderful  beach.  Ordinarily,  the  journey  to  a  warmer 
climate  is  so  long  and  tedious  that  it  serves  to  discourage  the  visits  of  those 
who  are  in  good  health,  even  if  it  does  not  mal<e  it  impossible  for  in- 
valids to  secure  a  needed  change  of  climate.  Then,  too,  no  one  wishes 
unnecessarily  to  put  himself  out  of  reaching  distance  of  his  own  home  and 
friends.  It  is  sometimes  most  essential  that  a  return  should  be  possible  at 
almost  a  moment's  notice,  and  where  one  is  seeking  health,  to  go  into  a 
distant  land,  or  to  make  a  journey  of  hundreds  of  miles,  might  neutralize 
any  possible  benefits  expected  from  the  trip. 

Proverbially  ignorant  of  the  advantages  of  their  own  country,  few 
Americans  know  that  Atlantic  City  is  the  largest,  richest,  most  popular, 
and,  in  short,  the  finest  watering  place  in  the  world.  Its  "season  "  never 
comes  to  an  end,  which  alone  gives  it  a  great  advantage  over  all  resorts  of 
the  kind,  for  the  proprietors  of  its  hotels  need  not  reckon  upon  making 
the  profits  of  one  season  carry  them  over  a  dull  time.  There  are  forty 
millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  within  the  city  limits,  as  estimated 
by  the  State  Comptroller,  and  not  a  little  of  this  value  is  due  to  the  many 
miles  of  seaside  homes  owned  by  the  well-to-do  and  fashienable  of  the 
world,  who  have  discovered  here  advantages  lacking  elsewhere.  As  a 
result,    houses   are    magnificent   and   the    avenues   are   broad,    clean   and 


179 


well-kept,  the  owners  showing  a.  spirit  of  rivalry  in  making  houses  as 
attractive  as  possible.  The  location  being  so  favorable,  and  the  climate 
so  exceptional,  the  railroad  facilities  are  of  the  best,  and  the  hotels  are  in 
the  hands  of  most  enterprising  owners.  The  fastest  regular  trains  in  the 
world,  according  to  the  Scientific  American,  are  those  running  between 
Atlantic    City   and    Philadelphia.       These    lines,   of   course,   connect   this 

^  ^  resort  closely  with  all  parts  of  the  country. 

picture  As  for  the  beach  itself,  everything  possible  has  been  done  to  make 
it  attractive.  The  "  Esplanade  "  or  ocean  steel  walk  is  the  name  given  to 
a  walk  five  miles  long  and  forty  feet  wide  that  is  parallel  to  the  edge  of  the 
ocean.  It  used  to  be  called  the  Boardwalk,  but  since  it  has  all  been 
rebuilt  the  name  is  not  quite  appropriate,  for  it  rests  on  a  frame 
work  of  steel,  and  is  as  secure  as  an  iron  pier  throughout  its  whole  '  -^ 
extent.  Along  the  line  of  the  shore  there  is  nothing  to  cut  off 
a  view  of  Old  Ocean  except  an  occasional  pavilion  in  which 
are  comfortable  seats  where  promenaders  can  rest.  The  walk 
itself  is  from  six  to  twelve  feet  above  the  sand,  and  is  guarded 
by  a  metal  railing  on  the  side  toward  the  ocean,  while  along 
the  shore  side  will  be  found  shops,  batliing  houses,  and  booths  for 
the  sale  of  whatever  can  attract  visitors.  When  it  is  said 
that  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  have  been  spent  in  making 
this  walk  all  that  it  should  be,  it  will  be  understood  that  the  steel  walk  is 
something  more  than  a  line  of  planks  with  which  other  seashore  resorts 
are  occasionally  provided.  In  winter  and  summer  the  walk  is  thronged 
with  pleasure  seekers  or  those  who  have  come  here  for  health  and  rest. 
Shakespeare's  "Seven  Ages"  each  finds  thousands  of  representatives. 
Here  one  may  see  the  red-cheeked,  bright  eyed  school-girl,  swinging 
breezily  along,  enjoying  the  enfranchisement  which  the  new  time  has 
brought  to  her ;  the  matron  who,  tired  by  the  turmoil  of  the  town,  finds 
rest  in  the  tumult  of  the  sea,  while  about  her  are  children,  unconsciously 


180 


breathing  in  health,  though  thinking  only  of  pleasure  ;  professional  and 
business  men  renewing  their  youth  far  from  the  counting-room  and  the 
court  ;  the  philosopher  and  the  idler,  side  by  side,  sunning  themselves  in 
the  salt  air,  forgetting  that  there  is  to  life  any  side  but  this. 

As  mildly  temperate  breezes  turn  winter  into  summer,  so  electricity 
turns  night  into  day  along  this  crowded  thoroughfare.  Truly,  the  throng  does 
not  seem  to  diminish  at  night.  The  old  lady  from  the  country  who  asked, 
upon  first  seeing  the  crowd  upon  Broadway,  "What  church  is  out.'" 
might  be  e.xcused  for  inquiring,  as  she  gazed  upon  the  thronged  esplanade, 
where  all  these  people  find  lodgment.  But  when  she  had  learned  how 
many  hotels  Atlantic  City  supports,  her  wonder  would  be  whence  came  all 
the  people  who  fill  them.  It  is  claimed  that  no  other  cit>'  has  a  greater 
number  of  hotels  and  boarding-houses  and  the  claim  will  be  conceded  at 
first  glance.  Indeed,  it  may  be  said  that  every  building  which  is  not  either 
a  hotel  or  a  boarding  house  is  a  private  cottage  for  the  accommodation  of 
visitors  from  the  cities.  One  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand  people 
can  be  cared  for  within  Atlantic  City,  and  besides  those  who  go  and  come, 
there  is  a  permanent  population  of  twenty-five  thousand.  With  such  a 
number  of  inhabitants,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  Atlantic  City  is  a 
municipality  perfectly  equipped  in  all  respects,  and  prides  itself  upon  the 
enterprise  and  energy  with  which  its  affairs  are  conducted.  There  is 
a  perfect  sewerage  system,  a  trolley  line  eight  miles  long,  traversing  the 
beach,  well-paved  streets,  electric  lights,  and — most  important  of  all — an 
ample  water  supply  from  artesian  wells  and  springs,  besides  first  class  fire 
and  police  departments.  The  only  complaint  that  can  be  made  in  regard 
to  the  police  department  is  that  its  excellently  disciplined  force  ^  iRounO 
has  not  enough  to  do.  <^^  pleasure 

The  old  principle  of  "  supply  and  demand  "  explains  the  excellent 
equipment  of  this  seaport  resort,  for  the  people  who  gather  here  are 
used   to  the   luxuries   and   delicacies  of   life,  and  familiar  with  the  dainty 


surroundings    offered    them    by   the 

capitals    of   the    world.       Naturally 

there  is  a  numerous  leisure  class 

of  the  best  type,  and  outdoor  sports 

flourish,  while  theatres,   dances,   card 

parties  and  other  entertainments   never 

cease  in  the  many  hotels. 

In  the  winter  and  spring,  New  York,  Boston, 
Philadelphia  and  Baltimore  send  thousands  of 
representatives  to  this  city  by  the  sea,  and  perhaps  from  February  until 
June  the  island  is  at  its  best.  The  villas  are  filled  with  gay  house  parties, 
and  the  hotel-registers  show  the  names  of  guests  distinguished  in  the 
professional,  political,  or  social  world. 

One  advantage  of  this  favored  child  of  the  Gulf  Stream  has  not  yet 
been  mentioned.  Although  surrounded  by  salt  water,  the  air  of  the  island 
is  exceptionally  dry,  and  physicians  agree  that  its  climate  is  the  most 
pleasant  and  invigorating  in  the  world.  Under  the  supervision  of  the  best 
medical  talent,  with  the  aid  of  hot  and  cold  sea-water  baths  and  her  ozone- 
laden  air,  her  dry,  crisp  breezes  from  pine  forests,  and  her  wealth  of 
sunshine,  Atlantic  City  performs  marvelous  cures.  jfor  UnvaliCis 

Not  the  least  of  the  advantages  offered  to  the  invalid  is  that  of  being 
surrounded  by  the  strong  and  healthy  sportsmen,  who  come,  with  guns  and 
rods,  to  enjoy  the  best  hunting  and  fishing  to  be  found  along  the  coast. 
Who  does  not  know  the  reputation  of  the  great  game  beaches  of  Brigantine 
and  Barnegat  ?  Who  has  not  heard  of  the  safe,  speedy  and  comfortable 
fleet  of  fishing  boats  and  other  craft  of  the  Atlantic  City  squadron  ?  The 
succession  of  game  and  fowl,  each  in  its  season,  is  varied  and  attractive. 
Snipe,  plover,  marlin,  willet,  yellow  legs,  black  duck,  mallard  and  teal  flock 
here,  as  if,  in  spite  of  the  eager  sportsmen,  they  were  determined  to  enjoy 
the  delights  of  the  climate.      The  brother  of  the   rod  and  line  will  find 


182 


schools  of  bluefish,  sheepsheaJ,  drum,  croker,  codfish,  herring,  mackerel, 

sea-bass  and  weakfish. 

When  it  is  understood  that   Atlantic  City  has  every  convenience  of 

comfort   and  luxury  to  be  found  in  great  cities,   it  will   be  seen  that  it 

is  impossible  to  do  more  than  refer  to  the  many-sided  attractions 

Scbool5, 
here  collected.      The  schools,   both  public  and  private,  are  excel-        Cburcbcs  anO 

lent.     There  are  churches  of  every  denomination,  and  several  well         ^-oanties 

known  charitable  institutions,  such  as  the  Children's  Seashore  Home,  the 

Mercer   Memorial   Home  and  the  City  Hospital. 

One  can  sum  up  by  sa\ing  that  Atlantic  City  possesses  in  perfection 

every  attribute    that  one  could  expect  in  a  seashore  resort,  and  enjoys 

exceptional   repute  among  the  medical   profession  as  a  home  for  invalids  in 

need  of  wholesome  rest  and  the  tonic  of  the  sea  air.      It  may  fairly  lay 

claim  to  the  title,  "Queen  of  American  Watering  Places." 


A 

XXI'. 

B""  — > 

# 

'^c^ 

r 

r 

183 


atlantic  Cit^.        Cbaptcr  |JD. 


The  steel  tentacles  of  the  Penns\-lvania  Railroad  are  spread  across 

New  Jersey,  touching  the  seashore  at  Long  Branch,  and  by  means  of  its 

line  between  that  point  and  Barnegat  Pier  it  touches  the  score  of  beautiful 

iDeiina  IP  IP        ^""^  popular  intermediate  resorts,  including  Asbury   Park,   Belmar, 

IRoute^      Spring    Lake,   Sea    Girt,    Point    Pleasant,    Bay   Head,   Mantoloking, 
to  tbe  Coast 

Lavalette,  Ortley,   Berkeley  and  Seaside  Park.     It  also  extends  a 

branch  to  all  points  upon  Long  Beach.  It  operates  two  routes  to  Atlantic 
City  with  spurs  which  reach  Somers'  Point  and  Longport,  with  an  admir- 
able ferry  service  between  these  places. 

The  West  Jersey  Division  extends  to  Ocean  City,  Sea  Isle  City, 
Avalon,  Stone  Harbor,  Anglesea,  Wiidwood,  Holly  Beach  and  Cape  May. 
The  rails  of  this  line  also  touch  Delaware  Bay  at  Salem  and  Maurice  River. 

In  handling  the  enormous  traffic  to  and  from  Atlantic  City  its  trains 
are  run  both  from  Broad  Street  Station  direct  and  via  the  splendid  new' 
ferry  station  at  the  foot  of  Market  Street.  The  trains  from  the  Broad 
Street  Terminal  start  westward,  describing  a  great  semicircle  through  the 
upper  section  of  Philadelphia  and  cross  a  magnificent  bridge  which  spans 
the  Delaware  River  above  the  city. 

The  old  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad,  the  detailed  history  of  which 
is  fully  related  upon  earlier  pages,  is  now  the  Pennsylvania's  direct  passen- 
ger route  to  Atlantic  City.  The  entire  roadway  has  been  rebuilt  and 
double-tracked  with  standard  steel  rails. 

To  one  who  recalls  the  discomforts  and  vicissitudes  of  a  railroad 
journey  in  the  early  days  between  Camden  and  Atlantic  City,  the  swift, 


clean  run  of  the  present  seems  to  fully  express  the  progress  which  has  been 
made  in  everything  relating  to  seashore  travel. 

Pretty  suburban  settlements  are  growing  up  all  along  the  Pennsyl- 
vania's route  as  a  result  of  the  improvements  in  service  in  recent  years. 

The  handsome  ferry  building  recently  completed  by  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  Company  at  the  foot  of  Market  Street,  Philadelphia,  is  an 
ornament  to  the  city.  Provision  is  made  in  the  design  for  the  use  of  double 
decked  ferry-boats  in  the  future,  and  it  is  probable  that  in  the  course  of 
time  elevated  trackage  will  extend  to  the  limits  of  Camden,  thus  enabling 
engineers  to  make  high  speed  from  the  instant  of  starting.  746  miles  or 
about  nine  per  cent,  of  the  tracks  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  are  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey.  With  the  single  exception  of  the  line  between  Tren- 
ton and  New  York,  the  Atlantic  City  Division  is  the  most  important. 

The  equipment,  speed  and  attention  to  the  comfort  of  passengers  upon 
the  seashore  trains  are  the  same  as  exist  upon  the  main  line,  and  these 
features  are  unsurpassed  upon  any  of  the  great  railroads  of  the  world. 


186 


Htlantic  Cit^.       Cbaptcr  fJDIF. 


This    new    and    influential    organization    was    formed   as    the   result 

of  a  meeting    held  at   the    Windsor   Hotel,   Atlantic  City,   in   April  of  the 

present   year  (1899),   Mr.  G.  Jason  Waters,  with  whom  the  move- 

.  .  Htlantic  Citw 

ment  ongmated,  bemg  elected  president.      The  purpose  is  to  main-        fbovee  Sbow 

tain    an    annual    horse    show    which    will    attract    leading    horse       S^sociatlon 

owners  and  the  many   interested    in   tine    animals    and    equipages  to   this 

resort  upon  such  occasions. 

The  tlrst  of  these  exhibits  was  held  July  n,  14  and  15  at  the  Inlet 
Park  and  proved  an  unqualified  success.  The  exhibits  included  road- 
sters, hackneys,  horses  in  harness,  saddle  horses,  polo  ponies,  hunters  and 
jumpers,  four-in-hands,  tire  horses  and  apparatus,  hotel  coaches,  delivery 
wagons,  baggage  w«gons,  etc. 

The  Club  is  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen: — G.  Jason 
Waters,  President;  Charles  Evans,  Vice-President;  Hon.  Allen  B.  Endi- 
cott.  Treasurer  ;  Walter  J.  Buzby,  Secretary  ;  William  S.  Blitz.  Assistant 
Secretary.  Directors:  G.  Jason  Waters,  Hon.  Joseph  Thompson,  Walter 
J.  Buzby,  F.  W.  Hemsley,  J.  H.  Lippincott,  H.  W.  Leeds,  D.  S.  White, 
Jr.,  Edward  S.  Lee,  A.  O.  Dayton,  A.  C.  McClellan,  Dr.  J.  R.  Fleming, 
Jacob  Myers,  W. -H.  Catlin,  A.  J.  Nutting,  Morton  W.  Smith,  Charles 
Evans,  Hon.  Allen  B.  Endicott,  J.  D.  Southwick,  Philip  J.  Leigh,  Josiah 
White,  J.  H.  Borton,  Newlin  Haines,  W.  E.  Edge,  Charles  R.  Myers,  J.  B. 
Reilly,  Dr.  M.  D.  Youngman,  Charles  Lackey.  John  G.  Shreve,  John  M. 
Shaw.  Executive  Committee  :  G.  Jason  Waters,  Hon.  Allen  B.  Endicott, 
Charles  Evans,  Edward  S.  Lee. 


187 


Htlantic  dm,     Chapter  U^n. 


[Extract  from  article  in  'Jlicrapcittic  Gazette,  February  15,  1898,  by 
William   Edgar  Darnall,  A.  B.,  M.  D.  :  ] 

®(stitunu5bcC>  Forty  years  ago,  when  the  beautiful  island  on  which  Atlantic  City 
is  built  was  an  arid  waste  of  sand,  Philadelphia  physicians  recognized 
the  wonderful  health-giving  properties  of  the  climate  it  possesses.  At  first 
an  occasional  patient  courageously  ventured  to  the  place  ;  later,  as  hotels 
went  up,  they  came  in  greater  numbers  ;  at  the  present  day  the  wide-spread 
fame  of  this  resort  draws  liealth  seekers  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Abun- 
dant evidence  from  most  credible  sources  now  e.xists  as  to  its  usefulness  in 
many  forms  of  disease.  It  will  be  my  purpose  in  this  paper  to  describe 
some  of  the  local  conditions  and  causes  that  contribute  to  this  remarkable 

climate. 

,     .     ,       ,  ,  ,  ■     ,        .      ,       J  Cbc  Climate  of 

From    meteorological    tables,  geographical    and  other  data,  a      i^tlantfc  Citv 

general  opinion  can  be  formed  as  to  the  nature  of  the  climate  of  a      anCi  its 'Cl6etul= 

ne5s  in  ©iscasc 
section  and  whether  it  is  favorable  or  unfavorable  to  health.     It  will 

generally  be  found,  however,  that  there  are  strictly  local  conditions  which 

should  enter  into  consideration  in  determining  whether  a  given   locality  is 

or  is  not  the  best  place  to  send  a  case. 

