Cobb's Island
Cobb's Island is still anchored ten miles off the coast of Virginia, and well anchored, too, to have withstood the almost unprecedented heavy storms of the past winter and spring. The high spring tides did considerable damage hereabouts. The wharf at Dr. Brockenborough's, where passengers take the little steamer for the island, was well nigh washed away. A new and improved structure now supplies the place of the old one. The steamboat wharf here, which was new last year, was much damaged, but has now been thoroughly repaired.
THE BEACH.
The greatest evidence of the severity of the late heavy storms is seen in the changed character of the beach. It cannot be recognized now as that of past years. The bathhouses are only one half the distance from the hotel they were last year, and a month ago one could easily have thrown a stone from the Richmond cottage into the surf; and while almost one half of the field as formerly known south of the fence on a line with the life-saving station and the Richmond cottage is now claimed by the waters of the Atlantic, the beach is fast making southward to its accustomed reservations. The advantage gained by having the surf nearer the hotel has been more than counterbalanced by the great accumulation of shells with which the beach is made disagreeable for bathers. However, from all appearances the bathing-grounds will soon resume their former pleasant normal conditions. Next week the new bath-houses will be moved forward some fifty yards nearer the water.
WRECKED HOUSES AND BOATS.
Of the old bath-houses, four stand in rather romantic and odd positions as placed by the tides near the Richmond cottage -- one, half way between them and the life-saving station; the sixth stands as a lonely sentinel on Bone Island, while the seventh was burned as fuel on this last-named historic isle by some hard-pushed and stranded boatman.
Odd as it may seem in all the heavy storms of the past winter and spring there was no total wrecks off this island, and only one case of adventure to be reported by the life-saving crew stationed here. That happened about the 12th of April. A schooner was stranded near Bone Island. After several ineffectual attempts the surf-boat was enabled to reach the distressed vessel early on a Sunday morning. The crew, consisting of three or four men, were taken off to Bone Island, an uninhabited spot, but the life-savers found it impossible to recross the inlet to their station so fierce had grown the storm, and it was only on Monday evening, after suffering many privations from hunger and exposure to the cold, that they were enabled to return to their stations and homes.
The weather has continued rainy and disagreeable for a long, long while, and though a visit to Cobb's in the past two or three weeks has proved a dismal failure to lovers of sport, the island has a remarkably good number of visitors for so early in the season. The skies have brightened and it is fair to say we are about to have good weather now and still better sport.
THE ISLAND'S MANAGEMENT.
The management of the island is still in the hands of Mr. A. F. Cobb, who does all in his power for the comfort of his guests. He has provided a tug, which, while smaller than that of last year, affords, with a nicely fitted-up barge put in tow, a very pleasing and rapid route from the "mainland" to the island.
The best and most satisfactory route to Cobb's now from Richmond is via Old Point and Cherrystone on steamer Northampton. This boat leaves Norfolk and Old Point every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. One leaving Richmond any day via the Chesapeake and Ohio railway on the 3 p.m. train can reach Cobb's the next morning. But this necessitates a stopover at Cape Charles City.
PERSONAL.
Among the Richmond people here are the family of Mr. Charles H. Read, Jr., that of Mr. C. V. Meredith, Mr. George D. Pleasants and Miss Irene Pleasants, Mr. E. A. Catlin and family, Mrs. Lewis Booker, Miss Bettie Booker, Mr. George T. Booker, Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Crump, Colonel and Mrs. John W. Gordon and family, Mr. and Mrs. C. O'B. Cowardin and family, Miss Nellie Neale, Miss Ella Doswell, and Miss Carrie Christian.
Dr. L. M. Taylor, of Washington, D.C., and Dr. Thomas Kearny, of San Antonio, Texas, are among the recent arrivals here. It is understood they are building summer residences at Cherriston.
Mr. W. Bullitt Fitzhugh, editor of the Cape Charles Press, arrived here with his wife yesterday.