Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-08-18

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Friday, the llth, we arose to a beautiful da
desirous to see the sun rise from mid ocean, bi
= he was too prompt for us. Many time v
have seen him emerge, both here and in foreiQ
seas and an indescribably beautiful sight IL i
The sun being too hot for beach sirolling, aftt
a superb Cape breakfast, we adjourned to th
!. pi0zzas Of tue new Atlantic, aud watched til
z waves dashing upon the shore with roarin
!, sound which is inoessant, and prevents sleep /
the unntiated but which the residents appear I
!; be wholly unconscious of the existence Of unit
I their attention is called to it. At IL A. NJ, th
customary hour, attired in flannel suits, WI
; bathed In the salt sen waves as they rolled il
= toward the beach. Being expert at swimming
we breasted the billOws just beyond where they
. comb over on the beach, but most persons stant
where they break upon them, requiring constant
vigilance to prevent being knocked down roughly
and rolled to shore. Watch them cautiously
aud spring upwards as they approach and there
IS no harm attends them. Many groups clasp
hands forming circles and thus sustain each
other The waves ncrcase the depth as they
surge past from wast deep Instantly TO neck
deep, but it subsidies in an instant, think
twenty five hundred or three thousand people
crowded the beach and surf this morning, the
bathers in every imaginable cut of costume and
rarely ever making ayery handsome appearance,
though each with federation for his neghbors. We
saw many children, of four or five years, padding
in the sand at the inner edges of the waves con
tentedly, and some parents dipping babes of a
year or less entirely under-the little things
splatter some when they come up and cling
round their guardians neck but do not whine or
whimper, nor seem at all afraid. We soon
chilled and came out and dressed, and spent the
balance Of the bath hour watching the crowds
enjoying the billows.
A telegram calling us suddenly home, we dned
and spent the time until p NJ, the hour of
departure Of the cars, watching the sea, the
waves, ships, etc. passing, and among them
| quondam blockade runner which anchored near,
being, pilot told us, short Of coal and tired of
breastiDg strong ebb tide setting SEWARD
The ocean was white with the splashing of
shoals of porpOses fishing in the shallow water
just outside the breakers some of them within
twelve feet Of a solitary balher who did not
'change his base" at alive should, for their
back fin is precisely similar to sharks and we
would mistTust that it was the latter, we fear.
When the tide receded, VIC walked down and
stood where the porpOises had been diving and
found numerous purple backed speckled crab
shells with the'meat cleanly eaten out of the
body but left in the claws showing they had
just been partially devoured, we are Of the
opinion, by these very fish. The porpoise swims
rapidly forward and, elevaling his head slightly,
dives almost perpendioularly, displaying his
back forward aud back of his dorsal fin, and
seeming like round object with projecting fin
rolling over and over forward through the
water; disappearing for minute and rising
some ten or fifteen feet onward to repeat his
dive We have had them come up within two
yards Of us at sea, in deep water, and each time
they rise, give little snort exhalation of air.
and looking very much like black pig in the
head aud faoe-in fact ihe pilots here call them
"herring hogs oltoner than "porpoises" We
brought off some Of the specked crab shells
beside some sea shells and Cape May diamonds
as souvenirs of our trip.
We went up to the Depot, which is located
just beyond the creek bridge on or near the |
cold spring road ten minutes walk from the |
Island Hotels, and taking the 2. NJ. train
were soon on our way to Philadelphia via
Camden, due in Philadelphia p. NJ, making !
the time promptly aud easy We stopped at
numerous places in New Jersey, the principal
being Millyille, Glassboro, and Vine Land and
among those of lesser note, Cape May Court
house, South Dennis, Tuckahoe lis that Indian
or lrish) and others were called by the conduc-
tors. The country passed through is as level as
prairie, we judge, for we only saw two deep
cuts and they were not as high as the car tops
no ravines or trcste works and scarce n bridge.
We saw little of the "Jersey Pines" 80 much
talked Of but instead, an endless forest of low
oaks and acre upon aero Of "butnt district"
where 1t seems lire had passed, consuming all
nnderbrush and scathing and soaring the few
pine trees clear TO their tops, giving them dying
look.
Piles of wood six or eight feet high and one.
fourth of mile in length, were frequently
passed, beside numerous cords piled here aud
there through the woods. The first station
above Millville is "Vine- e-Land," contract city
laid out and in fair way to be completed in
this woods. Having read description of it in
q book by author of 40 acres enough" called,
think, "How to get farm aud where to get it,
OF some similar title, We were extremely anxious
to sec Vine Land. 1t is a traot containing
thousands of acres lying on both sides of the
railroad for miles, and sold in building and farm
lots on certain conditions at very cheap rates
two of the provisions being to construct the
house certain distance back from the road aud
to sell no liquors in The tract, both OF which are
strictly adhered to, for no beer-store, or tipsy
people are seen, aud each house is nicely located
some distance back. No fences are required us
cattle or horses or pigs are kept up securely,
thus rendering one of a farmers heaviest expenses
unnecessary.
The houses would have heen 4 credit to any
cty-they were all, with two exceptions
beautifully planned though some were quite
small. The exceptions we're two log cabins,
some half mile apart, of the most primitive
style. One was quite dilapidated aud rough
looking man stood by the door-he could not
have stood upright in it. These cabins were
low, being built of small logs, nine inch diameter
or less, for five feet up and then rooted with
either slabs or split logs, which did not look fit
to shed rain. A cabbage garden attached was
we'll fenced in by saplings driven in the ground
at opposite angles, thus crossing each other
forming diamonds, and capped with another
round bough or trunk Of small tree, locking like
piece OF work purposely made in rustic style
for beautifyng some elegant grounds. The
outbndngs surrounding were equally rude as
the log cabins We once saw similar in journey
ing to Cape May by stege from Camden through
the "Pnes'' eighteen years ago. They were
the abodes of charcoal burners. These OF to-day
are old looking aud may have been built ere
Vine-Land was thought Of.
Do not put too much faith in these descrip-
tions for we did not observe closely enough to
see if the West Jersey road is single or double
track, but presume it is single as we Ind 10 wait
for trains TO come up and PASS occa5lOn4ny.
One thing We are sure of, We never were carried
faster safer or better or more PLEASANTLY on
railroad and our experience is large, but as the
Camden and AmbOy Rail Road Company own
and operate the Cape May road, "there is
nothing strange about that
We reached Camden about So and by steam
ferry Martet street wharf, Philadelphia, by 9
P. NJ, in ample time to join the 10 P. NJ,
accommodation thence to Wilmington, which we
reached at ia p. NJ, having been, we suppose,
within ten miles of Wilmington across the river,
but had no other choice than to ride thirty miles
past and thirty miles back to reach this city.
Why cannot we devise some means to .np the
road from here and save time aud travel
Any one desiring TO visit the Cape can rely on
finding room at the hotels now, as one Of the
most experienced hotel keepers stated that they
would DO crowded only week more from the