"  Climate  is  so  dependent   upon   purely  local  conditions,  pertaining 

often  to  only  a  limited  area  of  territory,  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  work 

based  solel}'   upon  oft'icial   data  taken  at  fixed  points  to  convey  anything 

more   than   a  generalization.      These   conditions  can   only   be   ascertained 

by  a  careful  study  of  the  localities  claiming  the  patronage  of  the  health 

seeker.     The  phv'sician  who  prescribes  climatic  change  for  his  patient  on 


189 


generalizations  will  benefit  just  about  as  large  a  pro- 
portion of  them  as  if  he  filled  his  prescriptions  for  all 
his  patients  from  the  same  bottle.  The  ideal  health 
resort  must  have  natural  conditions  on  which  to 
build."* 

Geographically  Atlantic  City  is  situated  on  an 
island  just  off  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  lying  in  lati- 
tude 39°  22'.  This  island,  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  in  width  and  ten  miles  in  length,  is  completely 
surrounded  b}'  salt  water — a  point  to  be  borne  in 
mind.  From  its  magnificent  stretch  of  ocean-swept 
beach,  an  arm  of  water  known  as  "The  Thorough- 
fare "  is  sent  around  it,  dividing  it  from  the  mainland.  Beyond  this, 
extending  shoreward,  there  is  a  five-mile  expanse  of  salt  meadow  land. 
The  coast  of  New  Jersey  has  a  general  direction  from  southwest  to 
northeast,  but  the  beach  front  of  the  island  trends  more  to  the  west,  thus 
causing  it  to  face  almost  to  the  south.  It  is  possible  that  this  may  be  one 
of  the  factors  accounting  for  some  of  the  characteristics  of  its  climate  which 
are  not  possessed  even  by  other  Jersey  resorts. 

The  soil  is  porous  and  sandy.      Water  therefore  soon  soaks  through 
it,  leaving  no  standing   pools.      Even  the   natural    atmospheric    moisture 
seems  to  be  absorbed  by  the  dry  sand.      The  growth  on  such  a  soil  is 
necessarily  scant,  preventing  the  possibility  of  disease  which  lurks        3  nriistaftcn 
in  decayed  vegetation.  ''"'■'^ 

It  seems  to  be  a  common  impression  that  the  air  at  the  seacoast, 
especially  during  the  winter  months,  must  necessarily  be  heavy  and  damp. 
This  is  not  so  by  any  means.  One  of  the  most  distinctive  features  of 
the   climate   of   Atlantic   City   is   the   dryness  and   bracing  quality   of   the 


»  This  paragraph  by  Dr.  A.  F.  McKay  {Medical  Record.  Oct.  31,  1897)  is  so  much 
to  the  point  that  I  have  quoted  it  bodily. 


190 


atmosphere.  There  are  of  course  occasional  mists  and  foggy  days  ;  but 
by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  time  the  air  is  dry,  producing  a  feeling  of 
buoyancy,  as  if  it  were  wafted  from  mountain  heights. 

The  dryness  of  the  climate  is,  however,  best  shown  by  an  examina- 
tion of  the  rainfall.  This  will  average  about  two  and  a  half  inches  per 
month,  or  thirty  inches  annually.  These  figures  are  in  striking  contrast  to 
those  of  other  points  along  the  coast.  At  none  of  them  does  the  rain- 
fall approach  so  low  a  point,  and  at  many  it  will  be  seen  that  the  annual 
precipitation  is  from  50  to  60  inches. 

The  question  of  temperature  is  always  an  important  one  in  the  study 
of  any  climate.  It  has  gotten  to  be  a  saying  among  weather  observers  that 
Atlantic  City  breaks  all  rules  of  meteorological  calculation  in  this  regard. 
Se\'ere  extremes  of  temperature  are  unknown  here.  Even  in  the  coldest 
winter  weather  the  middle  of  the  day  is  usually  pleasant,  the  temperature 
at  noon  rarel\-  being  below  40°.  As  this  is  the  most  con\'enient  time  for 
invalids  to  be  out,  it  is  fortunate  that  it  is  rarely  cold  enough  to  be  disagree- 
able to  them.  On  the  coldest  day  of  last  winter  (Januar\-  27,  1897) 
Atlantic  City  showed  the  highest  temperature  of  any  Eastern  city,  and  the 
same  average  temperature  for  the  day  as  New  Orleans.  On  the  other 
hand,  during  the  most  intense  heat  of  Jul\-  and  August  the  thermometer 
seldom  registered  above  85°,  while  the  average  temperature  this  time  of 
the  year  is  71.5°. 

The  records  show  a  mean  maximum  temperature  for  three  years  of 
57.7°,  a  mean  minimum  of  only  45.5°,  or  an  average  annual  temperature 
of  51.6°.  A  daily  comparison  will  show  that  it  is  six  to  ten  degrees  warmer 
here  in  winter  than  in  Philadelphia,  and  that  much  cooler  in  summer.  Comparison  of 
There  are  several  factors  to  be  mentioned  in  accounting  for  this  <-cnuicraturc 
remarkable  record,  most  important  of  which  are  :  the  winds  ;  the  geograph- 
ical position  of  Atlantic  City,  which  has  been  described  ;  and  the  Gulf 
Stream.     During  the  winter  months  the  prevailing  direction  of  the  winds  is 


191 


from  the  west  and  north-west.  These  winds  come  to  us  across  sixty  miles 
of  the  sandy  soil  of  New  Jersey.  They  are  not  only  warmed  by  the  radia- 
tion of  heat  from  it,  but  the  sand  absorbs  their  moisture  and  dries  them. 
If  the  winds,  on  the  other  hand,  are  from  the  south,  south-east,  or  east, 
they  become  heated  as  they  pass  over  some  three  hundred  miles  of  Gulf 
Stream.  This  leaves  the  north-easters  as  the  only  disagreeable  winds  we 
have.  Blowing  down  between  the  Gulf  Stream  and  the  coast  they  have  no 
modifying  influence.  These,  however,  are  of  rare  occurrence,  and  do  not 
last  longer  than  a  day  or  two  at  a  time. 

The  nearness  of  such  a  large  body  of  ocean  water  is  itself  an  im- 
portant agent  in  the  modification  of  the  climate.  Sea  water  possesses  a 
fairly  constant  temperature,  which  does  not  fluctuate  much  from  winter  to 
summer. 

During  the  rigors  of  winter,  when  the  earth  and  air  are  colder  than 
the  water,  which  remains  constant,  this  fact  causes  the  water  to  serve  as  a 
blanket  by  which  the  heat  that  would  be  lost  from  the  soil  by  radiation  is 
retained.  Temperature  is  thus  elevated  in  winter.  In  summer,  however, 
the  opposite  effect  is  produced,  for  the  atmosphere  is  now  warmer  than  the 
water,  and  when  everything  is  roasting  inland  the  temperature  is  made 
refreshingly  cool  here  by  reason  of  the  evaporation  from  the  surface  of  so 
large  a  body  of  water,  and  the  breezes  wafted  from  it.  In  this  way  the 
climate  is  made  more  equable,  and  less  subject  to  e.xtreme  or  sudden 
5)a\i^  38iinbt  i^hanges  of  temperature  either  in  winter  or  summer. 
anCi  Sunnv  [p  the  consideration  of  a  place  to  which  patients  may  be  referred  for 
their  health,  it  is  highly  necessary  that  a  locality  be  chosen  which  has  a 
majority  of  its  days  bright  and  sunny.  Dark  days  depress  the  invalid  and 
deprive  him  of  the  sun,  besides  shutting  him  in  the  house,  so  that  he  also 
loses  the  benefit  derived  from  outdoor  exercise.  A  casual  reference  to 
statistics  disproves  the  common  impression  that  life  by  the  sea  must  be 
bleak  and  dreary.     It  is  safe  to  say  that  there  are  at  least  265  days  in  the 


192 


year  on  which  an  invalid  could  be  out  enjoying  the  delights  of  the  famous 
Boardwalk.  This  leaves  but  27.5  per  cent,  of  the  days— a  little  more  than 
one-fourth — on  which  the  sun  hides  his  face  entirely.  Quite  a  percentage 
of  these  occur  in  March,  the  disagreeable  month  everywhere,  and  such 
weather  is  usually  of  very  short  duration.  iVlost  of  the  time  the  weather  is 
bright  and  sunny,  the  air  bracing  and  e.xhilarating,  and  the  winds  tempered 

with  a  softness  that 
is  surprising ;  while 
during  the  autumn  no 
wealth  of  words  can 
paint  the  glory  of  the 
sea  and  climate. 

Undoubtedly  the 
most  important  modi- 
fier of  tlie  climate  of 
the  Atlantic  States  is 
the  influence  of  the 
Gulf  Stream,  which 
bears  a  peculiar  rela- 
tion to  the  coast  oppo- 
site Atlantic  City.  It 
has  been  determined 
by  the  United  States 
Geodetic  Survey  that  there  is  a  mutual  relation  between  the  moisture, 
temperature  and  barometric  pressure  on  land  and  the  varying  velocities 
and  different  positions  of  the  currents  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  The  surface 
velocity,  according  to  Pilsbury,  is  sensibly  affected  by  barometric  differ- 
ences, forming  low  and  high  areas  of  pressure.  These  currents  have  also 
daily,  monthly  and  yearly  variations  in  position,  and  each  motion  is  no 
doubt  governed  by  laws  that  are  as  yet  but  dimly  understood.     The  Gulf 


193 


Stream  follows  the  declination  of  the  moon  like 
a  needle  does  a  magnet.  Its  axis  moves  from 
west  to  east  as  the  moon  proceeds  from  high 
declination  to  low,  and  crosses  the  equator.  Its 
volume  expands  and  contracts.  Even  its  temper- 
ature, which  is  about  80°,  presents  variations 
within   narrow  limits. 

The     conclusions     adopted     by     Professor 
Bache  from  the  observations  taken   under  his  direction  were  as  follows : 
"That  between  Cape  Florida  and  New  York  the  Gulf  Stream  is  divided 

into  several  bands  of  higher  and  lower  temperature,  of  which  the 
lProfc6^ct 
(3       3Bache'6      axis  (of  the  stream)  is  the  warmest,  the  temperature  falling  rapidly 

c  1  iisiony  inshore  and  more  slowly  outside.  This  is  not  only  the  case  at  the 
surface,  but  with  modifications  easily  understood  at  considerable  depths. 
That  between  the  coast  and  the  stream  there  is  a  fall  in  temperature  so 
abrupt  that  it  has  been  aptly  called  the  cohi  zvall.  The  cold  wall  extends 
with  varying  dimensions  and  changes  of  its  peculiar  features  along  the 
coast  from  Cape  Florida,  northward  as  far  as  examined.  Inside  this  wall 
of  colder  temperature  there  is  another  increase,  while  outside  the  warmest 
band,  which  is  next  the  cold  wall,  there  is  another  warm  and  one  other 
cold  band." 

The  innermost  of  these  warm  bands  approaches  as  near  as  sixty-five 
miles  from  the  coast,  opposite  Atlantic  City.  Not  only  its  proximity  to  us 
here  must  be  noticed,  but  also  its  course.  At  this  point  it  takes  a  bend 
running  a  little  more  than  a  half  degree  of  latitude  to  the  north-east, 
then  bendmg  due  east  in  latitude  40°.  A  certain  outl\ing  portion  of  Gulf 
Stream  water,  therefore,  setting  in  the  direction  of  this  current  will,  when 
it  makes  this  sudden  turn,  continue  the  original  direction  of  the  current,  be- 
ing deflected  as  a  tangent  from  the  curve  of  the  stream.  The  beach  of 
Atlantic  City  with  its  southern  exposure  is  situated  just  where  it  would 


READ^■   FOR 


194 


receive  with  open  embrace  whatever  modifying  influences  might  be  derived 
from  such  a  current  setting  in  this  direction.  What  leads  me  to  believe 
this  fact  has  some  bearing  on  the  question  is  that  no  other  seaside  resort 
even  along  the  Jersey  coast  possesses  exactly  the  climate  we  have  here. 
ffirnntnn  it  "■  "^'^^  ^^  °^  some  interest  to  digress  here  a  little  in  order  to  describe 
tbe  (Suit  Stream  briefly  the  two  generally  accepted  scientific  theories  of  the  causes 
of  the  formation  of  this  remarkable  body  of  water  known  as  the  Gulf 
Stream.     These  are  the  (a)  Wind  Theory  and  the  (b)  Density  Theory. 

(a)  The  Wind  T/icoiy,  of  wiiich  Pilsbury  is  an  advocate,  supposes  that 
any  permanent  wind  blowing  constantly  in  the  same  direction  across  a  body 
of  water  will  cause  such  friction  between  the  surface  particles  and  the 
lower  strata  of  the  air  that  these  particles  will  tend  to  move  with  the  wind  ; 
also  the  wind  caught  behind  the  crests  of  waves  would  push  these  along. 
The  friction  thus  produced  among  the  surface  particles  of  water  is  trans- 
mitted from  layer  to  layer,  with  "continually  diminishing  force  as  the  depth 
increases.  It  was  calculated  by  Agassiz  that  loo.ooo  years  was  ample 
time  to  allow  friction  of  this  sort  to  be  communicated  from,  the  surface  to 
the  bottom — a  depth  say,  of  2000  fathoms.  It  is  held  therefore  that  the 
trade  winds  blowing  in  the  same  direction  for  ages,  over  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  have  by  this  friction  process,  slow  in  itself  yet  attaining  a  mighty 
momentum  as  the  centuries  have  rolled  on,  been  able  to  move  this  vast 
body  of  water  along  in  a  constant  stream. 

(f')  The  advocates  of  the  Density  Theory 
hold  that  ocean  currents  owe  their  origin 
to  the  difference  between  the  specific 
gravity  of  sea  water  at  one  place  and 
sea  water  at  another  place  ;  whether  this 
be  due  to  difference  of  saltness,  tempera- 
ture or  what-not,  it  disturbs  equilibrium 
so  that  currents  result. 


195 


The  effect  of  heat,  as  at  the  equator,  causes  a  lesser  density  of  the 
surface  water,  while  the  effect  of  the  cold  of  the  polar  regions  causes  a 
greater  density.  This  latter  being  heavier  sinks  as  it  is  cooled  by  reason  of 
its  greater  specific  gravity  and  diminishing  bulk,  and  sinking,  causes  a  flow 
of  water  to  be  drawn  into  its  basin  from  the  surrounding  surface  area  of 
water.  Such  a  supply  must  come  from  a  yet  greater  distance  ;  and  so  this 
cooling  causes  a  set  of  water  in  the  direction  of  the  poles,  when  a  corres- 

ponding  deep-down  current  of  cold  water  sets   toward  the  equator 

anO       to  be  again  heated. 

precipitation        , ,  ^  ,  ,  ,         .        . 

Also  precipitation  over  the  central  portion  ot  the  water  hemisphere 

of  the  earth  is  greatly  in  excess  of  evaporation.  Northwards  evaporation 
is  in  excess  of  precipitation.  The  water  thus  drawn  from  polar  seas  by 
evaporation  is  quickly  hurried  down  to  the  areas  of  low  barometric  pressure, 
where  precipitation  follows.  But  its  loss  from  the  polar  regions  makes  the 
basin  referred  to  above  still  larger,  and  so  adds  an  additional  impetus  to 
the  set  of  the  water  northward.  The  disturbance  of  equilibrium  thus  pro- 
duced between  equatorial  and  polar  water,  by  cooling  and  evaporation, 
causes  a  steady  current  to  flow  from  gulf  to  poles,  and  a  return  under- 
current from  poles  to  the  equator. 

These  are  in  brief  the  two  most  prominent  among  the  many  theories 
that  have  been  advanced  as  to  the  formation  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  It  must 
be  true  that  warm  water  comes  from  the  equator  and  cold  from  the  polar 
regions,  and  whatever  be  the  mode  of  transfer  the  modification  of  climate  is 
due  to  its  presence  rather  than  to  the  method  of  its  delivery. 

But  to  return  to  Atlantic  City.  After  having  studied  the  meteoro- 
logical conditions  and  geographical  environments  that  conduce  to  its  unique 
climate,  the  practical  question  naturally  arises.  What  is  it  good  for  ?  What 
classes  of  disease  will  receive  benefit  by  a  sojourn  in  such  a  climate  ? 
Climatology  is  a  subject  beset  with  many  and  peculiar  diftlculties.  While  a 
great  and  growing  department  of  therapy,  it  is  as  yet  but  dimly  understood 


196 


by    the    bulk    of    the    profession.       Formerl>-    climatic    change    was    only 

thought   of   as   a    remedial    agent    in    respiratory    diseases.      Now    every 

chronic  deviation  from  health  is  studied  with  reference  to  change.     Such 

change,   however,  must  not  be  recommended  in  a  haphazard  wav.        ^     • 

'  (Ionic  anD 

There  must  be  some  rational  basis  underlying  it  if  any  good  is  to        Hlterattvc 

!,„  J    •     J  i.u      r  Climate 

be  derived  therefrom. 

