Smyrna times., 1888-08-01
The Rehoboth Excursion.

The Association of Railroad Conduc-
tors in their effort to get up a big ex-
cursiOn to RehOboth last Thursday.
quite over did the thing. 1t would
have been enough to have taken the
road from Wilmington down, but
when they determined to compass the
whole Peninsula and with limited
transportation huddle between four
and five thousand people on an isolat-
ed ocean beach where there are only
two or three public houses, they quite
overdid the thing. One or two heavily
loaded excursion trains at most is as
much as the road or the place could
well take care of. There was a train
of eleven closely packed cars from
Franklin City, another of sixteen cars
from Delmar, and there were three
trains Of similar or larger size from
Wilmington and gathered up from all
the stations down. The car that left
Smyrna short after eight o'clock did
not reach RehObOth until ten minutes
of one o'clock, nearly five hours, and
1t was about the same time i'm getting
ln--ahOut half past eleven. 1t was pub
lished the day before that stops would
be made at no stations below Harring-
ton, but they did at them all, and
hense some of the trains were two
hours or more late in getting there. 1t
was fortunate thing that a large part
of the visitors took their provisions
with them on picnic style. Many who
did not, spent most of their time at the
beach in vain search for a dinner, for
the hotels had neither seating nor eat
ing capacity for one quarter of those
who made application, and they wan
dered about hungry, ill-humored and
IN no condition to enjoy the place, and
hence many uncomplimentary things
were said, that as a watering place Re
hOboth was in no ways responsible for
Such an excursion as that would have
crowded Cape May in a corner.
The getting home was worse than
| getting down, as tedious as that was
The time for the train was stated to be
$50 o'clock. At five o'clock a LONG
train of the Wilmington section was
filled and had for some time, and very
properly moved Off Another train
was speedily filled without making any
very visible impression on the crowd
They thought when the time had come
it would go, but it did not bulge
Then another long train was run dOwI
along side it, which by dilligent in
| quiry it was found out was for Delmar
1t was likewise speedily filled still nc
train moved and it was near half pas
six o'clock before there was ANYTHING
| like a forward movement and ther
the Delmar train went first with al
the engine could draw, that or at leas
the train following it stopping at tn,
edge OF the town, at the depot, and a
the opposite side, it being nearly half
past nine before getting away from
Harrington. The general remark was
that there was no responsible or a
least visible head to the management
no announcements were made as L
when, where or what trains would
move, an Individual inquiry had to bt
depended on with numerous change
from one train to another. 1t wa
this fear Of getting left with an ute
lndehniteness as to whether ther,
would be others to come, that caused
these to be crowded, many having t,
stand up all the way home. This wa
a little hard on those who had beer
fasting since an early breakfast. Th,
large crowd that was left was carried
away at a later hour. a.. 1t was an unfor
tunate excursion from being overdone
for excursions in general and the con
ductOrs in particular if the people any
thing like keep their minds about go
ing on another to RehOboth. 1t mus
he said however to the credit of tn
Conductors that there were twice a
many to patronize them as they ex
pected. They had simply underrate,
their drawing capacity.