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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1909)
unday Bee. PART THREE HALF-TONE PACES I TO A PAPER TOR THE HOME OMAHA DEE BEST IN THE WEST VOL. XXXIX -X0. G. OMAHA, SUNDAY MOUSING, JULY 25, 1909. SINTiLK COPY FIVE CENTS. The Omaha CUT OFF LAKE SAILORS AND THE DWELLERS ON SHORE ! Evening on the Waters a Time of Joy for Folks Who Spend the Daylight Hours in City Offices or Storerooms During the Long Hot Days of Mid-Summer BEAUTIFUL CUT OFF LAKE. How pleasant are the memories of the nights spent ailing on thy rolling surface under the silvery luster of the summer moon! Night, with Its mysterious allurements of shadow and uncertainty. A spreading breath of waving billows, swelling, toss ing and undulating under the soft icfulgence of the midsummer moon. Is there a more charming scene in Elysium? Can there be better enchantment? ( What more beautiful and enjoyable than a sail around this lovely Inland sea, with its long rows of picturesque cottages, accompanied by a few choice spirits of the moat companionable sort? What more plcasureable than to skirt around the edges of the lake with lights Id the distance shut out by the darkening trees? Could anything be more fascinating and enticing? Omaha folks have been somewhat slow In learning that they are gifted and fortunate In possessing such a lovely spot at their very doors; that a trip to distant lakes was not necessary for the enjoy ment of a delightful sail over expansive waters of good depth, with plenty of wind at all times to send the gallant skiff scooting over the rolling waves. Nature and the changing course of the old Missouri has placed at the very feet of the city a fine stretch of water in the shape of a horseshoe, which gives an Ideal course for a sail, day or night, and It Is now up to the people of Omaha to continue tho good work thus started to make the spot famous all over the country for the jolly times which will be. the envy of al! not fortunate enough to have a boat or to have friends who have one. How changed Is the old place In a few short years. But a short time ago It was the dumping ground for the city, and now what a tt m m 3 ""..- y- V' - '-''''-5. ' 7' , "-J?1" UN '-, i'' :.. . . t,. .... TV" boat and with, his baton started the soft strains of some familiar airs. Scon door3 of the cottagos flew cju-n and the villagers began to gather on the Like front to hmr the cnchuuting sounds. The audienc.o Incroaxeil as soon as the word was passed back that the cot tagers were being serenaded and every available seat in boats and on thy docks was coon occupied by an atteutive audience. The Juvenile orchestra is famous for the quality. or the music It discourses and no more attentive audience ever listened to sweet music. With the closo of the overture a popular son was struck up and led by Dr. .1. H. Fickes, tho crowd in the boats had scon taken up the air an l the entire lake shore joined in. tireat. it was enough to make tho old feel young again. "We'll have to buy on that music," bhouted "Hug" Howie. "Tie up your skifis and come In." That was enough of an Invitation and soon the orchestra and sailors from tho Omaha Hod nnd (iun dub were mingling in a Joyous group Mlth the vest siders and all went merry as a marriage bell. More music1 was soon called for nnd the old nnd new songs sung while the lemonade and ice cream and other- refreshments' were passed around. "Let's away," cried the skipper, and nil soon had their plnces In the boats, while farewells were said and sung by tho.'.e in the launches and on shore. The singers practiced some new songs on the way back from the west side and when the dock of the Rod and Gun club was renched another serenade was sunt. This was enough to mil out all the cot tagers from the club house and tents, and these also did Join in the chorus, ltut the skipper did not have much time to spend with the home folks. He had another trip In view, anj with a chug-chug the THE "GREBE." lake and uil were soon supplied with real sailors' clothes. Who they belonged to does not matter as far as this tale Is concerned, but they were sufficient for all purposes, even though they did not fit, and showed on their face that they were purloined for the occasion. "We will have three extra chaps for dinner," wrote the skipper on a note which he pinned in a conspicuous place in the cottage, which meant in plainer English that his bunk mate was to hustle grub for a hungry lot and have it ready by the time the bdnch re turned from the sail. A start was made and the trials of that skipper were many. The land lubbers Insisted in getting