The  climate  of  Atlantic  City  is  a  dry  one,  tonic  and  alterative  in  its 
qualities.     Its  air  is  both  a  stimulant  and  a  sedative.     Actual  experience 
drawn   from    many  sources   has   demonstrated   that   those  suffering   from 
almost  all   functional  disturbances,  nervous  prostration,  overwork 
of  both  mind  and  body,  depression  from  any  cause,  indiges- 
tion, insomnia,  or  any  torpid  state  of  the  system,  as  well 
as  strumous  conditions  and  diatheses,  are  much  benefited 
by  the  bracing  qualities  of  the  air.      Residence  here 
has  proven  of  inestimable  \alue  to  that  elderly  class 
of  cases  whose  health  and  strength  seem  to  have 
forsaken    them,    making   them    chronic   invalids. 
Long-lasting  and  obstinate  diseases  of  women 
rebellious   to   treatment   at   home   oftentimes 
show  marked  improvement  or  disappear  en- 
tirely   under    the    alterative    influence  of   the 
air  here. 
There  is  a  class  of  cases  in  the  practice  of  nearly  every  physician 
whose  management  becomes  very  trying  to  his  skill.      These  are  the  con- 
valescents from  se\'ere  and  e.xhausting  diseases  or  operations  who  seem 
to  reach   a   standstill.      The}'  remain   without   improvement  of  vitality  or 
appetite   till    the   patience  of   the    family    becomes   exhausted,   while   the 
physician   pursues  resources  clear  to  the  end  of  his  string  without  avail. 
Such  cases  usually  have  an  appetite  before  they  have  been  here  twenty- 
four  hours  ;    they  seem  to  improve  almost  as  they  cross  the  meadows.      As 


197 


soon  as  they  come  under  the  intluence  of  the  stimulating  air  oxidation  is 
increased.  Its  soporific  effect  is  at  the  same  time  a  sedative  to  a  disordered 
nervous  system.  Its  purity  and  freedom  from  unsanitary  conditions  and 
miasmatic  intUiences  allows  more  rapid  elimination  of  deleterious  matter 
from  the  system. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  softness  of  the  air  and  its  balmy  warmth 
soothes  the  stiffened  joints  of  the  gouty  and  rheumatic  ;  relieves  the  dis- 
tress of  emphysema  and  asthma,  especially  those  cases  coming  from  inland 
or  from  high  altitudes.  There  are  some  asthmatics,  however,  whose 
difficulties  are  aggravated  by  coming  here.  These  should  seek  the  warmer, 
more  sedative  climate  of  the  far  South.  The  cases  that  do  not  do  well 
at   the   seashore  will   oftentimes   be    relieved   by  the    mountains,   and  vice 

llmnninitp  frcm  versa. 

Ibas  dfcvcr  Whether  due  to  the  antiseptic  and  alterative  qualities  of  the  atmos- 

phere, or  to  the  absence  of  the  pollen  of  vegetation,  sufferers  from  hay- 
fever  enjoy  comparative  immunity  from  their  malady.  Atlantic  City  has 
been  referred  to  as  a  "  hay-fever  paradise!"  Most  noteworthy  perhaps 
and  most  striking  is  the  number  of  people  living  here  who  have  been  cured 
of  chronic  bronchial  and  catarrhal  affections.  This  is  no  doubt  brought 
about  by  the  alterative  influence  of  iodine,  bromine,  chlorine,  oxygen,  and 
the  ammonia  salts,  with  which  every  inspiration  they  breathe  is  laden.  At 
the  same  time  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  air  is  pure  and  free  from  the 
dust  of  a  city,  factory  smoke,  exhalations  from  slum  districts,  and  other 
impurities  that  serve  to  keep  up  an  irritation  once  started  in  the  respiratory 
tract. 

Skin  diseases  are  not  common  here.  They  are  often  mitigated  or 
disappear  entirely,  for  the  atmosphere,  while  dry,  is  not  irritating  to  the 
sk'in  lil<e  that  of  high  climates. 

The  profession  formerly  held  that  high  altitudes  were  better  adapted 
to  beginning  cases  of  phthisis.     The  trend  of  opinion,  however,  now  seems 


198 


to  be  that  neither  wind,  humidity  nor  altitude  in  themselves  and  apart  from 
other  factors  play  so  important  a  part  as  do  the  purity  of  the  air,  its  percent- 
age of  free  ozone,  and  the  absence  of  unsanitary  conditions.  Cold,  humid 
winds  chill  the  surface  of  the  skin  by  conducting  away  its  heat,  and  drive 
the  blood  inward.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  does  an  already  inflamed  lung 
no  good.  Such  weather  should  always  be  avoided  therefore  by  a  consump- 
tive. Raw  or  penetrating  days  will  occur  at  times  in  every  climate.  Atlan- 
tic City,  however,  has  a  very  small  percentage  of  such  days,  and  they  soon 
give  way  to  sunny  weather  again. 

Much  may  be  said  in  favor  of  this  place  as  a  resort  for  tubercular 
patients.  Not  a  small  advantage  is  its  proximity  to  the  large  centers  of 
population.  Long  journeys  from  home  are  always  depressing  to 
invalids.  The  best  results  may  often  be  obtained  by  sending  the  sicl< 
one  to  a  place  near  enough  to  his  home  for  him  to  enjoy  the  com- 
fort of  friends,  and   where  the  change  will  not  be  too  radical. 

The  following  points  have  been  enumerated  as 
reasons  why  the  well  known  climates  of  New 
Me.xico  and  Southern  California  are  model  ones 
for  phthisis,  viz.:  (i)  a  dry  aseptic  atmos- 
phere ;  (2)  a  ma.ximum  of  sunshine  and  a  minimum  of  cloud  ;  (3)  a  slight 
variation  of  temperature  between  e.xtremes  of  heat  and  cold  ;  (4)  a  mini- 
mum likelihood  of  sudden  changes  of  temperature  ;    (5)  a  light,  porous  soil. 

If  what  has  been  said  in  this  climatic  study  has  been  carefully  fol- 
lowed it  will  be  easily  seen  that  Atlantic  City  meets  these  requirements 
adequately  in  each  case,  and  her  climate  stands  as  the  peer  of  any  resort 
for  phthisical  patients,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  disease,  when  it  is 
threatening  rather  than  in  actual  progress,  or  if  the  area  of  diseased  tissue 
is  small,  not  progressive,  no  wasting  nor  hectic  of  importance,  and  diges- 
tion is  good,  it  may  be  recommended  with  confidence.  This  climate  is 
especially  good  where  tuberculosis  has   resulted   as  a   part  of  a  general 


199 


breakdown  from  overwork,  and  where  excavation  is  not  rapidly  extend- 
ing. Cases  of  fibroid  phthisis,  or  phthisis  associated  with  catarrhal  or 
laryngeal  trouble,  much  nervous  irritability,  emphysema,  bronchitis,  bron- 
chiectasis, organic  heart  disease,  or  any  brain  or  spinal  affection,  and  in 
other  conditions  where  high  altitude  is  directly  contraindicated,  will  usually 
receive  much  benefit  here.  Even  in  advanced  cases  with  double  cavities, 
degenerative  diseases  of  the  blood  vessels,  ulceration  of  the  intestines  or 
albuminuria,  temporary  improvement  may  often  take  place.  It  is  only 
temporary,  however.  The  death  warrant  of  such  patients  has  already 
been  written.  Their  best  place  is  home,  wliere  their  latter  days  may  be 
made  comfortable  and  their  end  be  among  friends.  If  they  insist  on 
climatic  change  the  warm  and  sunny  South  is  better  for  them  and  may 
prolong  their  lives  a  short  time.  The  air  here  is  too  stimulating  for  this 
class  of  cases. 


•4"  'tr 


Biographical 
SKetcIrs 


of  Prominent  Clfizcivs 
vv'Iao  l\a\'e  helpecl  to  make 
Atlantic  Citg 


Men  of 
th6  Doy 


THE  SUCCESS  of  a  city,  not  less  than 
of  a  business  corporation,  is  due  to  the  in- 
telligence, enterprise  and  energy  of  those 
who  are  at  the  head  of  its  affairs,  or  who 
are  identified  with  large  interests  within 
its  confines. 

The  portraits  and  biographical  outlines 
which  appear  upon  the  following  pages  are 
those  of  men  who  have,  in  a  large  meas- 
ure, made  Atlantic  City  and  placed  it  fore- 
most among  the  great  resorts  of  America, 
if  not  of  the  world. 

it  is  proper  and  appropriate  that  the 
names  of  such  useful  and  influential  citi- 
zens should  be  preserved  in  a  work  of  this 
character  which  is  intended  as  a  permanent 
record  of  Atlantic  City  from  the  date  of  its 
inception  to  the  present  time,  and  which 
will  be  treasured  in  thousands  of  homes 
when  this  generation  has  passed  away  and 
the  affairs  of  a  still  greater  Atlantic  City 
are  entrusted  to  other  men  of,  let  us  be- 
lie\'e,  equal  sagacitv  and  breadth. 


(f"c 


Cbalhlev  S.  Xee&s 


HE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  well  worthy  of  a  leadership  in  the  biography  of  the 
City  bv  the  Sea,  as  the  representative  pioneer  of  her  domain.  Born  in  1824  at  a 
place  then  called  Absecon  Beach,  now  known  as  Atlantic  City,  Chalkley  S.  Leeds 
is  entirely  a  product  and  example  of  the  oldest  and  best  class  of  citizens.  Descended 
from  an  old  and  prominent  family — son  of  Jeremiah  and  Millicent  Leeds — his  early 
education  was  completed  at  his  boyhood  home,  and  the  associations  formed  have  proven 
of  sufficient  strength  to  keep  him  one  of  the  steadfast  citizens  and  ijrominent  factors  of 
Atlantic  City's  best  progress.  In  1854  Mr.  Leeds  was  appointed  the  first  Mayor  of  the 
then  infant  City,  and  at  that  time  the  entire  voting  population  numbered  about  twenty- 
five.  The  primitive  form  of  ballot  receptacle,  a  cigar  bo.x,  is  one  of  the  curious  recol- 
lections of  that  period  ;  and  another  original  condition,  not  a  sufficient  number  of  citizens 
availalile  to  occupy  the  offices  required  by  the  City's  charter,  would  doubtless  cause 
some  wonder  in  the  minds  of  the  present  age  when  the  average  office  has  candidates 
beyond  the  possibilities  of  successful  attainment.  Filling  many  positions  of  trust,  Mr. 
Leeds  has  been  for  twenty-five  consecutive  \ears  City  Treasurer,  and  further  identified 
with  man)-  enterprises  leading  to  the  advancement  of  Atlantic  City  in  the  best  and  most 
conservative  sense.  His  is  the  example  of  a  busy  and  well-spent  life,  surrounded  now 
by  the  best  evidences  of  success  and  mellowing  into  the  ripe  old  age  of  a  citizen  who 
holds  the  highest  affection  and  esteem  of  his  friends  and  neighbors,  and  in  every  sense 
deserves  the  reputation  which  comes  by  reason  of  its  just  desert,  as  a  thoroughly  honor- 
able and  representative  citizen. 


CHALKLEY  S.  LEEDS 


H)aniel  fmorrts 

^ORN  in  Ireland  in  1820,  son  of  James  and  Rebecca  Morris.  Daniel  Morris 
received  liis  early  education  at  Port  Irlington,  Queens  County,  Ireland,  and  was 
graduated  from  Carlow  College,  assuming  his  chosen  vocation  as  a  civil  engineer. 
A  belief  in  the  future  of  America  induced  the  young  soldier  of  fortune  to  seek  success  in 
the  promise  of  a  new  country,  and  to  this  type  of  pioneer  our  nation  owes  a  constantly 
increasing  debt  of  gratitude.  Loyal  to  his  adopted  country  and  with  a  determination  to 
achieve  success,  the  early  manhood  of  young  Morris  was  marked  with  a  series  of  strug- 
gles, a  condition  from  which  he  finally  carved  success,  and  in  every  sense  deserved  it. 

It  is  related  as  an  incident  in  his  early  career  in  this  country  that  he  applied  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company's  engineering  department  for  employment  in  one  of 
their  most  difficult  departments — canal  construction — where  only  the  highest  skill  and 
personal  reputation  were  the  stepping-stones  to  preferment,  and  this  candidate,  a  stranger 
and  without  reference,  offered  his  services  with  this  statement,  that  he  could  only  refer 
to  his  work,  as  he  was  without  acquaintances,  but  the  young  engineer  had  offered  to  the 
keen  judges  assembled  in  that  office,  a  challenge  which  they  immediately  accepted. 

In  1853,  Daniel  Morris  located  in  Atlantic  City,  at  a  time  when  the  present  metrop- 
olis was  but  a  small  settlement  amid  the  barren  Jersey  pines,  with  a  turbulent  ocean  lapping 
the  edges  of  a  wonderful  beach.  A  keen  judgment  as  to  future  possibilities  immediately 
convinced  the  young  engineer  that  this  apparent  desert  could  be  developed  and  Tie  deter- 
mined to  locate  there,  with  a  firm  belief  that  time  would  prove  the  wisdom  of  his  choice, 
and  during  the  following  years  he  found  most  active  employment  in  surveying  the  proposed 
town  and  gave  the  early  corporation  the  inspiration  for  the  famous  and  beautiful  thor- 
oughfares of  to-day. 

As  a  philanthropist,  Daniel  Morris  has  given  substantial  evidence  of  his  spirit  of 
benevolence,  contributing  to  many  Catholic  institutions  in  recognition  of  the  Mother 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  consistent  member,  and  probably  the  most  enduring  monument 
to  his  memory  is  found  in  the  Orphan  Asylum  now  approaching  completion  at  Hopeville, 
New  Jersey. 

The  "Morris  Guards,"  a  military  organization  of  local  fame,  was  founded  by  him 
and  bears  his  name  in  evidence  of  the  esteem  of  the  members.  As  a  holder  of  much 
Atlantic  City  real  estate,  the  city  proper  has  had  the  benefit  of  his  financial  enterprise  and 
good  business  judgment,  and  every  emergency  has  brought  forward  the  ability  of  the  keen 
raaa  of  affairs,  which  in  our  progressive  age  is  always  an  element  of  conservatism  and 
safety. 

Atlantic  City  has  many  citizens  of  merit  and  prominence,  but  the  subject  of  this 
short  sketch,  her  representative,  Daniel  Morris,  did  her  credit  from  the  many-sided  com- 
pleteness of  the  essentially  self-made  man  who,  in  the  ripening  years  of  his  busy  life, 
found  time  and  opportimity  to  deserve  the  affection  of  his  town  by  many  acts  of  quiet, 
self-respecting  benevolence  and  philanthropy. 

Col.  Daniel  Morris  died  on  the  afternoon  of  December  21st,  189S,  and  a  life  was 
ended  of  one  who  never  held  an  ignoble  passion,  of  one  who  never  wronged  a  human 
being.  In  his  life  the  ideal  business  man  was  typified.  His  hand  was  as  open  as  his 
heart.  He  lived  a  long  life,  in  which  good  deeds  were  sown  with  unstinted  hand  and  far 
reaching  arm. 


DANIEL  MORRIS 


Elias  Mricibt 

r(r\^  HE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  June  22,  1S30,  in  Durham,  Greene  County, 
v^!J  New  York,  and  is  the  son  of  Anson  P.  and  Abigail  Pierce  Wright.  His  early 
education  was  begun  at  a  country  district  school  and  was  largely  su]3i)lemented 
by  hard  study  at  home,  coupled  with  considerable  exercise  as  a  student  at  farming  on 
his  father's  farm.  As  a  young  man,  General  Wright  began  his  struggle  for  prominence 
as  a  teacher  of  a  country  school,  to  which  occupation  he  gave  three  years'  faithful  service. 
He  located  at  Atlantic  City,  New  Jersey,  in  March,  1852.  JHis  first  vocation  was  that  of 
a  school  teacher  for  several  years,  later  taking  up  the  science  of  civil  engineering  and 
surveying.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  iS'6i,  he  was  instrumental  in  raising  and 
equipping  a  company  called  the  "Home  Guards,"  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
Captain.  Promptly  after  the  Bull  Run  fight  he  took  his  company  to  Trenton,  where 
they  were  mustered  into  the  4th  New  Jersey  Regiment  of  Infantr\-,  and  General  Wright 
accepted  a  position  as  2d  Lieutenant  (the  lowest  commission  in  the  army).  After 
much  re-organization,  drilling  and  other  military  preparation,  much  of  the  duties  of 
the  soldier  was  gathered  by  these  patriotic  spirited  men.  Among  the  many  other 
duties  the  General  filled  the  office  of  Judge  Advocate  of  several  special  Courts-Martial 
during  these  stirring  times,  and  practically  working  his  way  up  from  the  lowest  ranks  as 
a  non-commissioned  officer  to  a  position  of  prominence  and  importance  in  military 
circles.  Probably  no  man  among  the  veterans  remaining  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey  has 
seen  a  more  varied  or  peculiar  career  as  an  intrepid  soldier  and  a  warm  advocate  of 
President  Lincoln's  policy.  Many  incidents  are  related  which  vividly  portray  a  strong 
decision  of  character  and  individuality  which  make  successful  men  no  matter  what  their 
vocation  may  be.  Elias  Wright's  service  during  the  rebellion  is  a  record  of  which  he 
may  be  justly  proud,  and  the  many  attestations  from  his  superior  officers  prove  the 
opinion  in  which  they  held  his  courage  and  ability.  General  Wright  entered  the  service 
as  2d  Lieutenant  of  Company  G,  4th  New  Jersey  \'olunteer  Infantry,  August  17,  1861. 
Promoted  to  ist  Lieutenant  Company  D,  January  3,  1862.  Captured  at  Gaines  Mill, 
Virginia,  June  27,  1S62,  and  imprisoned  in  Richmond,  X'irginia.     Exchanged  August  5, 


ELIAS  WRIGHT 


i862.  Wounded  at  Crampton  Pass,  Maryland,  September  14,  1S62.  Promoted  to  a 
Captaincy,  December  1S62  ;  Major,  June  1863  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel,  April  1864  ;  Colonel, 
August  1S64  ;  Brevet  Brigadier-General  U.  S.  Volunteers,  January  1S65,  and  confirmed 
by  the  Senate  at  that  time  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  during  the  war.  The 
following  enumeration  of  army  service  will  doubtless  be  of  interest : 

He  was  on  duty  near  Washington,  D.  C.  until  March  7,  1S62  ;  moved  to  the 
Peninsula,  April  4th  ;  in  action  at  West  Point,  Virginia,  May  7th  ;  Seven  Days'  battle, 
June  25th-July  ist  ;  battle  of  Gaines  Mill,  June  27th,  wliere  he  was  captured  and  impris- 
oned at  Libby  Prison  for  seven  weeks.  He  was  in  action  again  on  the  Plains  of  Manassas 
and  Bull  Run  Bridge,  August  27,  1862  ;  batde  of  Chantilly,  September  ist ;  Maryland 
Campaign,  .September  7th-2oth  ;  battle  of  Crampton's  Pa.ss,  Maryland,  September  14th, 
where  in  leading  the  advance  in  the  charge  up  the  mountain  he  was  badly  wounded. 
Battle  of  Antietam,  September  i6th-i7th  ;  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  December 
I3th-i5th  ;  Chancellorsville  Campaign,  April  2Sth-May  6th  ;  battle  of  Salem  Heights, 
May  3d-4th  ;  expedition  to  South  Mills,  December  5th-2oth,  1S63  ;  battle  with  Fitzhugh 
Lee's  Cavalry,  May  21st ;  battle  of  Chaffin's  Farm,  September  29th-3oth  ;  e.xpedition 
against  Fort  Fisher  in  December,  1864,  and  January,  1865  ;  at  the  surrender  of  Johnson's 
army  near  Durham,  North  Carolina,  April,  1865  ;  Provost-^L'lrshall  of  New  Berne,  North 
Carolina,  May  and  June  1865. 

