(MARI)TIME WARP! 1893: JERSEY SHORE IN AUGUST DAYS

Welcome to Toms River Seaport Society’s (Mari)Time-Warp, taking our supporters back through the nautical history of the Barnegat Bay and Toms River watershed areas!

This time we reprint a newsy trip down the shore areas of Ocean County in August 1893, courtesy the Philadelphia Inquirer and Newspapers.com.

Special Correspondence of The Inquirer.

Point Pleasant, N.J., Aug. 26.--August is proving itself to be a banner month at this resort, and it is far surpassing July, as July exceeded the season of last year. It is hardly to be wondered that the resort is a popular one. With a beautiful, smooth, hard, level sand beach and bathing that is nowhere surpassed, one side of the town reaching to the high bluffs that form the banks of the Manasquan River and lined with costly villas and handsome cottages, the other stretching down toward the north end of the far-famed Barnegat Bay, whose waters are thus easily accessible, the ground high and rolling, with a perfect natural surface drainage, and in the unbuilt portions back from the beach, covered with fine timber that makes rambling through the woods as much a delight as strolling along the shore.

Monday evening a delightful concert was given at the Edgewater under the direction of Miss Carry West Murphy and Mrs. Charles H. Marcy, for the benefit of the orphans of St. Vincent's Retreat.

A full-dress ball will take place at the Resort Home to-night, which promises to be a social success.

Special Correspondence of The Inquirer.

Island Heights, N.J., Aug. 26.--The heavy northeast storm that raged Wednesday night created much havoc here. Yachts were torn from their moorings and washed ashore with great holes stove in them, while many others were sunk in midstream. Thursday morning the water was up level with the railroad bridge and washing clear over the boardwalk nearly its entire length. It was the most severe blow experienced here for years.

Charles K. Wood, a young man wll known in Philadelphia and Island Heights society, is making quite a reputation as a water color artist. Though he has practically only been pursuing the art for less than a year, yet he is already finding a constant sale for his paintings. His style is rather broad and free, with fair coloring, and tastes usually inclined towards marines or partial water subjects. Among recent purchasers have been the Hon. Walter Phelps, ex-Minister to Germany; Miss Ellen M. Hutchinson, Mr. Edwin S. Megargee and Mr. Nathaniel H. Bishop, the well-known canoeist and author from Lake George, N.Y.

George Bacon and his wife from Chicago are being entertained at Arbutus Lodge.

The social function of the week, which was attended by all the elite of the Heights, was the concert Monday afternoon, given by the Rutgers Quartet at the handsome river front residence of Mrs. Robert Shoemaker for the benefit of Christ Episcopal Church.

Miss Helen S. Marshall, a vivacious and accomplished young lady who graces the inner circle of Trenton society, is being entertained at the cottage of Alfred Wood.
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Miss Clyde, sister of William P. Clyde, of the Clyde Steamship Company, is the guest of Mrs. F.F. Milne.

Special Correspondence of The Inquirer.

Forked River, N.J., Aug. 26.--Weakfish are biting well, and the sportsmen are largely turning their attention in that direction. There are still many bluefish and sea bass caught outside, however, and the supply seems never to diminish.

Snipe shooting along the meadows and on the beaches forms a favorite sport now, and the gunner is almost certain of a fine time of yellow legs, curlew, plover, butterballs, etc. Consequently the beach is dotted now and again with blinds and the decoy snipe have taken their stand in the sand. One of the favorite shooting places is the North Point of the beach, just opposite here, a wild stretch with nothing but two life-saving stations to break its tailed of loneliness.

S.M. Saunders is a New York wire broker and member of the "Old Guards," who is stopping at the Riverside House.

C. Marchauser, a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., legal light, is a guest at the Parker House.

​Special Correspondence of The Inquirer.

Waretown, N.J., Aug. 26.--With bluefish and weakfish biting plentifully Waretown is sure never to lack for visitors. And that is the situation at present. Weakfish are taking the hook voraciously in the bay right off our docks. Indeed, one day this week a party in one boat brought in over a hundred fine weakfish without going more than five hundred yards away from the Bay View House piazza.
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Bluefish and seabass are also in large quanitites and bite very freely. Flounder fishing is also at its best, and some sheepshead to reward the more patient of the anglers.

Many of the summer visitors here are of the Universalist faith and have been enjoying the campmeeting held at Murray Grove, Good Luck, at the spot where the first Universalist sermon in America was preached. As this campmeeting is but a few miles north of here it is easily accessible to our visitors, who drive up in large numbers.

​Special Correspondence of The Inquirer.

Barnegat, N.J., Aug. 26.--The week just passed has been one of both pleasure and benefit, notwithstanding the August storm that raged on Wednesday night, and which gave our summer visitors  an idea of what the shore is like during the wild and stormy wintry weather.  On the pleasant days fishing has been fine, and the many sportsmen who make this place their headquarters have had excellent luck. Boats have come in well laden with weak and bluefish, striped bass, flounders and the like. One gentleman, Mr. Shaw, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., who is stopping at the Clarence House, made the excellent catch of 26 fine striped bass, some of which weighed over six pounds.
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Professor R.B. Adams, of Philadelphia, gave a stereopticon exhibition here last week.

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