Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-30
RICHMOND WHIG,
TUESDAY MoRN1Na.....MAY 80, 1866.
A TRIP TO NEW YORK.
CHESAPEAKE BAY-A CROWDED STEAMER
THE AQUA CREEK LIYE-AMUsING INCL
DENTs-THE PRICE OF GOLD, ETC.
lcOrreapondence of Ms Khiq.l


New YORK, May 26, 1865.
We were not kept waiting long for the Bal
timore boat; but it was a deuce of time
before we got aboard. This was owing to the
difficulty in bringing her to the wharf, and
here we found the meaning of so many tugs
moving about and poking their sn0uts into
the side of every steamer which approached.
IL required the united strength Of no less
than four Of these sturdy little fellows to
bring the stern OF our boat squsrely up to
the wharf. Whether this was owing to the
adverse wind and tide, or to the unskilful-
ness of the officers, cannot say; but, to
the best OF my recollection, it was not so in
former times.
At last we all got aboard and moved out
into the Bay. The fresh sea breeze, the in
yigorating odor of the salt sea air, the wide
expanse of sparkling waters, the rolling
waves, the big swell from the ocean, which
tossed our huge steamer like cockle-shell-
how different this from the m0tionlcss life
in the pent-up Utica of Richmond All we
are getting back into the living, busy, big,
real world again. Soon we shall see the
towers and steeples Of the great cities. Soon
we-Very fine but we are getting sick at
our stomachs. The chops Of the channel
occasion a sudden fall Of our own chops; we
''pay tribute to Neptune" and experience
desire to stake something"
Night comes on. The boat is excessively
crowded; all the state rooms were engaged
before she touched the wharf at Fortress
Monroe there is a rush for the berths, but
the berths are wholly inadequate to accom-
modate the swarm Of human beings which
fills up every chink and corner. Happily,
all or nearly all of us have been In the army,
and are du fat in. the art oil bivouacking.-
My friend R spreads some copies of the
Richmond papers on the lee side Of the up
per deck, outside the cabin, puts his head on
his carpet bag, and betakes himself philoso-
phically to sleep. l spread my shawl beside
him, and attempt to follow suite. In vain
The wind shifts suddenly, the breeze stiff
fens into gale, and-the rain begins to pat
ter fast on the bare deck. Here's pretty
kettle of fish. We scramble to our feet,
snatch up our shawls and carpet bags, leave
the Richmond papers TO their fate, and hurry
into the cabin. Faugh What an odor. The
cabin is packed worse than box of sand
wiches the very floor is full of recumbent
forms. This will never do.
l struggle through the crowd and make my
way down into the very bowels of the ship,
R following closely at my heels. The
people are already IN bed, every berth seems
full. No matter we can sleep anywhere
on the table If necessary. At length make
a joyful discovery; find an unoccupied
berth in the very bow of the boat-a mar
row berth, in shape resembling that famous
V of which the Confederacy is said to have
perished, and without a sign of mattress in
it. NY shawl supplies the deficiency in-
sert myself into my V; R stretches him
self on the cushioned seat beside me, and we
again composed ourselves to slumber.
A word or two in regard to the Bay
route, and one more incident, and l have
done. 1t is to be hoped that the line by way
of Fredericksburg and Aqua Creek will
soon be opened, not more for the mail ia
cilities than for the accommodation of the
travelling public. The river and Bay boats
are crowded almost beyond endurance, and
the fare is high. 1t is true, you pay only IS
to Baltimore, but each meal costs you dol
lar, and a stateroom a dollar more, in all,
twelve dollars. You may, if you choose,
forego the pleasure Of eating, and stand
your chance Of getting berth below deck
or you may sleep on the floor. But this is
sorry comfort.
The rates demanded by the Falls CON-
Ddu1 tICY 40 luO 1llHCo BOy uO uOuDl, ICd-
sonaple enough; but the opening of the
Fredericksburg route will, besides relieving
the pressure of travel, place you in Balti-
more in half the time, and for nearly haH
the noney-unless, as before said, you 60
without eating on the beats, or carry your
own provisions with you.
My purpose was to have remained in Bal
timore until / could rehabilitate myself, but
4 iad in, of m
amusing incident, which will be better un-
derstood by reverting to my first letter. When
was fastened up in the state room, owing
10 defect in the lock, which would lock but
not unlock, my uneasiness and anxiety to
get out was aggravated beyond measure by
the horrible thought (which flashed upon me
suddenly while i was clamoring for the
steward to open the door, that If my cries
should chance to attract general attention, 1
would be regarded as a suspicious character
who had locked himself in, to escape obser-
walton. Who knows" thought /, "but
that may be taken for an accomplice OF
Booth Z" True, l had never seen Booth,
and hardly ever heard of him until he mur-
dered the President. Still, man who locks
himself up in q state-room in the day time
and can't get out, is, in these times, fit
subject to be arrested and imprisoned. You
may depend that this thought did not in
crease my felicity while was incarcerated
in the state-room, and you may guess my
relief, when the stewardess, with pass
key, quietly released me. But the impress
sion remained on my mind.
Next day, after my arrival in Baltimore
a ticklish place to be in-the impression was
revived. | was standing on the steps Of the
Eutaw House, an excellent hotel, by the way,
when two men, evidently detectives, came
up and began to question me. / soon con-
vinced them that, although my skin was dark,
| was not Spaniard and did not know their
"Cuban friend" but was simply waiting for
the Express wagon to arrive with my trunk.
They went of, quite satisfied; nevertheless
it was evident that had been "spotted."-
Later in the day, while l was in brokers'
Office, conyersing with an acquaintance,
could but observe how frequently people
stopped at the window and eyed me, evi-
IDENTIFY me. A cold chill (who ever heard OF
a warm chilly came over me. They kept on
coming, and kept on stopping at the window,
and kept on staring at me, evidently me-
Finally one of them, r0ugh-looking GUS
toner, stepped in hastily, and was just In the
act of clapping his hand on my shoulder, las
I thought when the mystery was cleared up
in an instant. had been standing between
the window and the wall, and on that wall
hung blackboard, and on that blackboard
the halt-hourly fluctuations in the price OF
gold were recorded. 1t was at the blackboard
and not at me. "evidently me-" the people
were staring. had good laugh all within
myself at this joke, but my nerves were so
shaken that took the cars that very even
inc and the next morning, early, found my