The  brigade  having  been  ordered  to  Texas  he  resigned  and  went  home,  and  was 
immediately  taken  into  service  by  his  former  employer,  Stephen  Colwell.  General 
Wright  held  eight  commissions  in  the  volunteer  arm\-,  two  of  them  as  Captain,  and 
rising,  as  above  stated,  to  the  rank  of  Brevet  Brigader  General  of  the  L'.  S.  \'olunteers. 
Of  these  he  asked  only  for  the  rank  of  Captain. 

After  the  war  was  over  he  was  assigned  by  Mr.  Colwell  as  surveyor  and  engineer 
and  partially  as  manager  of  Mr.  Colwell's  business,  with  headquarters  at  Weymouth,  Atlan- 
tic County,  New  Jersey.  He  continued  that  work  until  1S73,  "hen  he  was  engaged  by 
Joseph  Wharton,  of  Philadelphia,  to  manage  his  estate  of  more  than  100,000  acres  of 
land  in  New  Jersey,  in  which  work  he  is  still  interested.  His  researches  of  the  titles 
extend  back  to  1720,  covering  many  owners  and  many  conditions,  with  the  result  that 
great  credit  is  due  to  the  ability  of  General   Wright.     No  other  land  owner  in   that 


region  has  ever  undertaken  such  a  tremendous  task,  in  tlie  successful  outcome  of  which 
the  General  takes  a  just  pride.  It  is  an  enduring  monument  to  his  industry  and  energy 
and  also  to  the  tenacity  of  purpose  of  Joseph  Wharton,  who  has  saved  niucli  trouble  for 
his  successors  by  clearing  up  the  titles  and  boundary  lines  in  Southern  New  Jersey. 

In  politics  the  General  is  an  uncompromising  Republican,  though  he  is  opposed  to 
voting  in  the  field  and  still  does  not  believe  that  soldiers,  either  volunteer  or  regulars, 
should  be  allowed  so  to  vote. 

General  Wright  is  a  believer  in  thorough  education,  but  has  no  superstitious  rev- 
erence for  mere  literary  culture  as  contrasted  with  ijractical  training  in  aliairs.  He 
believes  in  the  employment  of  men  and  women  equally  as  teachers,  and  yet  is  decided  in 
his  belief  that  our  public  school  system  suffers,  not  only  from  incompetent  officers,  but 
from  an  undue  proportion  of  women  teachers.  He  has  never  had  the  time  nor  the 
disposition  to  contend  for  political  preferment,  and  has,  therefore,  held  but  few  offices, 
but  he  has  had  sundry  occasions  to  look  into  the  accounts  and  doings  of  political  hench- 
men, and  he  regrets  the  knowledge  so  acquired.     He  has  no  denominational  affiliations. 


f\ 


Men.  Hllcn  ffi.  EnMcott 

LLEN  B.  EXDICOTT  was  born  in  May's  Landing,  New  Jersey,  Marcli  7th.  1857, 
and  is  the  son  Thomas  D.  and  Ann  Endicott.  On  liis  father's  side  he  is  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Governor  John  Endicott,  of  Massachusetts,  while  on  his  mother's 
side  the  famous  Pennington  family  of  New  Jersey  is  represented.  He  graduated  from 
Peddie  Institute  in  1876,  and  in  June,  1879,  from  the  Law  Department  of  the  L'niversity 
of  Pennsylvania,  receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  After  having  spent  three  years  in  the 
law  office  of  Peter  L.  \'oorhees,  Esq.,  was  admitted  to  the  New  Jersey  bar  in  18S0. 
In  June,  18S1,  he  was  married  to  Ada  H.,  daughter  of  Rev.  J.  B.  Davis,  D.D.,  of 
Hightstown,  New  Jersey. 

Mr.  Endicott  was  elected  Collector  of  Atlantic  County  in  May,  1.SS3,  and  held  that 
office  continuously  until  the  spring  of  1898,  when  he  resigned.  Has  also  held  the  office 
of  City  Solicitor  since  1887,  without  regard  to  the  political  complexion  of  the  City 
Council,  and  during  that  period  he  has  .successfully  prosecuted  many  cases  of  great 
interest  to  Atlantic  City.  The  most  important,  perhaps,  were  the  condemnation  for  the 
city  of  the  Consumers  Water  Company  and  the  Atlantic  City  Water  Works  Company, 
and  the  contest  in  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  Court  of  Errors  and  Appeals  between 
Atlantic  City  on  the  one  side  and  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroad  Company  and  the 
State  of  New  Jersey  on  the  other.  This  litigation  lasted  several  years  and  resulted  in  a 
victory  for  the  city,  whereby  the  Camden  &  Atlantic  City  Railroad  Company  was  com- 
pelled to  pay  to  the  city  the  assessment  on  $400,000  upon  the  trolley  road  on  Atlantic 
Avenue  instead  of  paying  it  to  the  State,  as  the  Company  had  preferred  to  do.  Judge 
Endicott  has  a  large  civil  practice.  Declining  all  criminal  business,  and  only  appearing 
in  the  Criminal  Court  twice  of  recent  years,  and  on  these  occasions  under  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Court  to  defend  Robert  Elder  and  John  Rech,  both  indicted  for  murder.  His 
saving  the  life  of  Robert  Rech  is  conceded  to  be  the  greatest  triumph  achieved  in  the 
Criminal  Court  of  Atlantic  County. 

Judge  Endicott  was  prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  Union  National  Bank,  and 
has  been  President  of  that  Institution  since  its  organization.  On  tlie  iSth  of  January  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Griggs,  Law  Judge  of  Atlantic  County  for  the  term  of  five 
years. 


HON.  ALLEN  B.  ENDICOTT 


noon.  Gbarles  Evans 

I  HARLES  EVANS,  son  of  Joel  and  Hannah  Evans,  Orthodox  Friends,  was  born 
in  Delaware  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1S3S,  educated  at  Westtovvn 
Friends  Boarding  School,  and  took  up  farmina:  for  a  livelihood.  In  1S67  he 
gave  up  farming  and  moved  to  Atlantic  City,  purchased  the  Seaside  House,  which,  under 
his  skillful  management,  together  with  many  improvements,  has  made  this  house  a 
fa\orite  resort  during  both  the  summer  and  winter  season. 

Mr.  Evans  is  connected  with  many  prominent  institutions  of  Atlantic  City,  having  in 
18S1  organized  the  Atlantic  City  National  Bank,  of  which  he  is  President.  This  bank 
ranks  as  the  first  in  New  Jersey,  and  twenty-fourth  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Evans  is  \'ice-President  of  the  Country  Club  of  Atlantic  City,  Hall  Com- 
missioner, one  of  the  Governors  of  the  Atlantic  City  Hospital,  a  Director  in  the  Gas  and 
Water  Company,  Vice-President  of  the  Guarantee  Savings  Loan  and  In\estment  Com- 
pany of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Evans  has  always  contributed  to  the  interests  of  Atlantic  City,  and  has  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  an  active  and  efficient  promoter  and  protector  of  the  interests 
entrusted  to  him. 


HON"  CHARLES  EVANS 


George  f.  Currie 

President  Second  Nadonal  Bank. 

President  Adantic  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust  Company. 


GEORGE  F.  CURRIE 


Xcvi  (I.  Hlbcrtson 


]Z\'l  C.  ALBERTSON.  was  born  in  Sniith's^Landing,  Atlantic  County,  New 
Jersey,  December  6th,  1844,  and  is  the  son  of  Jonathan  and^Asenath  Albertson. 
Was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Pennington 
Seminary. 

Mr.  Albertson  has  an  enviable  record  of  service  in  the  Civil  War.  He  enlisted  in 
the  U.  S.  Navv  in  1S64  and  served  on  the  L'.  S.  S.  "  Kansas,"  North  Atlantic  Squadron, 
under  Admiral  D.  D.  Porter  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  participated  in  the  attacks 
on  Fort  Fisher  in  December,  1S64  and  January,  1S65  ;  at  Dutch  Gap  on  the  James  River, 
March  and  April,  1S65  ;  served  with  land  forces  at  City  Point  in  April  of  the  same  year, 
acted  as  guard  of  prisoners  at  the  capture  of  Petersburg  and  vicinity,  and  was  dis- 
charged at  Philadelphia,  June  12th,  1865. 

Mr.  Albertson  has  been  actively  identified  in  the  Insurance  and  Real  Estate  business 
for  eleven  years  ;  was  postmaster  of  Atlantic  City  for  eighteen  years,  and  is  at  the  jiresent 
time  \'ice-President  of  the  Second  National  Bank.  He  is  actively  interested  in  social  and 
educational  organizations,  having  filled  the  offices  of  school  trustee  and  superintendent 
of  public  schools  of  Adantic  City.  Is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Dock  and  Land  Improve- 
ment Company,  having  lots  located  near  the  Inlet,  and  has  also  other  large  real  estate 
connections.  Mr.  Albertson  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Central  M.  E.  Church,  and 
is  an  ardent  and  loyal  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  one  of  Atlantic  City's  most  popular 
citizens 


LEVI  C.  ALBERTSON 


w 


Xoren30  H.  H>ovvn 

JAS  born  in  Downsville,  Gloucester  County,  New  Jersey,  October  9th,  1S39,  is 
the  son  of  Jessie  and  Catharine  Kandel  Down,  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  and  in  December,  1S86,  located  in  Atlantic  City,  having 
previously  resided  for  eleven  years  at  May's  Landing. 

Mr.  Down  has  held,  for  over  thirty  years,  positions  of  honor  and  trust,  was  for 
eleven  vears  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  also  a  Director,  of  the  Atlantic  Safe  Deposit  and 
Trust  Company,  and  at  the  present  time  is  Cashier  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of 
Atlantic  City,  is  also  identified  with  numerous  building  associations  located  on  the 
Jersev  Coast,  the  owner  of  a  handsome  residence  in  Atlantic  City,  a  block  of  stores 
in  Vineland,  New  Jersey,  and  considerable  real  estate  in  other  parts  of  Atlantic  County, 
including-  dwellings  at  May's  Landing  and  Holly  Beach,  and  several  cranberry  bogs 
and  farm  lands. 

Mr.  Down  has  received  numerous  political  honors,  and  for  the  past  twenty  years 
has  filled  various  appointments  and  positions.  He  served  as  Township  Clerk  of  Buena 
Vista  Township,  and  Ta.\  Collector  thereof  from  1S69  until  1S74,  Clerk  of  Atlantic  County 
1875  to  1SS5,  being  the  first  County  Clerk  to  secure  the  re-election,  and  from  1SS5  to  1890 
was  Deputy  County  Clerk.  When  elected  Clerk  of  Atlantic  County  he  received  all  the 
votes  in  the  township  in  which  he  resided,  excepting  three. 

Mr.  Down  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  at 
present  a  Trustee  of  the  Central  ^L  E.  Church  of  Atlantic  City. 

In  politics  he  has  been  a  staunch  and  life-long  member  of  the  Republican  Party. 


LORENZO  A.  DOWN 


"Hon.  Xcwis  Evans 

)E\VIS  EVAXS  born  in  EstelKille,  Atlantic  County,  New  Jersey,  August  I2tli, 
1S42.  Left  home  wlien  fifteen  years  of  a^e  and  settled  first  at  May's  Landing. 
Remaining  there  but  a  short  time  he  then  went  to  Camden,  and  engaged  his 
services  as  messenger  boy,  carrying  messages  between  that  city  and  Philadelphia  before 
the  cable  across  the  Delaware  had  been  laid.  In  leisure  moments  he  learned  telegraphy 
and  for  three  summers  was  sent  out  during  the  season  as  operator. 

Gaining  confidence  in  the  young  man  from  his  faithfulness  in  these  smaller  matters 
the  West  Jersey  &  Seashore  R.  R.  gave  him  the  appointment  of  station  agent  at  Atco. 
From  there  he  was  removed  to  a  larger  office  in  Hammonton,  and  later  in  1865  came  to 
this  city,  still  in  the  position  of  agent.  He  remained  in  the  railroad's  employ  until  1SS5, 
when  he  was  elected  County  Clerk  on  the  Republican  ticket,  this  compelling  liim  to 
resign  the  position  of  agent,  holding  the  Clerkship  until  1895. 

His  early  interest  in  political  affairs,  perhaps,  brought  about  the  happy  coincidence 
which  led  to  his  marriage  to  Miss  Clara  Leeds,  daughter  of  Chalkley  S.  Leeds,  the  first 
man  to  hold  position  of  Mayor  of  Atlantic  City.  .Mr.  Evans  has  a  family  of  three 
daughters  and  one  son. 

Mr.  Evans  has  held  during  his  life  in  this  city  many  offices  of  prominence  and 
trust,  being  City  Clerk  for  two  years,  many  years  in  the  Board  of  Education,  and  at  the 
organization  of  the  first  Building  and  Loan  Association  to  be  formed  in  this  place,  was 
elected  a  Director,  which  position  he  still  holds,  together  with  position  as  Director  of  the 
Second  National  Bank. 

Mr.  Evans  was  one  of  the  originators  and  incorporators  of  the  Neptune  Hose 
Company  when  organized  in  this  city  fifteen  years  ago,  and  has  been  its  President 
successively  since  that  time. 

He  is  also  a  Past  Master  of  Trinity  Lodge,  No.  79,  F.  iS:  A.  .M.,  a  Past  Grand  of 
American  Star  Lodge,  L  O.  O.  F.,  and  one  of  the  originators  of  the  .Atlantic  City  Hos- 
pital, one  of  its  Board  of  Governors,  and  its  Treasurer. 

Mr.  Evans  was  elected  State  Senator  at  the  last  election.  He  has  succeeded  in 
making  a  happy  combination  of  business  success  and  social  prominence  which  falls  to 
the  lot  (if  but  few  men. 


HON.  LEWIS  EVANS 


IHon.  Josepb  ITbompson 

/--V  I  OSEPH  THOMPSON  was  born  at  May's  Landing,  New  Jersey,  September  21st, 
\y-y3  1853.  Is  the  son  of  William  W.  and  Hester  T.  Pennington  Thompson.  He 
was  educated  in  his  native  town,  studied  law,  and  in  the  year  1S7S  was  admitted 
to  the  New  Jersey  Bar. 

In  iSSo,  Judge  Thompson  located  in  Atlantic  City,  and  since  that  date  has  been 
prominently  interested  in  the  financial  and  political  progress  of  the  City  and  County. 

In  May,  1881,  Judge  Thompson  was  elected  Collector  of  Atlantic  County,  which 
office  he  held  until  May,  1S83.  In  the  year  1882  he  was  elected  Solicitor  for  the  Board  of 
Cliosen  Freeholders  of  the  County  of  Atlantic,  being  re-elected  each  year  since  that  date. 
P'rom  April,  1S82,  to  April,  1892,  he  ably  served  Atlantic  County  as  Prosecutor  of  the 
Pleas,  at  the  expiration  of  which  term  he  was  appointed  Law  Judge  of  Atlantic  County, 
which  position  he  held  until  April,  1S98. 

Judge  Thompson's  sterling  integrity  and  marked  personality  ha\e  won  him  many 
friends  and  admirers,  and  although  representing  the  minority  party,  he  was  in  March, 
1898,  after  an  exciting  contest,  elected  Mayor  of  Atlantic  City. 

Judge  Thompson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of 
Atlantic  City,  also  the  Atlantic  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust  Co.,  and  has  been  a  director  and 
solicitor  of  both  since  their  incorporation.  He  is  also  closely  identified  witli  other 
corporations  of  Atlantic  City, 

In  March,  1898,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  managers  of  the  Slate  Hospital  for 
Insane,  at  Trenton,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Taxation. 


# 

^ 


J>'f^  '^ 


-  ■•-(*,, 


HON.  JOSEPH  THOMPSON 


f\ 


HlfreC>  fm.  "iHeston 

LFRED  M.  HESTON,  born  at  Hestonville,  Philadelphia,  April  3uth,  1S54,  is  the 
I  of  I.  Morris  and  Anna  Patton  Heston.  He  was  educated  in  Philadelphia, 
attending  both  the  common  and  high  school.  He  is  descended  from  a  family 
which  located  in  Bucks  County  (Pennsylvania)  during  the  time  of  William  Penn,  thus 
representing  the  sturdiness  and  strength  of  Quaker  people,  coupled  with  the  native 
shrewdness  which  has  made  Bucks  Count)-  famous. 

