The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-07-17
DOWN THE BAY
Crouch's Chapel Excursion.

So high last Tuesday rs To favor the theory
that somehow Mason X Dixon'S line had
changed places with the equator; so when
Wednesday morning dawned upon the
parched and shriveled earth, most every
one that could, thought they had better &c
down to Colchester and rrcuperate their
wasted energies, lest, if they did not, per
chance they might evaporatr. For this and
many other reasons the excursion that day
was the largest Of the season.
About fifteen minutes before 8 o'clock
| Captain Cunditf ordered his deck hands to
cast of the lines that moored the Chester to
the wharf and steamed off down the river,
notwithstanding the boat was advertised to
leave at o'clock. by the Captain count,
there were $50 on board when the boat
left the landing, and rs her capacity was
limited to five hundred, and upwards of Il
| hundred We're expected to get on board at
the landings further down the river, the
Captain thought it best to run no risk of
violating the law and put off n little early
were left at Elk Landing put whip to their
teams and reached Frenchtown in time to
get on board. Three young men of Elkton,
| who We're Il few minutes too late, resolved
to go, notwithstanding this, SO they took
the OIL train for Baltimore and reached
Colchester on the Pilot Boy in time to re-
turn home on the Chester. Probably about
| fifty diSconsolate persons We're left on the
| wharf, and the worst of the matter was
that in II few eases families We're divided
from each other, in others from the baskets
containing their provisions. Altogether
about SiXscore got on board at various points
! further down the river so that as it was
the Chester had her full complement of pas
sengres.
The run down the bay was delightfully."-
cool and refreshing. Colchester was reached
Il few minutes after midday. 1t has lost
none of its attractions, and we were not
surprised to hear some of the excursionists,
who visited it that day for the first time,
express themselves as being agreeably sur
prised, because it was so much more beau
tiful and pleasant than they expected to
find it.
1t was Il day of mishaps throughout. The
boat was to have left at ) o'clock, but ow-
ing to the low tide she was found to be
aground, and it was not until half an hour
later that she was fully atoat with her
PROV heading toward Elk river. Five in
dividuals from Baltimore mistook the Giles
ter for the Pilot Boz and found their mis-
take when they We're well up the Elk river.
y gentleman recently from the Emerald
Isle, but now a resident of Elkton, mistak-
ing Town Point wharf for Elk Landing,
went ashore there. He reached Chesapeake
City sometime in the night and came home
the next morning.
Without any desire to censure Captain
Cundiff unjustly, we believe his action in
leaving the wharf earlier than the advel-
tiSed hour, was arbitrary. and unustited
by the circumstances Mr.. Crouch, who
projected this excursion, informs that
less than five hundred tickets had been ac-
tually disposed of, and that if every ticket
had been presented by person, the Chester
would only have had her full complement
of passengers. Ifthis be the fact, Capt. Gun
diff was bound to wait his full time at the
wharf, and carry them, and his refusal to
honor the tickets presented was not iustiti-
able on his sole and unsupported statement
that he already had on board all that the
law allowed him to carry. Proper caution
in the premises is, of course, commendable,
and no reasonable man would censure him
for even undue carefulneSs, but those who
..l,n Stan lnr NJ,
that steamboat captains are bound to re
spect
The charterers of the Chester had right
to tally the passengers as well as Captain
Cunditi. 1t was to his interest to carry rs
few us possible his charter price being the
passengers on board. 1t was his duty, see
ing the crowd, to afford those who were in
tereSted in the success of the excursion an
opportunity to count the cXcursionists as
well As himself. This was the only course
possible to prevent trouble and mis'nder-
standing. As it is, Capt. Cunditf's arbi-
trary action has created considera BILE prejll-
dice against his vessel, which need not have
been, had he been more courteous and shown
more willingness to accord others the right
which he solely claimed himself. There
was no desire upon the part of the eNcur-
sionists to overload his vessel and involve
him in any penal violation of law. But
they had Il right to verify the number Oh
board rs we'll rs he, which being DONE no.
body would have been disappointed. In
this connection, Mr.. Crouch desires us to
say that parties holding unredeemed tickets
at the wharf at So'clock should present them
to him for redemption.
The boat reached Elk Landing without
anything else to mar the pleasure of the trip
about 10 o'clock.