their heads and bodies In the road every time a tack was made and several good turns were thus spoiled. The skipper kept his patience and gave the bunch a splendid sail around the lake. He took a bee line for the west shore, which Is covered with the cottages of about 100 -lovers of the out door life. Here were large numbers of busy tollers from the city, clad in their outing clothes, which had been donned In exchange for the more formal garments which had been worn In the city all day. Hustle and bustle and life were to be seen on all sides. Some were preparing the evening-meal and others were fixing up the rigging of the boats. Groups of fair women and brave men were standing around on the docks, waiting for some skipper to prepare the boat THE "VIVIAN." made for the new park which the Young Men's Christian association has built on the lake front for Its members who like to get out Into the open air and enjoy a swim or sail on the lake. Here were seen tennis courts in use and two base ball diamonds, with a ball game In progress on each. The club house is completed as well as the boat house, and cottages beltffuglng to the members, as well as tents, are making the place look like another village added to the lake population. "We must hurry back," said the skipper. "I have some better fun In store for you fellows." How that feed at the cotage wat. enjoyed. The fresh air from the waters gives an appetite and the good things which the mate had prepared were soon put away. Another trip of the lake was to be made which was to be even more enjoyable than the first. It was over the same course by mon light, in a different way. Skipper Young had Just received his new launch and he wanted to give ! a good tryout. A musical evening was to be spent on the quiet waters In the full glare of the silvery moon. Fastening several skifTs behind the launch in a string, the Morris juvenile orchestra, augmented by Wilson Swltzler's mandolin, was placed in the second and third boats, and the other boats filled with THE "TRIOx" difference. The city has taken bold. The Omaha Rod and Gun club bat given assistance, the Young Men's Christian association has built a park along Its beautiful banks; the Dletz Athletic club has Joined the procession with a fine park on the west side and a hun dred cottagers have established a colony on the west bank of the lake which makes the shores most populous. Where once creeped the poacher with his seine In search of his Illegal prey, now rows the sportsman with his rod and reel, luring the wary bass from the waters, and the swain with his lassy tells soft nothings as the boat drifts along In the moonlight. Where once the bullfrog had a corner on the noise privilege, now glide the groups In their fine sailboats and the bullfrog's grunt has ,. ;, . J-;-, y1dJL: - . r'"" : :.-v J- " x . r? v .jSy" 'J 11 ' 1 J" 111111 'W" '' . "..! J. ' ' . ! i. II . 1 'zZy- f --Z -zy Zzyi---Z-y 3 ?z.y ... - U ,0 , y f V- -. ! e. : - ' -wy, yZr? ; y:yz 1 -i 1 I , - ' - - THE "JEANETTE." launch was soon pulling the musicians and the merrymakers to the far eastern end of the lake to sertnade the dwellers at the Young Men's Christian association camp. Director Pentlaud was in the water, taking a final pluuge after his day s work In directing the amusements of tho boys at the park, but he simply crawled upon he dock as the musicians approached, and in his bathing suit seemed to enjoy the music as much as the younger swains dressed in their white flannels, who were sitting on the porches of the club house and telling fairy tales to tho women. "I guess we'll have to pay the fiddler for that (inn music," said Secretary Wade as he invited the crowd to "light" and come In. Moro refreshments and then the start foi home. A crowd was waiting for the musicians at the home plate, and THE "TIONESTA." to give them a sail on the waiting waters. Row boats darted hither and thither and little girls and small boys were seen guiding these with the skill of old sailors. The west aide of the lake has a big colony, an entire village in itself, and for nearly a quarter of a mile docks of various kinds extend Into the water to provide landing places for the boats. "The wind's fine and hornbuckle my bowsprit if I don't take you lads around tothe east side, wheie you can see the new Young Men's , Christian association park. We have plenty of time before the prog is ready." No sooner said than away went the Prairie Bell on Its long cruise to tho far end of the lake. She seemed to fairly fly over the water, and soon we were gliding by the home of the Omaha Rod and Gun club and the fifty cottages and fifty