Mr.  Heston  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  18S4,  and  has  contributed  largely  to  the 
success  of  the  city  in  whose  progress  he  has  shown  great  interest.  He  is  an  active  and 
busy  man  ;  who  for  fifteen  years  edited  and  published  a  prominent  daily  pajier ;  is  fond 
of  antiquarian  and  historical  studies  ;  author  of  various  historical  papers  ;  author  and 
publisher  of  Heston's  Hand-Book  of  Atlantic  City,  and  is  at  all  times  found  at  the  head 
of  any  progressive  movement  which  is  to  the  advantage  of  his  city.  Active  political 
connections  have  resulted  in  his  filling  the  following  offices  :  was  a  clerk  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  during  the  51st  Congress  ;  elected  Comptroller  of  Atlantic  City  in 
1895  (which  office  he  still  holds);  appointed  Commissioner  of  Sinking  Fund  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  New  Jersey  in  1S96,  and  coupled  with  many  other  connections  in 
which  his  individuality  has  brought  success  and  distinction.  The  Republican  Party  has 
reason  to  take  credit  in  this  representative  of  her  best  tenets.  His  earnestness  and 
painstaking  coupled  with  ability  and  tenacity  of  purpose,  place  his  powers  of  accom- 
plishment beyond  the  ordinary. 

Mr.  Heston  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  is  actively  interested  in  the  Atlantic  City  Hos- 
pital, whose  beginning  was  entirely  due  to  his  efforts.  His  record  as  a  public  man  is 
without  blemish  or  reproach,  and  his  ability  as  a  scholar,  student  and  writer  extends  far 
beyond  the  boinidary  of  his  city  and  state.  Atlantic  City  is  fortunate  in  having  so  worthy 
a  son,  and  an  earnest  scholar  to  protect  her  best  interests. 


ALFRED  M.  HESTON 


Carlton  GoDtrcv,  Esq. 

ARLTON  GODFREY,  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha  (Carson)  t',odtrey,  was  born 
in  Cape  May  Connty,  N.  J.,  January  13th,  1865,  and  receixed  a  public  school 
education. 

Mr.  Godfrey  read  law  with  Jatnes  B.  Nixon  of  Atlantic  City,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  November,  1S89,  and  has  since  successfully  practiced  his  profession  in  Atlantic 
City.  In  1S94  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Burrows  C.  Godfrey  under  the  firm  name  of 
Godfrey  &  Godfrey. 

Mr.  Godfrey  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  held  tlie  office  of  Tax  Collector  since  1893, 
for  five  successive  terms,  and  each  successive  election  has  received  an  increased  majority. 

In  March,  1S9S,  was  elected  Cit)'  Solicitor  of  Atlantic  City,  which  position  he  still 
holds  ;  his  firm  has  represented  the  borough  of  Longport  since  its  incorporation.  He  is, 
in  addition  to  his  active  practice,  closely  identified  with  the  corporation  and  other 
business  interests  of  Atlantic  City. 

Mr.  Godfrey  is  President  of  the  Real  Estate  and  Investment  Company  of  Atlantic 
City,  and  has  been  Secretary  of  the  Mutual  Benefit  and  Loan  Association  for  ten  years, 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 


CARLTON   GODFREY,  ESQ. 


asurrows  (I.  Goitres 

I  AS  born  in  Cape  May  County,  X.  ].,  July  22d,  1S57,  is  the  son  of  Leariney  and 
Comfort  L.  Godfrey  ;  received  liis  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Cape  May, 
and  graduated  from  the  American  University,  Tenn.,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 
Mr.  Godfrey  taught  school  in  Cape  May  and  Cumberland  counties,  locating  in 
Atlantic  City  in  1890,  read  law  with  Carlton  Godfrey,  Esq.,  and  in  1894  was  admitted  to 
the  bar.  He  was  admitted  as  a  Counsellor  June  term,  1S97.  In  1894  entered  into  part- 
nership with  Carlton  Godfrey,  forming  the  firm  of  Godfrey  &  Godfrey.  He  has  success- 
fully practiced  his  profession  in  Atlantic  City  since  1S94,  always  social  and  pleasant,  being 
a  great  favorite  with  those  who  know  him. 


BURROWS  C.  GODFREY 


3ame5  B.  Soutbwlch 

y'^  I  AMES  D.  SOUTHWICK,  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna  L.  Southuick,  was  born 
\Ji  December  25th,  1S59,  at  \'incentown,  New  Jersey,  and  was  educated  in  the  pul>Hc 
schools  of  his  State. 

By  his  generous  and  judicious  management  Mr.  Southwick  has  made  "The  Shel- 
bourne"  1  of  which  he  has  been  proprietor  for  eigliteen  years )  one  of  the  foremost  hotels 
of  the  island  city,  embodying  all  the  comforts  and  entertainment  which  are  appreciated 
by  its  many  patrons. 

.Mr.  Southwick  is  prominent  in  the  management  of  the  .Atlantic  City  Hospital, 
which  institution  he  has  served  in  the  capacity  of  Governor,  has  also  acted  as  Secretary 
of  the  Country  Club  of  Atlantic  County,  President  of  City  Council,  Chairman  of  the 
County  Board  of  Elections,  and  is  a  Director  of  the  Union  National  Bank. 

In  politics  he  is  of  Republication  afifiliations,  and  has  received  honor  and  office  at 
the  hands  of  his  constituents.  He  is  prominently  known  in  religious  circles  as  a  commu- 
nicant of  the  Episcopal  Church 


JAMES  D.  SOUTHWICK 


Samuel  Mastimis  H^elles 

|AS  bom  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  the  son  of  Ehvood  and  Annie 
Kelley.  His  early  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city.  Mr.  Kelley  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  the  Spring  of  1S90,  and  became 
at  once  active  in  the  development  of  this  progressive  city.  The  portion  of  this  city 
known  as  Chelsea  owes  much  of  its  development  to  his  untiring  energy  ;  the  improve- 
ments of  the  streets  are  also  due  to  his  unceasing  advocation  in  that  direction,  apprecia- 
tion of  which  is  shown  by  many  people  who  have  erected  beautiful  cottages  along  these 
improved  thoroughfares.  Mr.  Kelley  was  elected  to  City  Council  in  1897  for  a  term  of 
three  years. 

Mr.  Kelley  is  connected  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  is  a  staunch 
Republican  in  politics,  but  one  of  whom  his  opponents  favor  with  the  criticism  "a  shrewd 
and  able  friend,  but  a  dangerous  foe." 


SAMUEL  HASTINGS  KELLEY 


m 


/IDtcbael  H.  IDerine 

ICHAEL  A.  DEX'INE  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and 
moved  early  in  life  to  Atlantic  City,  his  father  conducting  at  that  time  one  of 
the  first  dry  goods  stores  to  be  established  on  the  Island,  afterwards  engaging 
in  the  hotel  business.  Mr.  Devine  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  has  always 
resided  in  Atlantic  City.  His  first  position  in  business  was  with  the  West  Jersey  Railroad 
Company,  remaining  with  them  about  eight  years,  first  in  charge  of  the  E.xpress  Depart- 
ment, and  at  the  consolidation  of  the  West  Jersey  and  Camden  &  Atlantic  Railroads 
held  the  position  of  Chief  Clerk. 

In  1S91,  Mr.  Devine  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Ta.x  Collector  and  re-elected  in 
1892.  In  1894,  he  organized  the  real  estate,  insurance  and  law  firm  of  Devine  &  Wooton, 
whose  prominence  and  ability  has  won  for  them  many  clients  among  the  business  houses 
of  Atlantic  City. 

In  July,  1896,  Mr.  Devine  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Atlantic  City  by  President 
Cleveland,  the  Senate  confirming  the  appointment  in  1S97. 

Mr.  Devine  is  largely  interested  in  the  development  of  real  estate  in  the  city,  and 
actively  identified  with  the  Democratic  Party  in  politics.  He  is  a  true  representa- 
tive of  a  progressive  citizen,  having  many  warm  friends  and  admirers. 


MICHAEL  A.  DEVINE 


3uC>Ge  IRobert  M.  "ilugcrsoll 

Is  the  son  of  the  late  Doctor  D.  B.  Ingersoll,  a  promhient  county  physician,  and  was 
born  at  May's  Landing,  New  Jersey,  November  17th,  1S6S.  He  graduated  from 
the  county  pubHc  schools,  and  later  attended  Rutgers  College.  In  1884  he  was 
appointed  Page  of  the  Senate,  and  in  1885,  Assistant  Journal  Clerk,  which  position  he 
filled  until  the  close  of  the  session  in  1S90,  at  which  session  he  was  the  oldest  officer 
in  continuous  service  and  the  youngest  in  age. 

Judge  Ingersoll  studied  law  with  J.  E.  P.  Abbott,  Esq.,  of  May's  Landing,  and 
Judge  Endicott  of  this  city.  In  1890  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  located  in  the 
Law  Building — later,  however,  moved  to  his  present  office  at  South  Carolina  and 
Atlantic  avenues. 

He  was  Coroner  of  Atlantic  County  from  1892  to  1895,  Alderman  and  President  of 
City  Council  in  1895  and  1896,  Recorder  1S96  to  1898,  and  on  February  28th,  1S9S,  was 
appointed  Judge  of  the  District  Court  of  Atlantic  City  for  the  term  of  five  years. 

Judge  Ingersoll  is  an  attorney  of  ability  and  prominence,  has  been  identified  with 
many  progressive  movements  of  Atlantic  City,  and  his  honest  efltorts  have  w^on  for  him 
the  confidence  of  his  constituents. 


JUDGE  ROBERT  H.  INGERSOLL 


Xewis  iPenntnotoii  Scott 


JEWIS  rEXXIXGTON  SCOTT  was  born  in  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  February 

9th,  1854,  is  the  son  of  John  Hancock  and  Mary  Pennington  Scott.     He  received 

his  early  education  at  the  public  schools  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Scott  located  in  Atlantic  City  early  in  1SS8,  has  been  actively  identified  with 

the  Republican  Party  and  is  at  present  time  County  Clerk  of  Atlantic  County,  having 

been  elected  in  1895  for  a  term  of  five  years.     He  has  a  large  and  varied  interest  in  real 

estate  and  is  interested  in  the  development  of  his  adopted  city. 

Mr.  Scott  is  a  conservative,  careful  business  man  of  sound  principle  and  marked 
executive  ability. 


LEWIS  PENNINGTON  SCOTT 


immtam  IR.  3obnson 

^ORN  in  Port  Republic,  New  Jersey,  March  14th,  1S53,  and  is  the  son  of  John  W. 
and  Sara  Johnson,  a  prominent  family  of  Atlantic  County,  largely  interested  in 
the  cultivation  of  fertile  farm  land  which  has  made  the  eastern  portion  of  Atlantic 
County  famous. 

Mr.  Johnson  gained  his  early  education  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  Port  Republic,  and 
graduated  from  the  County  High  School.  He  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1875.  In  iSSo 
the  Knickerbocker  Ice  Company  absorbed  the  Norris  and  Peckert  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Johnson  was  Manager,  and  subsequently  installed  him  in  that  capacity  in  the  new 
corporation.  As  a  representative  business  man  Mr.  Johnson  stands  very  high  in  the 
estimation  of  his  business  associates,  representing  one  of  the  largest  and  most  important 
branches  of  the  famous  Knickerbocker  Ice  Company.  The  success  which  has  attended 
his  management  speaks  highly  of  his  ability  to  hold  his  Company's  business  in  face  of  all 
competition. 

Mr.  Johnson  owns  considerable  real  estate  in  Atlantic  City,  and  while  not  actively 
interested  in  politics,  has  always  been  a  staunch  adherent  of  the  Republican  Party. 


WILLIAM  N.  JOHNSON 


Col.  (Sec.  1l3.  iPerhiu? 

i:ORGE  H.  PERKINS  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  July  12,1846,  and  is 
tlie  son  of  Geo.  W.  and  Eliza  S.  Perkins  ;  attended  private  schools  until  thirteen 
years  of  age,  was  then  admitted  to  the  Parks  Street  Grammar  School,  and  later 
entered  the  High  School  in  Portland,  Maine,  and  in  November,  1S62,  he  enlisted  in  the 
army,  and  was  assigned  to  Company  H,  Sth  Maine  Volunteer  Infantry,  then  stationed  at 
Beaufort,  S.  C.  From  this  time  until  his  discharge  in  November,  1S65,  Col.  Perkins  saw 
much  actual  camijaigning,  was  present  on  a  transport  during  the  first  bombardment  of 
Ft.  Sumter,  from  then  on  taking  part  in  many  hard  fought  engagements,  and  finally 
present  at  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  at  Apponiatto.x  Court  House. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  took  up  his  residence  with  his  parents  in  Hammonton, 
N.  ].,  and  in  1874  came  to  Atlantic  City,  following  the  trade  of  carpenter  for  about  ten 
years,  after  which  he  held  various  positions  both  in  public  and  private  enterprises,  until 
his  election  in  1S92  to  the  oftice  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  by  a  succession  of 
re-elections  he  has  since  held.  He  lias  also  been  an  active  member  in  many  of  the  secret 
societies  of  Atlantic  City. 

Since  the  foregoing  memoir  was  written,  and  awaiting  pul:)lication,  Mr.  Perkins 
died  somewhat  suddenly  on  Jan.  3d,  1899,  at  2.30  A.  M.,  aged  fifty-two  years.  The  news 
of  his  death  was  recei\'ed  with  profound  sorrow  by  his  large  circle  of  friends.  His  remains 
were  laid  at  rest  in  the  Pleasantville  Cemetery  on  January  5th,  1S99,  with  the  funeral 
ceremonies  of  five  secret  orders  to  which  he  belonged. 


COL.  GEORGE  H.  PERKINS 


3obn  X.  l^oung 

|OHN  LAKE  YOUNG  was  born  on  the  25th  of  September,  1S53,  at  Absecon, 
N.  J.,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  Ann  Young.  Has  resided  in  this  city 
since  1870,  received  his  early  education  at  Absecon,  N.  ].  Mr.  Young  is  a  very 
successful  man,  and  has  always  had  a  firm  and  abiding  faith  in  the  future  of  this  city. 
He  is  a  worker  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and  has  done  much  for  the  entertainment  of 
tlie  visitors  to  Atlantic  City,  erecting  the  first  iron  pier  which  proved  of  such  great  success 
that  three  others  have  since  been  erected.     He  is  owner  of  much  real  estate. 


@j' 


JOHN  L.  YOUNG 


Gbarles  IR.  /lOviers 

I  HARLES  R.  MYERS  was  born  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  March  20th,  1859,  "s 
the  son  of  George  and   Christine   Myers.     Was  educated  in  New  Jersey,  and 
located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1S76. 
Mr.  Myers  is  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Hotel  Rudolf,  which  under  his  skilhul 
management  has  become  one  of  the  most  popular  hotels  in  Atlantic  City. 

Mr.  Myers  is  one  of  a  family  noted  for  its  progressiveness  and  interest  in  the  im- 
provements and  welfare  of  Atlantic  City. 


CHARLES  R.  MYERS 


Milliam  lENyav  Barnall,  H.  B.,  /ID.  H). 

Is  the  son  of  Henry  Thomas  and  Margaret  Pogue  Johnston  Darnall.     He  was  born  in 
Pearisburg,    Giles   County,    Virginia.      Place    of    early  education,    Durham,    North 
Carolina,  later  graduating  at  Washington  and  Lee  University,  and  at  the  University 
of  Virginia. 

Prior  to  studying  medicine.  Doctor  Darnall  served  as  private  Secretary  for  several 
years  to  Gen.  Custis  Lee,  and  in  May,  1896,  located  in  Atlantic  Cit)-.  Doctor  Darnall  is 
prominent  among  the  younger  phjsicians  of  Atlantic  City,  and  has  already  achieved  quite 
a  reputation  as  the  writer  of  several  treatises  in  connection  with  his  profession.  The 
"Fortnightly  Club,"  composed  of  many  of  the  leading  literary  people  of  Atlantic  City, 
has  had  for  its  president  Dr.  Darnall.  He  is  also  a  member  and  reporter  of  the  Atlantic 
County  Medical  Society  and  the  Academy  of  Medicine  of  Atlantic  City.  He  is  physician 
to  the  St.  Michael's  Baby  Hospital,  Visiting  Physician  to  the  Atlantic  City  Hospital,  and 
Fellow  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medicine,  also  member  of  the  Medical  Society 
of  New  Jersey. 

Doctor  Darnall  is  a  descendant  of  a  prominent  family  of  X'irginia.  He  has  genuine 
literary  taste  as  a  scholar  and  writer. 


WILLIAM  EDGAR  DARNALL,  A.  B..  M.  D. 


Vf 


Mm.  iffilair  Stewart,  /ID.  E>. 

AS  born  in  Middle  Spring,  Cumberland  Co.,  Penna.,  March  6th,  1867,  is  the  son 
of  Dr.  William  Graham  Stewart  and  Martha  Coyle  Blair  Stewart.  Received 
his  early  education  in  the  Chambersburg  Academy,  Penna. 
Dr.  Stewart  graduated  and  received  the  degrees  of  Ph.  P).  and  A.  M.,  from 
Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pa.  ;  M.  D.  and  M.  D.  Summa  cum  laude,  from  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  College  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  He  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1890,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  His  abilities  have  secured  for  him  a  large  practice  ;  he  has  also 
achieved  note  as  the  author  of  "A  .Synopsis  of  the  Practice  of  Medicine."  He  is 
Assistant  Professor  of  Pharmacology  and  the  Physiologic  Action  of  Drugs  in  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  College,  Philadelphia,  member  American  Academy  of  Medicine,  American 
Medical  Association,  Ex-President  Atlantic  County  Medical  Society,  and  President 
Atlantic  City  Academy  of  Medicine. 

Dr.  Stewart  is  a  member  and  Treasurer  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  this  city. 


WM.  BLAIR  STEWART.  M.  D. 


James  lllortb,  flO.  2).,  W.  2>.  S. 

