The New York herald., 1879-08-09
Annoyanoes to Which Excursionists
Are Daily Subjected
VISITORS FREQUENTLY MISLED.
How the Employees OF Rival Lines
Embarrass the Public.

feet nuisance. "rhe better protection Of strangers
and the travelling public reads like bit of
on the part of the Board Of Aldermen to those who
have had to the Coney Island. Rockaway,
Long Branch or other excursion boats. As u rule.
the "protecton" Afforded consists in so bewldcring
that he does not know exactly whether he Ia on
his heels or his head This gross abuse OF what was
originally desire to facilitate the embarkstion of
passengers may be more or less directly charged to
the managers of excursion lines who certainly
not consistently disclam the responsibility for the
outrageous conduct of some Of these while
they hire and pay them for their services
An account of the everyday outrages perpetrsted
on the docks of the several excursion lines would
easily NIL page of the HERALD. The efrontery OF
these has reached such u pass that the embark
ing excursion boat is really dreaded by the
average excursionist To the stranger in New York,
who witnesses of these for the first time
it must incredible that great city boasting Of
its civilization, to say nothing of the Finest police
would permit them. On Sundays. when the people
flock to the rivers and sea by thousands the nui
sance is greater, but any day in the week it is
great enough to demand most complete and thor
ough reformation. The piers which are mostly COM
planned of are Twenty-second street. Twenty.
street. Tenth street. Leroy street. pier No. and pier
No on the North River. Probably the worst
Tenth street. Leroy street and pier No. 2, although
the others and some not named are bad enough
''PRoTECTION OF STRANGERS"
Let stranger take Tenth car and go down
town to one Of the excursion piers. As soon the
reaches the pier and he alghts his first impress
sion is that riot has begun. crowd of shouting,
swearing, perspirng men get around him and extol
the superior qualities of the different boats. The
tronize. If he is guided by what he hears he will
not take any. One Is this and the. other is that
United as na ss By. By f
not safe, shouts one. "You are -
liar" howls another; 1.-The Nancy is perfectly
is chimes In another why. she is as old as am.
and there isn't sound plank III her. II you value
your life don't go on her. shut up your mouth.
protector" of strangers ''she is all right and the
price only twenty five cents. 'Yes." rejoins new
conner with AN enormous badge and danger signal
where his nose ought to be- "they only charge
twenty-five cents, because some people will risk
il you want to go safe and sound take the palatine
steamer 'Blowup' for thirty-fve cents.
The stranger, made desperate by the alarming in
formation, to say nothing Of the rude awakening
from his dream of u quiet Sunday, rushes away
from the fends. and half way down the pier meets
another batch who smilingly await his coming. No
sooner is he among them than the pandemonum
begins again. Shouts and curses. mingled with in
decent jokes and attempts at wit so outrage him
he will go homo and give up all idea Of
reaching the boat he started for II he goes
he will at last reach the end of the pier to find
number of other passengers who are kept busy pre-
venting the protectors" from carrying them bodily
direction from where they want to 60.
ON THE WRONG BOAT.
"I want to 60 to so and so, he exclaims. (Which
is the boaty- The unhappy man by his question un-
consciously opens the way for trials and trib-
ulations that will outweigh his first as ten to one
do it," "It isn't SAFE" 'Shut up, p,--you."
go to -!" Throw him in the river!" .'Close
'shut up yours and the people viii not see what
a-fool you are. "This is the right boat" 1T
10 ha boat for hra. Tho
fortunate stranger is hustled the first boat that
comes, and after the hawsers cast of
instead n % of % down % the bay s' as he he @ expected %
His only consolation is the knowledge that
eIlers" OF course this experience in taking the
wrong boat is not general because the average New
Yorker has ceased to wonder why the steamboat
people keep to misdirect travellers, and inform
themselves before starting, through the advertising
columns of the HERALD, as to the correct hour aud
name OF the boat they wish to take The nuisance
however, is particularly annoying to ladies and
children. many OF whom take the numerous day
boats. without male escorts, and naturally
place less reliance the state
ments of men who announce themselves
as the official representatives of the several lines
formed the boats they wish to take by runners
of opposition lines. there be doubt 1t is the
great dmnution of the traffic at some of the piers
This fact alone appeals more strongly to the steam
boat owners than any other and most Of them loudly
assert that they have given positive orders to their
to avoid contention and the of bad Lam
guage Be this 1t may. the contentious and use OF
bad language continue to Al unwarrantabe and out
AN UNWILLING pAssENGER.
In conversation with HERALD reporter yesterday
O gentleman who is frequent visitor to Coney
Island related an experience certain occasion or
himself, wife and daughter. which has no doubt
fallen to the lot of others ALSO His wife is invalid
and does not often go out. He took her day,
however, with his daughter. to of the west side
piers n1 Ind having had % experience In tine tine matter him
jokirgly remarked. the runners would certainly
steal her away. He had little idea tnat his words
Dre to be almost literally fulfilled. Leaving them
moment rs one of the boats touched Mt the end
of the dock he went across the space to
speak to gentleman friend whom he
opposite. But a moment or two passed, when his
daughter came running to him and said that her
mother had been pushed on the boat by some men.
Rushing to the gangwsy he found himself too late.
the boat had started. His wife was actually car
ried of to coney Island by different route than he
with the most ample apologies and could do nothing
more than follow her on the next boat Neither his
former the boat. and with the apologies he was
forced to be satisfied.
''rHE POOR Fellows
prominent steamboat manager said yesterday
that the abuses OF the system we'll known to
the steamboat people us to the public. and
would be glad to get rid of the other While
one line kept it up. however the others were obliged
to also. although one boat had entirely dis
pensod with them THE poor fellows must
when asked il they could not do it
more quietly he smiled rs he replied
that they must do good deal of shouting for $2l to
$50 per week which they paid He willing.
however that the entire thing should DO abolished
The idea that the steamboat managers pay the run
from s2l to $50 week for misdirecting passen
gers aud heaping torrents of abuse each others
hoads must strike the average citizen being decid
edly funny.
REMEDY.
There arc now about one hundred licensed steam
boat runners. The qualifications for appointment
are good character. citizon and resident of this
State, and the recommendation of reputable cti-
zens Twenty-Five dollars is charged for the first
year and Sl2 80 for the succeeding II the Ii
Is renewed before its expiration. Any citizen
may make complaint In writing to the Mayors
Marshal. who will investigate and upon the
plant. The ordinance under which they APP
pointed reads as follows:-
Skcriox l.-Thc Mayor of the city OF New York may,
from time to time grant licenses as he shall think proper
runner orperson acting tor himself for and
boha OF or connected with any steanboa railroad
forwarding company, omigrant boarding house.
hotol, exercise aud the business commonly
known steamboat runner railroad runner emigrant
boarding hotel runner for the Of
soliciting passengers or guests aud that he suspend