Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-11-25
A Trip Down the James River.

Trip Down the James River.
| LITTER FROM CHAssEUR.
| Correspondence of The Alexandria Gazette
This way to the Ariel, sar
Itwisartw, foggY m,rniog; the day had
broken. if tho fog had not quenched The dawn
| i5g light ana kept that fac; FROM being knowr
| fer, like tca7y nurky cloud. it descended up
oa the Garth and seemed as if it wero going t:
MIKE f.hs for The misery with the chariot
Car Of Pi cebus hiussf, Fag every Whers hid
ing tho ss!rng river beneath, eBd only letting
tho lights Of tho anchored vessels gcam timls
through ;hs nist5. Il penetrated itsdo anc
h,ated through tho beat Ike noxious ezhala-
lions Ii Io"ehsd be mss:s the doors, The
whsrveS, aui mado them clSmUy TO The touch
| 1t Geads ned the souod OF the Wbistliog OF the
tugs, and mcfi "a tho clspg CT ito steamers
bell. Ii was @ huge. damp pail # moiaturt
that dehled everything it touched, aud m:de
every teoicot being pistrab'e The ladies
stood c:weiiog 10 tbeir Waterpro0lsi the msn
| with their hats over their eyes, sosah. some
cot ISOLATION in their cigars, aud vaifed Tor the
boat to leave The wharf. For half CD hour
alter Tic appointed zine, tho Iunb!iog OF toe
trucks. the orders OF tho ofioer5 o2nliGu:d. but
OF last, just as q struggling sunbeam sfagslec
through the df1kened air. the steamer started
dowo tie liver.
Tro Ariel is uuiq1o craft. Ia lis tc?0m.
| nncdalious it almost equals Mississippi hil
boat, sod is outfit vas very fac when 1t was
pew. The captain il benevolent looking little
gentleman, about fse feet six, and wears @
gold band around his bat. He stands on the
be trioaue d: ok Ill The time. Ii sny accident
hsppsos to tho Aliel il will not be tls fault. for
from bis vantage Rroucd. be locks dOWn upo7
the passengers and Grew bapesth. lie observes
everything, ana is man With tho bump oil
cluiousoes3 largely developed. Like Maud
Muller ADD the Judge; tho might have beeD,
is everything to him.
~ on mustn't shoot from this boat, sir be
| said to o sportsman who was about 10 let drive
OF a fcck of ducks foa!ing lear.
"Wty?'
"Beoauss the ball might lic5ch.t add bit
somebody on tho bank.
Theu noticing several gentlemen iodulsin in
| THAR cigars near some ba!es, nc hailed them ::
| "Gentlemen, you mustu't smoke lheIo.'
why?
"Re,auss yeu might Sc: tie hoy Ga 6tt. -
You had batter cot walk on that dsck. hc
said to another; the mule tod down there
might kick gou.'
'Doa't 70 on that wharf, he would c'y,
"fDr you might clip eff the gsngWay plank"
| IF | caa't smoke out hero in peace. ssld
opo rats Individual whom BIO had sp: k,o to.
ND like to know where ia the Devil l an to
&C: tbero's DO psce inside" And tie map,
blue With ood, shivercd so that tho pipe drop
ped from between bis teeth
Tie Ariel is the coolest boat that n 5rtal map
/ RI N IN /. ia n amin atnd ire hoy
q Eualiag refrigerator; 80 cold, indeed. that
evco toe mtmorY of trip taken ia her gives
| cpe the sore throat. Cod? Why bless your
heaIt, you suffer with cue long coDgettiVe chill
l the time of your voyage. 10 too saloon a
covering set OF Deuralgac Licking palieots
huddle tmidly ard hopefully around seam
pIpo trying to &c: soue warmth 10 their bones.
| for no cosy steve brightens with iis light srd
| cheers with it's beat tho saloon AID passeoQer5
| Of tho Iisid Ariel. The bottom rail is on top
| ia this boat, and tEer3 il no Gistlnol0I-1s Tho
fifteenth amen i'm SIT hs4 lt-.-5D acojuot OF race,
! cyI0r or previous clDdiion OF seratude, for The
! Africans take toe casies; ohsgs and solss. AID
| form q c;r,le around the plpo, COMPLETELY tX.
Guiding the white passenger; snd they lCll at
| case, distlIicg their musk iiko oder uO'il the
saloon smells like phosphate fsc!crT. l saw,
myself three rough, COURSE negroes lEroI them
.ses doT1 10 srm chairs AID sit check By joWl
With two ladies, Ehc, OF n*u;s:, Immediately
| retired. As far az the whito male passengers
.r. cencerncd there is absolutely no pyepcSa-
| ton fer their comfort AID coD7tDlerc,; DO
private, smoking, sitting or dressing room, and
ouoo ca. cf the saloon lhs9 have TO wander 10
tho clld drap2nls o. laoa Ito fretz ng, Donegal
Jog Winds without. Indeed, ! Gao truly say
| that while the cfhcars Of the Ariel arc couye.
ous yet the craft itself is The hard st s'oamtGa
ever lad tho i'll luck to travel 10. Had one
G uCthcr 10 law 1t would be good s.nd off TO
coosign hcr to the Ariel especially II she had airy
pulmonary disease or Wss of coasunpssvo ten
denotes.
And he msals! Like The ehtst Of C!srerc,
they hang heavy upon the soul. Well, have
said eocugh about this a,aIog hulk. II tito
owners make mopey by her end the pubic are
satisfied. whats the odd?
Sill, 10 every ugly family there is one pretty
fair exception, AID. by cbsooe or fate. there has
drlfted into this old iron ark model gentle
map, who is too good, too oonscisniious too
high for the position Of purser on the Ariel
o. boatd of one Of tie pslatial Cunard line,
or as proprietor OF fashionable end high tened
watering place. be would be 10 Bis clement
Yet the uniucEy passenger whose bad LUCK haD
brown him abosrd Of this arctic boat has cause
to appreciate fully the kindness and tbou2b iiu
care of George W. Taylor. of Norfolk. Ooe
good man, the Scripture tells Us, saved oer-
tain city from destruction, and were l Sultan
! would spare the Ariel % account OF the eeo'.
At tWo p. 10. those CONCEALED passengers
that bad to got off at Groves W hait were stiu
ulaled AID mustard plsstored Qn.il they regained
Consciousness they we're carried cad lGId down
on the plauks; for these who died on the trip
their obilparles cln DO read 10 tho Norfolk
papers. Sill it don make ary difference, 70:
you hsvs to pay at the s,mmenccmeDt iIaterd
Of tho ED Of the voyage, aud tho company
don't lose.
| got ashore alive as I hav, ssid ffcm the |
CID raft at Groves L,odipg. sems eighty miles
from Richmond. and am q guest at Carter 3 |
Grove, one of the oldest bsronoll residence |
that Iine James River. and whose history is |
cosvsl With all the brillisns7 and romano, Of the
arcient regime. The glamour dsepers oyer that
go!den sgs as time goes by, and few oan sit 10
these lofty rooms. sod spscious chambers aud
not feel their fsucy struck AID imagination
II IL J. E,I al