Is  the  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Jos.  H.  North  and  Eliza  H.  Underwood,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Jos.  H.  Underwood,  of  Fayette,  Me.  He  was  born  in  West  Waterville  (now 
Oakland)  Kennebeck  Co.,  Maine,  Sept.  2d,  1855.  He  came  to  New  Jersey  in  iSsg 
with  his  father,  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Hammonton,  who  was  instrumental  in 
building  up  that  thriving  village.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  town, 
at  the  State  Normal  School  at  West  Che.ster,  Pa.,  and  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business 
College  in  Philadelphia.  He  graduated  from  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadel- 
phia, in  18S0,  and  practiced  the  profession  of  medicine  in  Hammonton  for  two  years  with 
marked  success,  giving  up  the  same  for  the  profession  of  Dentistry,  taking  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery  from  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College  in  1S83.  He  located  in 
Atlantic  City  in  the  spring  of  that  year,  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 
The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  many  of  the  fraternal  and  social  societies  of  the  city,  his 
speeches  being  models  of  beauty  and  eloquence,  and  as  an  orator  has  few  equals.  He 
enjoys  the  title  of  Poet  Laureate  of  Atlantic  County,  though  his  reputation  as  a  master 
of  v'erse  is  not  limited  by  its  boundaries.  The  Doctor  was  married  in  1SS3  to  Miss  Cora 
E.  Faunce,  and  has  two  daughters. 


J 


\ 


JAMES  NORTH,  M.  D.,  D.  D.  S. 


©i' 


2)r.  J.  jf.  Gran&all 

I  OSEPH  F.  CRANDALL  was  born  at  Honesdale,  Pennsyhaiiia,  in  1S72.  Gradu- 
ated from  the  Pennsylvania  Dental  College  at  I'liiladel]ihia,  and  located  in 
Atlantic  City  in  the  spring  of  1896. 
Doctor  Crandall  has  acquired  much  reputation  as  a  dental  specialist,  and  endeavors 
by  means  of  the  best  and  most  advanced  appliances  to  banish  that  dread  of  the  dental 
chair  experienced  more  or  less  by  all.  He  has,  by  years  of  extensive  travel  and  suc- 
cessful experience,  developed  a  proficiency  of  treatment,  which,  in  connection  with  his 
close  observance  of  sanitary  regulations,  warrants  the  highest  possible  results  in  his 
profession. 


DR.  J.  F.  CRANDALL 


S)r.  Milliam  jfrancis  SeeCts 


^ORN  in  East  Bradford,  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  November  8th,  iN52,  and 
uas  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  East  Bradford  and  at  Unionville  Academy. 
Mr.  Seeds'  early  life  was  spent  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty, 
when  he  entered  the  dental  office  of  Doctor  Jonathan  Hisey,  of  Columbiana,  Ohio, 
where  he  became  an  expert  in  extracting  teeth,  a  specialty  which  has  gained  Doctor 
Seeds  an  extensive  reputation.  Doctor  Seeds  has  had  wide  experience  in  Ohio,  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey,  and  has  achieved  among  the  profession  an  enviable  position 
as  an  adept  with  the  forceps.  At  present  he  is  associated  with  Doctor  Joseph  F.  Crandall 
in  the  Union  National  Bank  Building. 

Doctor  Seeds  has  also  been  connected  with  the  management  of  hotels  here  for 
many  years,  especially  of  later  years  with  the  hotel  "  Cedarcroft."  He  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Beach  Pirates'  Chemical  Engine  Company  ;  Secretary  of  the  Fire  Wardens' 
Association,  and  a  member  of  the  Firemen's  Relief  Association. 

In  a  quiet  and  conservative  way,  Doctor  Seeds  has  always  been  identified  as  an 
influential  Republican. 


DR.  WILLIAM  FRANCIS  SEEDS 


"Cmalter  E.  E^ge 

JALTER  E.  edge  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  November  20th, 
1S72,  and  is  the  son  of  William  Edge,  of  Downingtown,  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  educated  at  Pleasantville,  Atlantic  County,  New  Jersey,  and  graduated  from 
the  public  schools  of  Atlantic  County,  second  in  a  class  of  fifty-two,  in  1SS7.  Mr.  Edge 
moved  from  Pleasantville  to  Atlantic  City  in  1S8S,  and  served  for  four  years  on  the  staff  of 
the  "Daily  Review."  He  was  publisher  and  proprietor  of  the  "Daily  Guest"  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  the  youngest  editor  of  a  daily  newspaper  in  the  State.  After- 
wards, in  1S95,  changing  the  name  of  his  paper  to  the  Atlantic  City  "Daily  Press." 
Mr.  Edge  is  also  proprietor  of  The  Dorland  Advertising  Agency,  which  handles  much  of 
the  advertising  for  Atlantic  City  and  her  hotels. 

Mr.  Edge,  by  reason  of  his  untiring  energy  and  marked  ability,  achieved  success 
and  prominence  in  the  walks  of  journalism  at  an  early  age.  He  is  at  present  Journal 
Clerk  of  the  New  Jersey  State  Senate,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Atlantic  City  Republican 
Executive  Committee.  Mr.  Edge  is  also  a  member  of  the  "  Morris  Guards,"  having 
served  as  its  President  in  1895-6.  Is  Secretary  of  the  Country  Club  of  Adantic  City 
and  likewise  of  the  Pen  and  Pencil  Club.  He  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
a  member  of  the  Order  of  Elks  and  connected  with  the  Atlantic  City  Hospital  Association. 

\\'hen  the  war  with  Spain  commenced  Mr.  Edge  offered  his  ser\ices  and  was  com- 
missioned a  Lieutenant  in  Co.  F,  4th  New  Jersey  Volunteer  Infantry  (the  former  Morris 
Guards) — relinquishing  business  to  serve  the  nation  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war  when  he  resigned  his  commission  and  returned  to  business. 

Mr.  Edge  is  interested  in  the  development  of  Atlantic  City  and  is  the  owner  of  con- 
siderable real  estate.  He  is  prominently  identified  with  the  highest  and  best  interests  of 
the  city.  As  a  representative  citizen  of  Atlantic  City,  Mr.  Edge  is  of  the  type  which 
promises  much  for  the  future  of  this  flourishing  seaside  resort. 


WALTER  E.  EDGE 


umilliam  fmcXauGblan 

f(r\,  HE  son  uf  John  and  Jane  McLaughlan,  was  born   in  Pliiladelphia,  March  14th, 

V 1     1866.     His  father  contributed  during  life  to  the   "Ledger"  and  other  papers  in 

Philadelphia  and  New  York,  and  published  books  on  the  Slavery  question 
before  the  Civil  war. 

Wm.  McLaughlan  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  iSSS,  and  started  a  small  paper,  the 
"  Shoppers'  Guide."  In  1SS9  it  was  changed  to  "  Mercliants'  Gazette,"  and  later  to  the 
"  Sunday  Gazette,"  the  only  Sunday  paper  in  Atlantic  City.  It  is  an  influential  Repub- 
lican paper. 

In  1895  Mr.  McLaughlan  was  elected  Coroner,  and  held  office  until  1S98.  He  held 
the  inquest  in  the  great  meadow  wreck  of  1S96,  which  was  the  most  disastrous  railroad 
wreck  in  America. 

Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  is  actively  interested  in  advancing  the 
suiccess  of  the  Republican  Party,  He  is  a  member  of  the  Atlantic  City  Lodge  of  Elks,  and 
Pequod  Tribe  of  I.  O.  R.  M. 

Mr.  McLaughlan  is  a  very  successful  promoter  and  speculator.  He  built  the 
beautiful  place  known  as  Gramercy  Place,  introducing  the  idea  of  flower  beds  through  the 
centre  of  streets.  He  changed  the  waste  section  of  sand  hills  into  a  garden  spot.  He  has 
also  erected  several  fine  cottages,  and  in  many  ways  has  helped  to  beautify  the  city. 


WILLIAM  McLAUGHLAN 


m 


nnajor  lewis  TL.  JBrvant 

AJOR  LEWIS  T.  BRYANT  was  born  in  Atlantic  City,  July  26th,  1S74,  and 
belongs  to  one  of  its  honored  pioneer  families.  His  father,  the  late 
Hon.  John  L.  Bryant,  was  one  of  the  early  promoters  of.  Adantic  City,  and 
always  interested  in  the  advancement  of  the  resort.  He  was  at  one  time  Mayor  of  the 
city,  and  at  various  times  held  many  public  offices  of  trust,  and  at  the  time  of  his  decease 
represented  Atlantic  County  in  the  House  of  Assembly. 

Major  Bryant  entered  the  Pennsylvania  Military  College  at  Chester,  and  after  com- 
pleting a  full  course  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer  in  the  year  1891,  being 
the  youngest  graduate  from  that  institution  from  the  date  of  its  organization.  After 
leaving  college  he  returned  to  Atlantic  City  and  commenced  the  active  control  of  his 
hotel,  the  W'averly,  and  under  his  progressive  management  it  has  been  very  successful 
and  enjoys  the  patronage  of  a  large  and  select  list  of  patrons.  The  A\'averly  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  thoroughly  established  hotels  of  the  resort,  it  having  been  previously  con- 
ducted by  Captain  Bryant's  father,  and  later  by  his  mother. 

During  the  intervals  between  seasons  IVIajor  Bryant  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Judge  Allen  B.  Endicott,  and  was  admitted  to  active  practice  at  the  New  Jersey  bar  in 
February,  1S98. 

Major  Bryant  was  Captain  of  the  Morris  Guards,  Adantic  City's  leading  military 
and  social  organization,  for  four  years,  and  has  also  been  prominently  identified  with 
other  social  and  philanthropic  organizations. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  war  the  Morris  Guards  volunteered  their 
services  on  the  first  call,  but  were  not  accepted.  When  the  second  call  for  troops 
was  made  they  again  volunteered  and  were  among  the  first  companies  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service  from  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  Major  Bryant  then  receiving  his  com- 
mission as  Captain  of  Company  F,  Fourth  New  Jersey  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  received 
his  commission  as  Major  on  March  6,  1S99,  while  in  the  field. 


MAJOR  LEWIS  T.  BRYANT 


fvmW  a.  Smitb 

f^'jRANK  A.  SMITH  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  January  5th,  1S41.  His  father  was 
an  old  resident,  who  was  the  first  foreman  of  "  ThejPhiladelphia  Press"  in  1S63, 
and  acquired  quite  a  reputation  in  newspaper  circles. 
Frank  A.  Smith  located  at  Atlantic  City,  1870,  and  achieved  prominence  and  suc- 
cess through  his  connection  and  management  of  the  Inlet  Hotel — which  association  has 
won  him  many  friends  and  acquaintances.  He  is  identified  with  many  fraternal  orders, 
is  a  prominent  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  is  a  well-known  business  man,  whose 
success  has  been  won  by  conservative  judgment  and  fair  methods. 


FRANK  A.  SMITH 


Sobn  (5.  Sbreve 

Publisher  "Atlantic  Review. 


JOHN  G.  SHREVE 


3obn  (Boul5eg 

^-^  I  OHN  GOULUEV  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  on  ^hlrch  nth,  1S27.  Of  all  the 
\\^J  hard  workers  for  the  interest  and  welfare  of  Atlantic  City,  who  have  been  promi- 
nent for  their  unselfish  elYorts  in  the  city's  behalf,  none  is  more  worthy  of  praise  than 
Ex-Alderman  John  Gouldey.  He  came  to  Atlantic  City,  June,  1867,  and  was  elected  to 
Council  in  1869.  Previously  the  City  Council  only  held  meetings  during  the  summer  ;  he 
advocated  all-year  meetings  and  reform,  and  was  elected  on  that  ticket.  This  Council 
did  the  first  important  work,  and  on  the  measures  then  passed  depended  much  of  the 
future  of  the  now  flourishing  city.  In  1S70  he  was  one  of  the  instigators  of  the  petition  for 
a  boardwalk,  and  pressed  the  ordinance  through  Council.  The  petition  was  fought  on 
account  of  the  city  having  no  funds  for  such  purpose,  but  Mr.  Gouldey  insisted  upon 
burrowing  the  sum  needed,  and  five  thousand  dollars  was  borrowed  from  Joseph  Piersall,  a 
cottager.     Thus  again  another  step  was  taken  toward  the  city's  future. 

In  1875  he  was  again  elected  to  Council,  and  in  1S83  was  elected  Recorder  and 
Justice  of  the  Peace.  Through  him  as  Recorder  the  City  Treasury  received  its  first 
money.     He  has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  ever  since. 

Mr.  Gouldey  was  the  father  of,  and  started  the  first  secret  order  on  the  Island,  the 
American  Star  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  now  Past  Grand. 

Mr.  Gouldey  has  always  been  a  hard  and  persistent  worker  for  what  he  conceived 
to  be  the  interest  of  the  people. 


JOHN  GOULDEY 


H)an(e[  X.  aibcrtson 

^ORN  at  Smith's  Landing,  N.  J.,  July  ist,  185 1.  and  located  at  Atlantic  City,  1S92, 
where  he  became  prominently  identified  with  the  local  interests  of  this  com- 
munity. Mr.  Albertson  comes  of  a  family  noted  in  the  Republican  politics  of 
Atlantic  county  for  many  years,  and  has  personally  been  the  people's  choice  for  many  im- 
portant offices— serving  in  the  City  Election  Board  as  Township  Clerk  for  Egg  Harbor 
and  City  Clerk  of  Pleasantville,  and  more  lately  has  successfully  filled  the  duties  as  Over- 
seer of  the  Poor. 

He  is  prominently  connected  with  the  Order  of  Red  Men  and  other  social  organi- 
zations. 


DANIEL  L.  ALBERTSON 


IRobcrt  JB.  %cci'S 

,m-»,  Robert   B.  LEEDS  was  bom   at  Atlantic  City,   May  2d,  1828,  then  known  as 


Absecon  Beach,  and  is  the  son  of  Jeremiah  and  MilHcent  Leeds.     He  thus  repre- 
sents one  of  the  original  pioneers.     He  is  a  brother  of  Chalkley  S.  Leeds,  and 
has  been  identified  with  him  in  the  early  development  of  Atlantic  City. 

Mr.    Leeds   was  the  first  Trea.surer  of  Adantic   City,  and   has  been   Alderman, 
Recorder,  Tax  Collector,  together  with  numerous  other  public  appointments. 

He  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  Order,  and  is  a  prominent  man  in  other  fraternal 
and  social  organizations. 


ROBERT  B.  LEEDS 


(Bilbert  S.  Stimson 

[(i^  ILBERT  S.  STLMSOX  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  September  iSth,  1845,  and  is 
l^-^  the  son  of  Joseph  S.  and  Caroline  S.  Stimson.  He  was  educated  at  the  publie 
^"^^  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Philadelphia  High  School. 

Mr.  Stimson  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1884,  and  has  been  actively  interested  in 
and  identified  with  hotel  management,  and  was  clerk  for  the  season  of  '76  at  the  Sea  Side 
House,  and  was  later  connected  with  Garden  Hotel,  but  has  since  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia. 

Mr.  Stimson  is  a  representative  of  the  successful  hotel  men  who  have  contriljuted 
largely  to  the  comfort  and  pleasure  of  numerous  sojourners  at  the  City-by-the-Sea. 


GILBERT  S.  STIMSON 


•wauiiam  IP.  3cncs 


|ILLIAM  P.  JONES  was  born  in  Philadelphia  September  Sth,  1S42.     He  is  the 
son  of  Isaac  and  Anna  C.  Jones.      Received   his   education    in    the   Friends' 
Boarding  School,  Westtown,  Pa. 
Mr.  Jones  is  the  manager  of  the  Glaslyn  Hotel,  and  has  a  host  of  friends.     He 
has  met  with  deserved  success  since  coming  to  Atlantic  City. 


^c. 


WILLIAM  P.  JONES 


3obn  ]£.  /IDcbrcr 

/•^loHX  E.  MEHRER  was  born  in  New  York  City,  March  I2tli,  1S45.  He  was 
f  (_V/  educated  at  the  Philadelphia  High  School,  and  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1S60. 
He  is  a  thoroughly  representative,  progressive,  generous  business  man,  and  is 
identified  with  the  social,  fraternal  and  sporting  interests  of  both  Philadelphia  and 
Atlantic  City;  an  active,  enterprising  man  who  has  taken  advantage  of  shrewd  foresight 
in  the  rapid  growth  and  value  the  real  estate  of  Atlantic  City  has  made.  John  E.  Mehrer 
deserves  credit  for  his  firm  belief  in  the  future  of  this  portion  of  the  Jersey  coast.  He  has 
large  holdings  at  the  Inlet,  and  his  Pavilion  is  one  of  the  really  enjoyable  points  of 
interest  of  which  thousands  of  sight-seers  and  visitors  to  Atlantic  City  have  so  delightful 
a  recollection.  Mr.  Mehrer  is  an  enthusiastic  yachtsman,  and  has  established  a  reputation 
for  his  fast  boat  and  namesake.  One  of  the  e.xciting  events  in  the  history  of  the  summer 
City-by-the-Sea  is  the  annual  yacht  race  in  which  everybody  takes  such  keen  interest,  and 
which  so  frequently  results  in  victory  for  the  Mehrer  colors,  representing  the  "John  E. 
Mehrer,"  commanded  by  Captain  S.  P.  Gale. 

He  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  Fraternity  as  a  32d  degree  Mason,  and  is  also 
connected  with  numerous  other  organizations,  is  prominent  in  every  movement;  is  the 
owner  of  much  valuable  real  estate,  and  has  a  reputation  for  progression  in  improvements 
of  the  best  and  most  lasting  nature. 


