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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1906)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 2, 1906. 41 I H ,x'- ' -'' ".tJ-.'s'B 1 "ISI . 1. II I II ' xtvW L4V- - - iHA lD ' B 9 - Some of the Scenic Beauties of a Favored Stretch of Oregon Coasi IF? - . T9 the weary from long 'Winter toil bo; place more ideal (or pure rest . and recreation can be found on our Paelfic Opast than Newport, a. quaint old OreSon town and haunt of ye picturesque flhermanVjclass. First seen by its Sum mer visitors from the main shore or , south side of Yaquina Bay, the little town ' seems in danger of sliding off its hillside into the bay!; It Is built on a steep slope which rises directly out of the sparkling blue waters that almost reach the main street at high tide. The town lies In a westerly line from Corvallis, Benton County, Or. About 30 years ago Newport was seized with a great boom. Property-holders saw vis ions of wealth from their holdings and dreamed dreams of the millions that one day would be theirs. Mr. J. R. Bailey bought the Grand Pacific Hotel, a beau tiful and very commodious structure over looking the bay, for a private residence. With the Bay of Yamuna for a harbor, these interested reasoned that Newport would one day become a second San Fran- cisco. But the bubble burst, as they will do. for the harbor was not good enough to meet these expectations, and Newport is today what it is especially adapted for, an ideal Summer resort. For a brief sea son, then, in the luminous Summer days, it wakens from its Winter's quiet above the sleeping waters and the place Is a bright scene of life and gaiety with its eager Summer throng, pleasure bound. But the boom was not without good re sults, for the people of our prosperous Valley towns began buying Summer homes near Newport. Gradually little cottages sprang up on Nye Creek, a mile over the rugged bluff, which separates Newport from the ocean. Now the Nye "reek settlement has some 300 attractive Slimmer homes, many being luxurious in their appointments. That of C. B. Moores, of Salem, is pointed to with pride as , a leading type of Summer cottages. They cluster thickly about tfte charming little vale bordering on the creek, then strag gle semi-detached, over the hill to New port. . Close about the little settlement creeps the sea fog in early morning, soon dis persed by the gladsome sunlight which beams cheerily the long Summer days. For the weather Is golden most of the time, so seldom lapsing into bad behavior that we can call it always perfect with out exaggeration of the" facts. Newport, proper, has a most pictur esque aspect when viewed from the deck of the tug which transports her pros pective visitors across the bay. Her one main street occupies the only level ground and on this thoroughfare stand the three Summer hotels, quaint and old, corres ponding with the little town. Directly back the old weather-beaten houses, pic turesque in their very shabblness, cling desperately, nervously, to the steep hill side as though aware of the danger of sliding off Into the bay. At the west end of the street stands the old Ocean House, a large retreat for the rest inclined. It looks seaward from its point of vantage on a rounded bluff, on one side being the quiet waters of the beautiful bay, while on the west looms the surf on the beaten sands. Here one may lie on the waving grasses and dream dreams or see visions, for here the sea and mountains rryet. Be fore out far-seeing eyes lie the mountains in interminable journey, reaching back far to the interior country. Or we may find occupation for idle hours barkening to the message from strange shores which the soft wind of the sea brings up the bay's offing. From here I washed the setting sun one fair evening tinXing clouds with rose and amber hue. then hiding beneath the waves far away on the horizon. Hours afterward the sky still held these shades captive until they merged into the mellow moonlight. The - whispering grasses caught the spell of the hour and sang romantic airs of the loves of dusky maids who had watched from the same spot. Attractive as these features are they want the nigged setting of the coast line from this favored spot on along the en- !tire beach to complete their beautyt Jha 1 1 mwm Is 1 v Vi'. rU 4 - 111 ii&'IAi7 111 i: III J" -JJ & T x, $Vv v" 111 Ill ritV-f 111 III" If ?V x ' 1-11 II ., ilSaja ,r2 . r . ; 111 ; 11 f -"TSZZ aaa--V ? x , -5 ; , HI fell! M v 11 - ' SiJ 11 beach is narrow, being only about 100 feet at low tide back to the edge of the rugged bluffs which mark the Oregon coast line. Typical of the beach, also, are Its black sand deposits, which are very noticeable. Though considered rich in the most precious of ore, the cost of extrac tion is too great. Also many very beauti ful agates are found along the beach and agate hunting Is Indulged In to a consid erable profit by many. But to return to the bluffs it is of them that I wish to speak particularly.- as they mark a pecu liarity of this beach. Composed of sand stone and iron, the process of erosion on them is everywhere manifest. The com bined action of wind and wave, time and weather, both good and bad, has left its trace here to such an extent that we find great rocks Jutting out Into the ocean while through the center enormous holes are hollowed out. Such a wonder is "Jump off Joe," one mile , north of Nye i Creek. Through the center of the mass a xreat idle, lias been, .torn bjr tie wearing process of erosion and one may gaze through and see the Cape Foul weather lighthouse. It forms a beautiful marine picture, with the rocky walls for . frame, set in a foreground of wildly dashing waves. The quaint lore of an In dian legend clings to this old rock, bathing It tn mystical romance. One day a griz zly old brave related the legend to us. A white sailor lad, he said, had won the heart of a Princess of his tribe and she ran away to sea with him. This left her Indian lover disconsolate and heart-broken. His grief was so Intense that he felt his life too sad to be lived. So one day he cast himself into the sea from this pile of rocks and his troubled heart found rest beneath the