more tents which go to make up this village. On the other side was the famous "Wool Soap," the .Jeep swimming hole where the expert swimmers love to dive free 'from entangling grasses and weeds. Courtland beach, with Its new Improvements, was soon given the go-by and a start on the final leg young men and women, Jolly companions, and the start made. How changed the lake was from the time when the early evening sail was made. Now all was quiet, and even the wind had died away to a soft whisper. The glare of the sun had gone and the water shimmered under the paler light of the moon. To the south could be seen the bright Illuminations of a large city, and all around the lake were the dim lights of the cottage windows. The caravan wended its way like a huge serpent across the lake and again the cottages on the west side were approached. How changed was the sight again. Lights in the windows of the cottages and a few lights on the docks were all that were visible from a dis tance. As we approached the village life was seen on all sides and from the different cottages could be heard strains of music, for many of these bungalows are provided with pianos and most of the inhabi tants can play on the different string instruments. Many more think they can sing. We had a surprise in store for them. As the caravan neared the cottages the launch was slowed down and the boats all brought Into a bunch. Leader Morris rose In his THE "OMAHA" AND THE "MARY ALICE." been replaced with soft susurration ot guitar and mandolin, filling the balmiest air. With phantom song the night watchers break the stillness and the "barber shop" tenor vies with the grocery store baas In drowning out the melody. The stories o'f the gentle zephyrs are drowned by the gay laughter of the delightful camaraderie which fills the numerous sail and row boats and launches, which are becoming such a fad on the placid waters. "How's the wind. Commodore?" . VSo'by so'east, ha'polnt so'." 'well, keelhaul by taffrail, If it does not change before we can get on our togs and get the Prairie Bell rigged up I'm going to give you land lubbers a tail you will remember for some time to come," said Skipper Jason Young as he entered the Omaha Rod and Gun cli:b grounds and a'ecostcd Commodore Brown, who presides over the waters and the lknd around the club house quarters. The wind was blowing quite a gale, but that did not deter a hardy seaman like the gallant skipper from venturing out with his "deadweight," as he called the bunch he had invited out for aa even ing's spin on the waters. Cut Off lake Is different from many inland seas in that It H well protectal and the billows do not roll as high and dangerous as on many waters which might be named. The sl ipper had undertaken single-handed to give an outing to tome friends who seldom get off the pavements of Farnara street, ana wnai mey aia noi mow nuoui sailing wouia take a long while to talL He took them to his summer cottage along the edge of the I. . . " . 'Tit I'M v 1 f 'V iJY , vat.v y in "Sr -. i 1 IaJ -yy ysy:yvvy-::::r V y - - m fl ( fcB) i jt'tarr '11 it THE "PRAIRIE BIRD" AND THE "CATHERINE." THE "CORA." THE "RUTH." after a couple of more songs dancing was proposed and the musicians ware moved from their perch In the boats to the raised platform of the dance hall, where the dancers were soon gliding for a while to the rythmic music of the youthful Strauss. And such is the joyous life on the placid waters of Cut Off lake. Cares of the busy city are cast asldcwhen once the bank of the lake Is reached and fun and fresh air reign supreme. The outdoor HIV I growing more and more popular and where formerly one buKlnes: man thought he could afford to take a little time from t lie sun Ii :.ti ' hours for a little outdoor recreation, hundreds now break away from the office a little early for a game of golf or tennis or a row or sail on the lake, or a swim In the ever-freshened waters. The waters of both Cut Off lake and Lake Manawa aro threo or four feet high this spring, following the river in Its rise, and this seems to prove the theory that the waters of the:ie lakes are fresh ened by water flowing In through the quicksand below the surface. Although the water has not flown into the lakes overland, they have followed the rise in the water of tho river and are thus entirely freshened in this way as well as by tho hundreds of springs which are known to be under the lakes! Thea continually evidence them selves in the winter by melting holes in the Ice by their warmer water continually rising. The waters of both Cut Off Jake and Lake Manawa are dotted ' Continued on Pago Four.)