JOHN  E.  MEHRER 


flDarry  XClootton 

((7l^  HE  son  of  Henry  and  Anne  J.  Eldridge  Wootton,  descendants  of  old  and  distin- 
v!:il  guished  families  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  Atlantic  City,  October 
30th,  1S69  ;  Mrs.  Wootton  being  a  daughter  of  Lemuel  Eldridge,  one  of  the  foun- 
ders of  the  late  publishing  firm  of  Henry  15.  Mann  &  Company,  afterwards  Barnes  & 
Company,  of  New  ^'ork  City. 

Mr.  Wootton  attended  the  public  schools  of  Atlantic  Cit\ ,  was  graduated  from  the 
Atlantic  City  High  School  in  the  class  of  1S86,  studied  law  under  the  tutorage  of  Honor- 
able Joseph  Thompson,  was  a  member  of  the  Class  of  '93  School  of  Law,  Columbia 
College,  and  later  in  1892  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  from  the  New  York  Law  School. 

Mr.  Wootton  has  resided  in  Atlantic  City  since  his  birth,  and  as  a  successful 
attorney  and  progressive  man  of  business  has  achieved  prominence  and  distinction. 
Now  on  the  side  of  life  wliere  work  is  not  the  main  innpose,  we  find  him  again  taking 
a  prominent  stand  as  in  1S93-94  he  served  as  Commodore  of  the  Corinthian  Yacht  Club, 
and  for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the  "  Morris  Guards."  He  is  also  connected 
witli  many  secret  societies,  and  is  a  member  of  the  .Atlantic  City  Country  Club, 

Coming  as  he  has  from  staunch  Republican  stock,  we  find  him  actively  interested 
in  the  success  of  his  favorite  party. 

The  Wootton  family  own  a  great  amount  of  leal  estate  in  Atlantic  City,  and  Mr. 
Wootton  devotes  much  of  his  time  to  real  estate  matters,  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Devine  &  Wootton,  who  are  prominently  known  throughout  the  State.  He  has  practised 
law  since  June,  1892,  and  has  been  identified  in  the  best  sense  with  the  progressive 
developments  of  his  native  city.  He  is  a  grandson  of  Jonah  Wootton,  Sr. ,  owner  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  hotels  of  Atlantic  City,  the  Light  House  Cottage,  which  was  afterwards 
moved  to  become  part  of  the  old  Saint  Charles  Hotel,  the  site  of  which  now  forms  part 
of  St.  Charles  Place. 


HARRY  WOOTTON 


1^ 


S.  H.  Scbwctstort 


K.  SCHW'EISFORT  was   born  in    Montgomen-  County,    Pennsylvania,    and 
located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1880. 

As  proprietor  of  the  "Little  Brighton,"  a  hotel  of  note,  restaurant  and 
buffet  ne  has  achieved  popularity  and  success.  He  is  a  thoroughly  conservati\e  business 
man,  and  with  foresight  and  consideration  for  his  patrons  has  made  for  his  house  an 
enviable  reputation. 

Mr.  Schvveisfort  has  been  connected  with  the  best  developments  of  Atlantic  City  ; 
is  interested  in  all  its  improvements,  and  is  a  man  of  many  friends. 


S.  A.  SCHWEISFORT 


3ohn  /Il^^:er5 

Philadelphia,  May  lotli,  1854,  located  at  Atlantic  City  in 
brothers  established  tlie  famous  Union  Market.  By  attention 
to  details  and  perseverance,  success  has  been  attained  and  the  firm  of  Myers 
Brothers  are  types  of  business  men  who  have  demonstrated  the  value  of  fair  dealing,  good 
judgment  and  generous  treatment  of  their  patrons. 


^^^  JOHX  MYERS,  born  in 
(G/l    1876,  and  with  his  brod 


JOHN  MYERS 


iDaniel  "M.  fiRvcr^ 

HE  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  a  f;racliiate  of  the  High 
School  of  Atlantic  City.  He  is  an  active  business  man  and  is  identified  with  his 
brothers  in  the  ownership  of  the  Union  Market.  He  is  connected  with  the  "  Morris 
Guards,"  and  is  interested  in  the  development  and  ownership  of  valuable  real  estate 
in  Atlantic  Citv,  and  is  connected  with  numerous  fraternal  and  social  associations  of  the 
island. 

Mr.  Myers  is  a  successful  business  man,  and  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  improvements  and  progress  of  his  city. 


i..\x\vin 


DANIEL  W.  MYERS 


5acob  (I.  nnvers 

NATIX'E  of  New  Jersey,  and  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Atlantic 

City.     He  is  the  son  of  George  and  Christine  Myers,  and  connected  with  his 

brothers  in  the  ownership  of  Union  Market. 

Mr.  Myers  has  large  real  estate  interests  in  Atlantic  City  and  is  a  tirm  believer  in 

the  future  developments  of  this  locality.     Is  also  prominently  identitied  with  the  Masonic 

Order  and  other  social  organizations. 


f\ 


JACOB  C.  MYERS 


■fl^avrv?  Wi.  Sbcrrich 

AkKV  \V.  SHERRICK  was  born  in  Hellffoiite,  Pennsylvania,  in  1S75,  graduated 

from  Bellefonte  Academy  and  Preparatory  School  for  State  College.     He  located 

in  Atlantic  City  May  30th,  1893. 

Mr.  Sherrick  is  prominently  connected  with  the  Morris  Guards  and  other  fraternal 

and  social  organizations.     He  was  formerly  identified  with   the  Atlantic  City  Railroad 

Company  and  is  now  cashier  of  the  United  States  Express  Company  at  Atlantic  City. 

Mr.  Sherrick  is  deservingly  popular  among  the  younger  element  of  Atlantic  City. 


HARRY  W.  SHERRICK 


IDcvoui  36.  £^^var^s 

^EX'OUX  B.  EDWARDS  was  born  in  Bridgelon,  New  Jersey,  May  13th,  1S64,  and 
received  his  early  education  from  private  tutors  and  in  the  Soutli  Jersey  Insti- 
tute. He  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1SS3,  establishing  the  well-known  "Floral 
Hall"  and  beautiful  conservatories  covering  about  eight  thousand  (8000)  square  feet, 
with  all  modern  appliances  for  the  propagation  and  grov\ing  of  plants.  Mr.  Edwards 
deserves  great  credit  by  reason  of  the  beautiful  gardens  which  every  summer,  under  his 
care,  adorn  the  lawns  in  front  of  the  "Brighton,"  "Traymore,"  "  H addon  Hall,"  "St. 
Charles,"  and  the  fronts  of  many  private  residences  and  public  squares. 

Mr.  Edwards  is  connected  fraternally  with  the  Masonic  Order,  Knights  Templars, 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Morris  Guards.  He  is  a  young  man  of  ability  and 
enterprise  and  as  a  business  representative  his  methods  are  original  and  progressive. 


DEVOUX  B.  EDWARDS 


H.  Mil&en  fiTloore 

IWILDEX  MOORE  was  born  in  Bridgeton,  New  Jersey,  in  1S67,  and  is  the  son  of 
•  George  and  Hatty  T.   Moore.     He  received   his  early  education  at   I'ridgeton  and 
graduated  from  the  high  school  at  that  place. 

Mr.  Moore  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  iSgo.  He  came  to  Atlantic  City  rich  in 
ambition,  but  poor  in  worldly  goods,  and  has  amassed  a  fortune  by  real  estate  investments 
and  other  legitimate  enterprises.  He  is  prominent  as  an  importer  in  works  of  modern 
art,  and  his  researches  extend  to  Austria,  France,  Italy,  etc.,  etc.  He  has  a  large  patron- 
age of  the  best  and  most  critical  class  of  our  citizens  coming  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Moore's  establishment  has  e.xcited  favorable  comment  from  thousands  of  visitors  to 
Atlantic  City. 

Prominent  among  his  fraternal  connections  we  name  the  Order  of  Elks  and  the  Odd 
Fellows.  Mr.  Moore  has  many  friends,  is  a  conservative,  yet  generous,  citizen,  and  gen- 
erally prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Atlantic  City. 


I.  WILDEN  MOORE 


1Rolan&  Conrow 

^ORX  in  Ciiinaiiiinson,  Burlington  County.  New  Jersey,  in  1871,  and  is  tlie  son  of 
Clayton  and  Mary  S.  Conrow.  He  received  his  education  at  a  private  school  and 
later  at  Suarthmore College,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Conrow  located  in  Atlantic  City  in 
1S96,  and  has  established  on  Atlantic  Avenue  one  of  the  most  attractive  as  well  as  suc- 
cessful high  grade  grocery  and  provision  markets  to  be  found  in  the  entire  city.  Mr. 
Conrow  is  a  thoroughly  progressive  and  able  business  rnan.  To  him  also  is  due  the 
credit  of  having  built  the  first  modern  Apartment  House  in  the  City  by  the  Sea— a 
handsome  brick  building  at  States  and  Atlantic  Avenues.  This  design  of  building  has 
since  become  very  popular  and  is  much  appreciated  as  a  departure  from  the  old  style  of 
architecture. 


ROLAND  CONROW 


]£&\vin  Smitb 

DU'IN  SMITH  was  born  in  Philadelpliia,  November  2ist,  1858,  son  of  Edwin  A. 
and  Lavinia  Russell  Smith,  and  received  his  education  from  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  city  ;  entered  active  business  life  as  a  member  of  the  firm  Edwin 
A.  Smith  &  Son,  lime,  cement,  builders'  supplies,  an  old  Philadelphia  house  established 
in  1822.  In  18S4  Mr.  Smith  located  in  Atlantic  City,  and  later  became  prominently 
identified  with  the  Morris  Guards,  serving  as  Captain  until  1891,  when  added  business 
responsibilities  compelled  his  retirement.  Conservative  in  temperament,  yet  confident 
when  conditions  warrant  progress,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  representative  type  of 
the  men  who  have  added  much  to  the  prosperity  of  Atlantic  City. 


EDWIN  SMITH 


MovvarC)  O.  Marrts,  C.  TE. 

OVVARD  G.  HARRIS,  C.  E.,  bom  in  Tuckahoe,  New  Jersey,  October  )6th,  1871, 
l^J  1  son  of  Gilbert  and  S.  Frances  Harris.  Received  his  early  education  through 
public  schools  of  Atlantic  County,  gained  a  State  Scholarship  and  paid  his 
expenses  through  college  by  outside  employment,  took  the  engineering  and  scientific 
course  and  was  graduated  from  Rutgers  College,  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey — and 
within  the  past  few  years  associated  himself  with  the  firm  of  Harris  &  Company,  com- 
bining real  estate,  civil  engineering  and  a  general  business  office.  The  success  achieved 
by  the  new  firm  is  attributed  to  fair  methods  and  systematic  business  forms. 

Mr.  Harris  believes  in  the  future  development  and  growth  of  Atlantic  City. 


HOWARD  G.  HARRIS,  C.  E. 


f©' 


jfranft  jflDib&leton 

)RANK  MIDDLETON  was  born  in  New  Britain  Township,  Bucks  Co.,  Pa., 
January  25th,  1S61,  and  is  the  son  of  Barclay  and  Emma  E.  iSIiddleton.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Montgomery  County  and  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Middleton  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1881,  but  in  1882  moved 
to  Albany  County,  N.  J.,  and  returned  to  Atlantic  City  in  iSgi  as  assistant  surveyor  with 
Gen.  Elias  Wright,  with  whom  he  is  still  connected. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H.  G.  Harris  &  Co. ,  combining  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness with  his  profession  as  surveyor.  Mr.  Middleton  ran  the  line  for  the  county  road  from 
Hammonton  to  Absecon,  and  has  completed  a  survey  for  the  completion  of  the  drive 
from  Atlantic  City  to  Longport. 


FRANK  MIDDLETON 


©liver  M.  (3utti*tC>oe 

Ll\'Ek    H.  GUTTRIDGE   was  born  in  Xotlingham,  England,    May  2d,    1842, 
attended  the   public  schools  of  Nottingham  and  graduated  from   Queenstown 
College.     Mr.    Guttridge  is  a  lineal   descendant   of   General   Snialhvood,    who 
was  especially  noted  in  the  war  of  the  French  Revolution. 

He  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  187H,  has  many  social  connections,  and  as  a  charter 
member  is  actively  identified  with  the  Order  of  Elks.  Mr.  Guttridge  conducts  a  suc- 
cessful business  as  a  general  contractor,  owns  valuable  real  estate  in  Atlantic  City  and  is 
favorably  known  as  an  enterprising,  progressive  business  man. 


OLIVER  H.  GUTTRIDGE 


f\; 


aibcrt  m.  Jordan 

LBERT  M.  JORDAN  was  born  in  Auburn,  New  York,  July  20th,  1H47,  and 
received  his  early  education  at  Independence,  Iowa,  finally  attending  Cornell 
College,  Mount  \'ernon,  Iowa,  but  owing  to  the  death  of  his  father  (then  doing 
active  service  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion)  he  was  prevented  from  graduating  as  a 
Mechanical  and  Civil  Engineer. 

Mr.  Jordan  upon  leaving  college  became  identified  with  tlie  printing  business  in 
Philadelphia,  but  not  being  satisfied  with  the  results,  migrated  west,  and  located  in 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  becoming  identified  for  several  years  as  part  owner  in  the  "Dubuque  Daily 
Times."  Later,  in  1883,  Mr.  Jordan  came  east  and  located  in  Atlantic  City,  and  shortly 
afterwards  secured  from  Council  an  C^rdinance  for  a  Sewerage  Company,  and  helped  to 
construct  the  plant.  He  was  .Superintendent  from  the  time  of  its  inception  until  1S97, 
when  he  was  elected  President  and  General  Manager,  which  position  he  now  fills. 

Mr.  Jordan  is  largely  interested  in  the  Robinson  Land  Company,  has  long  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  Part\-  and  is  a  thoroughly  representative  business  man  of 
Atlantic  City. 


ALBERT  M.  JORDAN 


(I.  0.  3obuson 

G.  JOHNSON  was  bom  in  Absecon,  New  Jersey,  March  27,  1S72,  and  is  the 
son  of  C.  P.  and  Silvia  Johnson.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native   town  and  in   Atlantic  City,  locating  at  the  latter  place 

about  1892. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  successful  wholesale  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  white  lead  and 

painters'  supplies,  having  a  large  factory  at  Pleasantville,  N.  J.     He  is  also  connected 

with  fraternal  and  social  organizations  of  the  city,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Reserve  Hook 

and  Ladder  Company. 


C.  G.  JOHNSON 


1 


|AS  born  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  the  son  of  €aim»«l  Eldridge, 
one  of  the  pioneer  cottagers  of  Atlantic  City,  who  was  favorably  known  and 
highly  honored  as  an  old  sojourner.  Mr.  Eldridge  located  in  Atlantic  City  in 
1S57  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  early  became  identified  with  the  Police 
Department  and  secured  an  appointment  as  a  Patrolman,  finally  working  his  way  up  to 
Chief-of-Police,  which  appointment  he  still  retains. 

Chief  Eldridge  is  noted  for  courage  and  quiet  manliness.  He  has  probably  made 
some  of  the  most  e.xciting  history  of  the  city,  but  disclaims  all  unnecessary  publicity  or 
credit  and  quietly  goes  on  his  path  of  duty. 

Chief  Eldridge  is  a  staunch  Republican  in  politics  and  in  a  modest  way  has  acc|uired 
prominence  in  real  estate  and  other  interests. 


WILLIAM    M      POLLARD.    PRESIDENT  RAYMOND    P.    READ.    SECRETARY 

CHARLES    B     BOYFR.    VICE-PRESIDENT  -JOHN    F.    TURNER,   TREASURER 


THE    MUTUAL    BUILDING    AND    LOAN    ASSOCIATION 

lOO    GUARANTEE    TRUST     BUILDING 
ATLANTIC    CITY,     N.     J. 

November  19,  19£3. 


Mr.  A.  H.  Phillips, 
Phila.  Pa. 

My  dear  Mr.  Phillips: - 

This  is  to  advise  you  that 

Chief  iildredge's  father's  name  was  Lemuel. 


YouxB  .,rj   truly. /^(  /M  \^^,_^^l^^^^^^ 


HENRY  C.  ELDRIDGE 


IBenjamin  Mtlliamson 

^EXJAMIN  WILLIAMSON'  was  born  in  ("rlassboro,  New  Jersey,  May  6th,  185S. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Atlantic  City  and  Philadelphia,  and 
resided  in  Atlantic  City  for  thirty-eight  years.  He  was  identified  with  the  Fire 
Department  for  twenty  years  and  was  elected  its  Chief  on  January  i8th,  1S97.  Mr. 
Williamson  contracted  pneumonia  while  attending  to  his  duties,  at  the  fire  of  the  Currie 
Hardware  Co.,  Christmas  Eve,  1897,  and  died  on  January  loth,  189S,  closing  a  busy  and 
active  life,  but  the  memory  of  his  many  sterling  qualities  and  attainments  has  endeared 
him  to  his  friends.  He  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  development  and  success  of 
the  Fire  Department  of  Atlantic  City,  and  largely  through  his  efforts  the  reputation  of 
Atlantic  City's  Fire  Department  has  reached  fame  antl  distinction. 


BENJAMIN  WILLIAMSON 


Cbarles  fill.  Spci!?el 

HARLES  M.  SPEIDEL  was  born  in  Sclioeneich,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  March 
5th,   1S62,  at  the  old  homestead  or  family  seat  of  the  Speidel  Muehle,  who  for 
generations  have  been  noted  millers.     He  is  the  son  of  J.  G.  and  Kate  Speidel, 
and  received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Germany. 