waves that moan at its base. This Incident gave the rock Its name of "Jump Off Joe.'Ja name which has clung to It ever since. Farther on up the beach let us continue our way, past the lighthouse, keeping Silent vigil on its. lonely, station, EoueU and wild the coast has become now, the great rocks growing even larger and more frequent. The acme of this wil derness, like the climax of some thril ling story, has been reached when we arrive at the Devil's Punch Bowl, a wonder of Nature, standing out againstt the sea with a forest of great trees be hind it. It is a mass of rock as large as a 10-room dwelling, connected with the wooded mainland. Like to a great shell it is, for the center is an enormous cav ity, boulder filled and with a small cir cular connection with the sea. At ebb tide one may enter and walk about the vast interior, listening to the strange reverberations of sound along the rough, rocky walls, but let him beware when the waves begin to dash higher through the narrow aperature soon the entire bowl will be a wilderness of madly dash ing waters. At such a time one looks down from above, fascinated by the tur moil and wild churning below. Once on a- visit, .tQ itbia, place a young Easterner stood on the extreme' edge, one foot par allel with the precipitous wall. He took my arm to steady me as I gazed down ward, affrighted, into the chasm. "You must not think of the danger," he was saying, "but the beauty of it." He ap peared unconscious of the danger of a single misstep, being so lost in the won derful scene. These are some of the features of the place which are attracting people in greater numbers each year. A beautiful retreat from the beach, if one should ever weary of it, may be found at Mon terey, two miles north on the beach from' Nye Creek. Hfre. Just over the sand hill and well sheltered from the winds which blow from the ocean, stands a great old fashioned hotel which gives the place its name. After , resting here, take a stroll back to the big trees behind the hotel. In their, wooded depths all sound of the ocean is lost and we plunge into the Coast Range. Attractive little streams thread their way through the Jungle of ferns while giant trees hide and soften the rugged depths of the canyons. Besides these mountains, there Is the beautiful Bay of Yaquina, hemmed in on all sides by their rugged peaks. Rowing and launching are popular on Its waters. while the tales told by those who lure the finny tribe from the sparkling depths rival the beet fish yarns extant. Nature has seemed to smile upon this favored spot. Besides the combined pleas ures of mountain and seacoast, she has granted fine weather, golden sunshihe, tempered with the softest of ocean breezes, which renders the climate de lightfully equable. Better accommoda tions and increased train service will meet with a ready response from the public, and Newport will see an increased crowd of Winter as well as Summer visitors when her attractions become more gen erally known. ALICE M. WELLS. Middle-Life Achievements CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40 He won this place by the most arduous services. He was 31 when the Civil War broke out, and early in the struggle he became an Army surgeon. During the three years of his work in this capacity he treated more gunshot wounds probably than any other surgeon his cases num bering thousands. Being specially interested In the ner vous system even then, soldiers whose nerves were Injured by their wounds were put in his care whenever this was possible, and so he began to win reputa tion in the line in which he was later to become famous. It was he who induced the Surgeon-General of the Army to es tablish wards for nervous disorders in the military hospitals, perhaps the first wards of their kind In the United States. Dr. Mitchell is the greatest authority living on snake poisons. He gained his knowledge of venoms before the war, when In his 20s, spending six or eignt weeks every Summer for several years In regions Infested by rattlesnakes, copper heads and other serpents whose bite is dangerous to human life.' His adven- l.timea XbUa tudlnj; sna&ea. q4 jtheir poison were many and thrilflng, and he had a number'of narrow escapes. He did not confine his investigations to the snakes of America, either, his stud ies of the cobra's venom were especially profound, and all those fortunate enough to be admitted to his "studio" in Phila delphia are fascinated by the weird rep resentations of the most terrible serpent of India, sent to him from that far-away land, along with the most flattering tes timonials to the thoroughness of his work. In treating; nervous disorders he Is a consistent practitioner of "common sense methods" and many stories are told in Philadelphia apropos of this peculiarity. Once he decided that a certain patient, a society wdman, who believe herself to be in a serious con dition was not nearly so ill as she sup posed. So he persuaded her to accompany him upon a drive into the suburbs. When they had driven quite two miles away from the street-cars he Induced her to leave the carriage. Stepping Into .tha xehicla Jiiimaelt im advised her 1Q walk home, saying that a little exercise would do her a world of good. Then -he drove off. leaving the lady furious. She was obliged to take his advice, how ever, and his prediction was verified. Although It is now 23 years since Dr. Mitchell began to follow literature se riously. It was some years after he began before he made a big hit. It was won wltn his famous novel "Hugh Wynne, The Quaker It was accepted by a bis publishing house for book publication, but its bringing out was long delayed, though it was set up and the proof sheets lay n a pile some where about the office. One after an other of the people who had access to them read the story and all were ab sorbingly Interested. This was what led the publishers to use It as a serial in the famous monthly magazine whtch they issue, a step which added thou sands to Its circulation. Dr. Mitchell has written a great number of . professional books and pa pers. His "Wear and Tear" and "Fat and Blood" are even better known among the physicians than "Hugh Wilms'; anions the readers of fiction,