The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-07-29
ON THE JERSEY SHORE.
Swimming in the S~urf-Some Advice to Bat
ers Who Attempt to Breast the Breakers.

ON THE JERSEY SHORE.
Swimming in the Surf-Some Advice to Bath
ers who Attempt to Breast the Breakers.
Correspondence of the indianapolis Journal.
OCEAN BEACH. n. j., July 25.-I. is q
common thing for the papers of New York and
Philadelphia, not 70 mention other localities, to
poke fun at New Jersey, but it would be q cold
day for q good many people if New Jersey were
blo,ted from the map. To speak less fgurative-
lv and more accurately, it would be a pretty
hot day for the Gothamites and Quakers If they
had 10 Long Branch, Atlantic City. Cape May
and intermediate points to p~atronize during the
heated term. This is one of the intermediate
points. It lies three miles south Of Ocean Grove
and Asbury Park-of csmp-meetine fame.
Board walks and fine drives run along the beach
for miles, and there are handsome cottages and
great rambling hotels in the most unlooked-f for
places. Charges are quite reasonable at
this point. and. indeed, are not exorbitant
at any of the other places that l have
visited so far. A fourseated vehicle carried
nine of Us about eighteen miles yesterday. for
So. A sail boat and captain can be secured on
Shark river for half a day for So. The seating
CAPACITY of such a vessel is something like that
of an omnibus. always room for one more. but
twenty persons would not be uncomfortably
crowded in it. the rates at the hotels vary
from 81 a week up lowell, / haven't played
the limit yet in that direction. In regard to
the $7-a-week board / can say that it is superior
to much at 81 a day that / have sampled at var
ious resorts in the West. A drive along the
beach from Long Branch down this way is cal
culated to I'LL a man full OF enthusiasm up to
the neck. At Elberon, which is simply a con-
tinuation OF Long Branch. there are some OF
the most beautiful cottages that one could
desire. The green lawns, the flowers nodding in
the sea breeze, the elegant cottages themselves,
with the sea for a back ground, make such a
picture as can hardly be imagined. The cottage
where Garfield died is one of the points Of in
terest, ard the scene he looked upon would surely
have restored him to health if such a thing had
been possible. Descriptions are dull reading at
best. and it would take something more than
word painting to do justice to this glimpse of
fairy land.
Surf bathing is, of course, the great pastime
at the seashore. can hear that swish and roar
of the waves on the beach as l write-about once
every ten seconds. This Is rather rapid work
for a landsman who undertakes to enter it for
the first time; be IS tempted to postpone his
plunge until there is q more reposeful
state Of things. and is likely to regard the bripy
deep as a fraud when he is told that 1T will not
be any more quiet than it is now if you wait a
&C a LAG q 6OknG ~
direct him, he will dash at once beyond the
point where the waves break and then he will
find it rare sport if he is a swimmer. For ono
who cannot swim / am inclined to think it Is q
dangerous experiment., unless there is a rope
handy. Yet ladies and children 60 out without
tear. and cases OF drowning are OF comparative
ly rare occurrence. Quite an excitement was
created a few days ago by a lady being knocked
senseless by the force of q breaker. This is
something that one would think would occur
more frequently than itdoes. Timid persons
insist on standing just about where
the waves break, and when an unusually
large wave comes the shock is terrific Even
when a person is out beyond this point and is
serenely bobbing up and down there occasion
ally appears = wall Of water, say six feet high,
which bear down toward him with a very
threatening air. At such a time the bather has
three courses open to him; he can either duck
down and 60 through the breaker head first. ne
eau brace himself with his shoulder toward has
adversary and try to stand the shock, or else he
can make 2 more or less rapid retreat for terra
frmn. The first time he tries to dive through a
breaker he will be surprised to find what a sim
pie matter it lie, and if he is q sensible man be
will follow that method ever after. If he adopts
the second course he may survive, but be will
not be eager to try. it again. 1t is
in this position that a fellow gets
his breath knocked out of him. The plan OF re-
treating from a breaker is least commendable of
all. The return OF the previous wave inpedes
your progress. and the first thing you know
there Is a roar of many waters in your ears,
Stocktons principle of negative gravity comes
in, aud you proceed helplessly. hopelessly, and
promiscuously shorewArd. About the time you
reach land. get your bearings, and try to stand
uD, there comes the return wave and wallowS
you around in the sand and ~seawee6, inciden-
tally lammiug a good deal of the former into
your eyes and ears. When you finally get out
Of the tolls. and stagger up the beach, you will
see a row of Grinning lunatics sitting there, who
have just been waiting aud longing for some
.-41 - 80 A--@
The sad sea waves are not half 80 sad as the
fellow who has just been sat upon by them, and
then laughed at by the heartless spectators.
The undertow is something that is frequently
mentioned in connection with surf bathing, and
IL seems to me that it is q feature whose dangers
are at once overrated and moderated. l don't
see what n cool-headed swimmer has to fear
from it and | don't see how n person, who can
not swim. dares to go into the surf alone at all.
AS each large wave passes You there is a strong
set of tie waters Immediately afterwards to-
ward the sea. and if a person happens to be near
q hole or step-off 10 the sand, he is quite likely
to be swept into 1t. This need occasion no alarm
10 a swimmer. as he can easily keep afioat until
the next wave carries HIM back toward the
shore. But it is not a pleasant sensation.
and it Is easy To understand how a timid
person might become confused and frightened,
especially when be finds himself drifting help
lessly into the face of a great. dark breaker,
capped with Kissing foam. / have read some
where of IAN angry sea showing its teeth thro'
the waves" Such figures of speech give a
wrong idea of the sea, / think To my mind
the most terrifying thought to = drowning man
must be the one that he is struggling with an
insensate thing, which has no interest in his
condition one way or the other; neither malice
nor pity. He is no more to it than one of the
pebbles on the sand. and the roar OF the surf is
neither a shout of victory nor a dirge.
That neverceasing roll of the breakers is
more impressive than any writer has ever been
able 20 tell. Byron's apostrophe to the ocean is
tame by the side of il. If one must have some
quotation for such occasions there is none more
appropriate than:
Would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me-"
But in this practical age there is little time
for poetry. and even the people who stand
eolemply along the beach, abandon at times
whatever of sober feeling and thought they may
have had. and make a plaything of the
bounding pillows. There are various games
which may be played on the sand, but l think
the most exhilarstipg one was invented by one
Of our party since coming here. 1t consists in
following a recedipg wave as far as possible and
then thrusting a stick into the sand. The other
members OF the party then take turns in en-
deavoriDg to get the stick out or else place
another one beyond ii. The game 10. of course.
not interesting unless the players are dressed
in clothes which they do not want to
get wet. Before long some daring individual is
certain TO be caught by the breakers. and the