Mr.  Speidel  located  in  Atlantic  City  February  17th,  1890,  and  is  proprietor  and 
owner  of  Hotel  "Speidel,"  located  on  Atlantic  Avenue,  and  is  identified  with  the  Masonic 
organizations  and  is  a  member  of  the  Atlantic  City  Fire  Co.,  No.  2,  of  which  company  he 
has  been  elected  for  the  third  time  as  Trustee,  and  in  1S94  as  Foreman  of  the  Company, 
and  for  his  unremitting  energies  for  past  years,  was  elected  by  the  entire  Atlantic  City 
Fire  Department  in  1S97,  as  one  of  their  superior  officers. 


CHARLES  M    SPEIDEL 


3o\m  iDonnell? 

/''-^  loHX  DONNELLY  was  born  in  Philadelphia  May  14th,  1848,  and  is  Ihe  son  of 
(Q/l  Doniinick  and  Catherine  Donnelly.  He  was  educated  in  Philadelphia,  and  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Philadelphia  High  School. 

Mr.  Donnelly  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1890,  and  is  actively  interested  in  the 
development  of  real  estate  and  interests  which  mean  the  betterment  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Donnelly  is  agent  for  the  Philadelphia  Brewing  Company,  and  has  been  suc- 
cessful in  every  sense.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Knights,  Order  of  Red  Men, 
Elks  and  City-by-the-Sea  Society,  has  many  friends,  is  conservative  but  loyal  to  the  best 
interests  of  his  adopted  city. 


JOHN  DONNELLY 


Samuel  M.  finoore 

^L  AMl'EL  \V.  MOORE  was  born  in  Bridgeton,  New  Jersey,  June  12th,  1S70,  and 
(C))  is  the  son  of  George  \V.  and  Hettie  T.  Moore.  He  attended  school  at  Bridgeton, 
—       and  graduated  from  the  \\'est  Jersey  Academy. 

Mr.  Moore  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1890,  engaging  in  the  real  estate  business,  of 
which  he  made  a  great  success.  He  later  went  into  the  hotel  business,  and  is  now  pro- 
prietor of  the  Waldorf-Astoria,  a  new  hotel  just  completed  on  the  beach.  This  modern 
hotel  is  the  result  of  his  untiring  energies,  and  is  proof  of  liis  knowledge  of  the  hotel 
business. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  American  Revolutionary  Society,  his  great-grand- 
father having  been  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Mr.  Moore  is  largely  interested  in  real  estate  personally,  and  is  prominent  in  social 
circles,  having  an  e.xtensi\e  acquaintance  and  many  friends. 


SAMUEL  W.  MOORE 


\f 


Jacob  nnueller 

|AS  born  at  Elsas,  Germany,  in  iS6i,  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
country  for  ten  years,  and  came  to  tliis  country  in  187S.     He  resided  in  Mont- 
gomery Co.,   Pa.,  for  si.x  years;  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  three  years;  moving  to 
Atlantic  City  in  1SS7. 

He  is  prominendy  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  the  Golden  Eagle, 
Red  Men,  Elks,  Volunteer  Fire  Department,  and  is  an  honorary  member  of  tlie  Pen  and 
Pencil  Club;  also,  is  an  active  member  of  the  Turn  Yerein  and  the  Mannerchor. 

Mr.  Mueller  is  a  progressive  hotel  keeper  of  Atlantic  City,  and  has  achieved  a 
reputation  for  the  management  of  his  house  and  careful  consideration  of  his  guests  and 
patrons. 


JACOB  MUELLER 


Qlxvcv  /ll^crcbant 

f(rt   HE   subject  of  this  sketch   was   born   in   Devonshire.  Ens^land,  in  1S54.  and  was 

V 1     educated  in  a  private  scliool  in  his  native  town. 

Mr.  Merchant  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1894,  and  has  established  and 
successfully  conducted  the  famous  Merchant's  Cafe  and  Restaurant,  which  has  achieved 
quite  a  reputation  in  Atlantic  City.  He  has  had  a  wide  and  varied  experience  in  the  care 
of  his  patrons,  and  he  was  for  many  years  steward  on  the  famous  vessels  of  the  White 
Star  Line  plying  between  New  York  and  Liverpool.  He  also  successfully  managed  the 
"  Iroquois  House,"  a  famous  mountain  resort  on  the  Belveil  mountains.  St.  Hiliare, 
Province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  and  superintended  the  building  and  equipping  of  the  St. 
George  Club,  Sherbrooke,  Quebec,  Canada,  which  institution  he  successfully  managed 
for  upwards  of  three  years  and  left  it  one  of  the  most  successful  institutions  of  its  kind  in 
Canada. 

He  is  actively  interested  in  many  of  the  fraternal  associations,  prominent  of  wliicli 
may  be  mentioned  the  ^L-^sonic  (jrder.  Elks,  Odd  Fellows,  Ancient  Order  L'nited  Work- 
men, Sons  of  St.  George  and  Red  Men.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  management  of  the 
Atlantic  City  Hospital. 

Mr.  Merchant  feels  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  city. 


OLIVER  MERCHANT 


Samuel  IP.  Onlc 

^AML'EL  P.  GALE  was  born  in  Tiickerton,  New  Jersey,  August  24th,  1855,  and 
beins  the  son  of  an  old  sailor,  in  early  life  developed  for  himself  a  fondness  for 
"old  ocean."  He  located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1S59,  where  he  received  his  early 
education. 

Probably  no  man  in  Atlantic  City  is  better  known  than  Captain  Gale — tislierman, 
sailor,  man  of  affairs.  He  has  friends  innumerable.  As  skipper  of  the  new  champion 
yacht  "John  E.  Mehrer  Second,"  Captain  Gale  has  won  renown.  The  John  E.  Mehrer 
Second  was  designed  and  sailed  by  Mr.  Gale  and  his  brother,  and  won  the  championship 
in  the  match  race  against  the  St.  Charles. 

He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Order  of  Elks,  and  is  actively  known  among  the 
yachtsmen  of  the  Jersey  Coast. 


i 


SAMUEL  P.  GALE 


Xcwis  IR.  a5am6 

j/r^  iKWIS  R.  ADAMS  was  l:iii-n  in  Atlantic  City,  January  loth,  iSSa,  and  is  tlie  son 
I  V»X   of  Alfred  and  Clara  Adams.     He  received  his  early  education  at  the  I'enn  Avenue 
School  House,  Atlantic  City.     He  learned  the  trade  of  bricklayer  and  plasterer, 
and  worked  on  most  of  the  important  buildings  of  this  city. 

Mr.  Adams  was  the  first  Building  Inspector  elected  by  the  Atlantic  City  Council, 
holding  the  office  for  some  years.     He  made  a  good  and  very  popular  city  official. 

Mr.  Adams  has  been  in  the  bath  business  for  nine  years,  is  Republican  and  was  for 
four  successive  years  Chairman  of  the  City  E.\ecuti\e  Committee. 


LEWIS  R.  ADAMS 


\(^II, 1,1AM    G.    G 


Milliam  G.  Oencrot^f^v? 

GEXERDTZKV  was  Ixirn  in  Biekteld,  Westphalia,  Prussia, 
<ust  2Sth,  1S52,  and  is  the  sun  of  Henrich  G.  and  Dorothea 
Generotzk\-.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  country, 
located  in  Atlantic  City  in  1881,  and  in  1S91  established  himself  in  the  business  of  baker, 
in  which  Mr.  Generotzky  has  had  a  prominent  and  successful  career. 

He  is  connected  with  most  of  the  lodges  in  Atlantic  City  in  a  fraternal  and  social 
sense.  Possessed  of  quiet  determination  and  considerable  business  abilit\-,  he  lias,  li\ 
hard  work  and  |ierse\erance.  reached  his  present  successful  position. 


WILLIAM  G.  GENEROTZKY 


TimUliam  3f.  Mabl 

JILLIAM  F.  WAHL  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  December  lotli,  1S53, 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  and  located  in  Atlantic  City  in 
1872. 

Mr.  Wahl  has  been  for  over  twenty-five  years  one  of  Atlantic  City's  most  successful 
merchants,  having  probably  the  best  representative  store  on  the  Jersey  coast. 

Mr.  Wahl  is  the  owner  of  much  real  estate  and  is  actively  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Atlantic  City.  He  has  built  and  occupies  a  residence  noted  for  its  good  taste  and 
quiet  beauty. 


WILLIAM  F.  WAHL 


James  IDalcv 

^ORX  in  lialtimore,  Md.,  July  19,  1S35,  and  located  at  Atlantic 
Citv  in  i8S5.  iMr.  Daley  became  identified  with  the  commer- 
cial interests  of  his  town,  and  established  himself  prominently 
in  the  manufacture  of  cigars  and  smokers'  articles,  and  his  store  is 
thoroughly  representative  of  the  best  class.  Active  socially,  but  of 
conservative  habit,  and  thoroughly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his 
adopted  city,  he  is,  in  every  sense,  a  self-made  man. 


JAMES  DALEY 


TRew  3.  3.  ffcMgan,  O.  S.  H. 

Yx^AMOl'S  in  the  history  of  Atlantic  City  by  reason  of  his  fidelity 
I  >— ^  to  liis  parish,  and  the  rare  good  humor  and  racy  uit  which 
marked  his  intercourse  with  the  events  of  the  past  years. 
Higher  honors  have  called  him  from  his  old  field,  but  his  memory 
will  ever  be  endeared  to  the  people  of  Atlantic  City  as  a  scholar  and 
man  of  rare  integrity. 


REV.  /.  J.  FEDIGAN,  O.  S.  A. 


EC>\varC»  S.  Xee 

Is  a  well-known  business  man  of  Atlantic  City  whose  interests  have 
aided  the  development  of  many  improvements.     Mr.  Lee  has  h:;en 
in  close  touch  with  the  political  srowth  of  his  city  and  has  served 
in  several  official  connections. 


EDWARD  S.  LEE 


lion.  if.  IP.  StoY> 


X-MAVOR  c:f  Atlantic  Cit\-,  and  promineiitly  connected  with 
many  social  and  iiolitical  organizations  of  his  coninuinity. 


HON.  F.  P,  STOY 


Gcorcic  C.  jfclhcr 


DCATED  at  Atlantic  City  in  1SS5  and  estal)lislifd  a  noted 
deciirative  and  designing  luuise  in  liis  adiii>led  city.  Mr. 
Felker  is  a  carefnl  and  industrimis  business  man  and  uortln 


GEORGE  C.  FELKER 


P' 


XTbomas  fli.  1Ree^,  /ID.  ID. 

\'SICIAN,  author  and  scientist.     One  of  the  most  prominent 
in  the  medical  fraternity  of  Atlantic  Count)-. 


THOMAS  K.  REED.  M.  D. 


XTbomas  3.  H>ichinson 

|NIC  of  tlii_-  pioniineiit  merchants  of  Atlantic  Avenue,  noted 
for  fair  dealin.a;  and  liberal  treatment.  Interested  in  every- 
thing of  real  value  in  the  promotion  of  Atlantic  City's  real 
liiogiess,  yet  always  safe  through  conservative  judgment  of  tlie  best 
and  most  prudent  course. 


THOMAS  J.  DICKINSON 


lEmerv  2>.  Prolan 

E^KoMINKNT  otticially  in  the  affairs  of  Atlantic  City,  lie  lias 
Y^^  tilleil   many   important  oftices,  and  has  a  large  circle  of  ac- 
(luaintances.     One  of  the  representative  yonnj^er  men  of  his 
community. 


'M^ 


EMERY  D.  IRELAN 


H.  0.  a^am5 

XK  uf   Atlantic  City's  prominent  real  estate  operators  who 
has  been  identified  with  the  tjrowth  of  his  city. 


S.  B.  IROSC 

I  HE  subject  of   this  sketch  is  ]iroiiiiut-nlly  identified  with  the 
commercial  interests  of  Atlantic  City  and  lias  been  successful 
field.     Mr.    Rose   represents  progress  and  a  practical 
knowledge  of  affairs. 


^" 


p 


3.  3.  IRocbforS 

lOR.MERLV  of  a  famous  sanitarium  located  in  Atlantic  City 
and  more  lately  identified  with  numerous  mechanical  and 
intUistrial  inventions. 


J.  J.  ROCHFORD 


Hbomas  Ik.  "Milson 

I  HE  subject  of  tliis  sketch  is  a  conservative  business  man  of 
Atlantic  City,  and  has  been  identified  with  many  of  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  his  locality,  prominent  of  which  is  the 
distributing  of  the  dairy  products  of  Atlantic  County.  Mr.  Wilson 
has  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  is  connected  with  sc\eral  social 
aftiliations. 


(f^. 


-X 


THOMAS  K.  WILSON 


^ 


Samuel  Barton 

PROMINEXT  citizen  of  Atlantic  City  who  has  been  con- 
nected with  many  improxenients  and  permanent  interests  of 
his  localitv. 


M 


SAMUEL  BARTON 


(Scorcic  1I3.  loiiii 


^3\HE  subject  ol    this  sketch   is  a  deservedly  iiopiilar  biisin 

V^^;x^    man,  <uul   has  established  a   \alued  and   important  persn 

cniinection  with  tlie  local  interests  of  Atlantic  Cit\  . 


i' 


GEORGE  H.  LONG 


1l3.  G.  JBancv? 

ROMINICXT  ill  local  affairs  and  nirtfd  for  his  social  and 
fraternal  connections,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  pro- 
gressi\e  representative  of  Atlantic  City. 


H.  C.  BANEY 


Zhco.  Ovoss 

Is  a  popular  business  man  of  prominent  social  connections,  noted 
for  his  genial   disposition.      Mr.   Gross  has  been  identified  with 
the  many  impro\-ements  of  Atlantic  City  and  li.is  a  large  circle 
f  aciiuaintances. 


THEO.  GROSS 


C.  ©arrabrant,  fm.  ID. 


(f^S     I'kOMIXF.XT    and   siicxessful    |iliysici,ui    of    AUantic   City, 
tV  1    vvliuse    aliilit\     has    |;lac^-d    hill    in    the    front    ranks    of    liis 
profession,   and   uho   lias  a  strong    interest  in  the  welfare  of 
his  localitw 


C.  GARRABRANT.  M.  D. 


S.  (I.  Savior 

C.  TAYLOR  is  a  promiijent  gentleman,  largely  interested 
in  the  business  prosperity  of  Atlantic  City  and  the  many 
architectural  improvements  connected  with  the  phenomenal 

growth  of  his  locality.      Mr.  Taylor  is  successful  and  affable,  and  has 

a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 


S- 


S.  C.  TAYLOR 


w 


Garl  Doelher 

|AS  born  in  Neiderbraun,  Alsace,  Germany,  May  20th,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of 
Christian  and  Magdalene  Voelker.  He  received  his  education  in  Germany  and 
later  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  having  moved  with  his  parents  to  the  latter  place  before 
the  German-Franco  war. 

He  moved  to  Egg  Harbor  City  after  the  Philadelphia  Centennial,  and  later,  in  1SS2, 
formed  a  connection  with  "The  Times"  of  Atlantic  City  as  journalist,  locating  perma- 
nently in  the  latter  place  in  1S82.  Following  his  chosen  profession  he  became  editor  of 
the  "Atlantic  City  Frie  Press,"  which,  under  his  able  management  since  iSgi,  lias  become 
an  influential  paper  among  the  German-American  element. 

Mr.  \'oelker  is  a  prominent  and  influential  member  of  the  Democratic  Party  ;  is  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  County  E.xecutive  Committee  ;  ex-member  of  the  Board  of 
Education,  on  which  board  he  served  eight  years,  four  of  which  as  Secretar\-. 

Mr.  \'oelker  has  been  connected  with  .SchaufHer's  Hotel  more  or  less  since  1S80  as 
chief  clerk,  and  in  1S97,  when  the  city  purchased  the  property  for  a  City  Hall  site,  he 
was  proprietor. 

He, was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  A.  C.  Maennerchor  and  the  A.  C.  Turnverein, 
and  generally  recognized  as  a  factor  among  the  German-American  element  in  city  and 
county. 

-Mr.  Carl  Wielker  is  also  local  as;ent  for  the  North  German  Llovd  Steamship  Co. 


5.  C.  Smitb 

S  lUJted  for  carefLiI  and  conservative  business  judgment,  and  dining 
tlie  past  years  has  had  a  large  commercial  interest  in  the  wholesale 
produce  trade  of  Atlantic  Citv. 


•fl^crbert  mcGann 

I  HE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  prominently  identified  with  the 
famous  Boardwalk  interests  of  Atlantic  City,   and  a  pioneer 
the  ocean   pier  construction,  which  has  added   so  much 
pleasure  to  thousands  of  visitors  of  the  past  years. 


^' 


muiiam  H.  JBcll 

|n.LIAM   A.   BELL  is  a  memlier  ol  a  progressive    firm    of 
enterprising  mercliants   located  on   Atlantic  avenue,   who 
have  been  largely  identified  with  the  commercial  interests 
ot  Atlantic  Citv. 


\f 


3robn  %.  Gorman 

|OHN  L.  GORMAN  is  associated  witli  his  partner,  William 
A.  Bell,  and  their  film   is  deservedly   popular,  representing 
a  large  and    constantly   increasing   business  in  their  general 
department  store. 


©J 


JfranI;  B.  Sourer 

i!^)RA\K   A.   SOL-DER   is  a  successhil   Iniilder  and  has  lar-e 
I  >-^  property  interests  in  Atlantic  Citj-.     He  lias  risen  to  a  prom- 
nient  position  in  his  profession,  and  has  been  interested  in 
e\  ery  large  operation  throughout  this  community. 


m.  Maltou 

.t>\\Rc  ).M1XI-:XTLY  connected  with  the  commercial  interests  of 
t^^  Atlantic  City,  and  has  the  gratification  of  achieving  merited 
snccess  as  the  representative  of  the  famous  Abbott  Dairies, 
known  throughout  Atlantic  County  for  their  cream  products.  Mr. 
Walton  is  a  self-made  man,  of  genial  temperament,  and  has  a  large 
social  and  business  acquaintance  throughout  his  community. 


^SSM 


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