, 1891-03-05
AN ICE DELAY.
a~~ the State of the North River Innu-
ences E~uropean TraNeI

ences European Travel
New dangers are often added to the
undertaking of a European tour by the
presence of ice in the North river. II you
think that a fanciful proposition you
should have been with me when ! went
over TO Hoboken.
1t was a cold day and the river was
pretty full Of ice-a good deal fuller than
1t had been the day before-a fact that
some OF my fellow passengers learned to
their surprise and agony when it was too
late. Why agony, unless the boat was
smashed Because they were crossing to
take an outgoing steamer. They were three
well dressed, gentlemanly fellows-that is,
they were very geutlemanly when they
came aboard with their sticks and their
rugs and their umbrellas neatly strapped
up, and their handbags shining like Xmas
presents with silver initials.
They sat down together, and one pulling
out his watch remarked easily that they
had plenty Of time, and another one said
that IL was "beastly to be so early, don't
you know, with all the fellows that are
bores, you know, hanging around talking
TO you for hours" and the third said, Yes,
and the plank was always so choked with
the visitors you couldn't find your state
room without a lot Of fuss, and that a
steamer the hour before she sailed was the
best place for pickpockets in the world,
and that he never wanted to be on hand
fifteen minutes before the gangplank was
drawn in"
Meanwhile the boat had drawn out and
was putting on steam to crush her way
through the ice. The three gentlemanly
fellows had done everything just as they
had meant to, and were beautifully salts
fled with themselves, but they did not
seem to know a great deal about ice in the
North river. Pretty soon the boat stopped
that is she ceased to go forward, n as
one of the passengers said, began to chaw
on the ice" The ice did not seem to mind
It, neither at first did the three ocean bound
travellers. But time went on and the boat
didn't, and after a while it began to strike
them that this was n bad combination, and
that il it kept up long enough it might be
nconvenient.
One went out of the cabin saying he was
going to find somebody to ask about things.
This Napoleonic measure did not percept-
IDLY increase our all but im~perceptible
progress. When he same back the three
looked ut each other very blankly, then
they looked at rheir watches and looked
banker. They did not seem to find much
consolation in conversation. They began
%tramping about uneasily. One discovered
that from a window they could see their
steamer lying at her dock. They all stared
at her in turn long and earnestly. Still
the boat "chawed" on the ice. Then NUT
terings Of profanity could be heard from
their once gentlemauly lips.
At last the boat forged ahead for a few
feet, and the trio in woe looked each other
in the face and smiled once more. When
progress again stopped Inc the "chawing"
was renewed their last estate was worse
than their first. When finally, by backings
and startings and many maneuvers that
all consumed time, we got into the clear
water they looked ten years older than
they did when we left New York. Never
had a trip to Europe used up more vitality
in the same length Of time. They tried to
exchange a few words about the improba-
bility of the steamer leaving exactly on
time, but their voices seemed to stick in
their threats, and IL was plain to any mar
with a watch in his pocket and an adver.
tisement Of the line in his paper that they
were still left, even II the steamer should
be a good many minute late.
When at last we got in they had their
measures arranged for the best fight they
could make. They had taken all their
traps and bags to some employee on the
ferryboat to keep till called for, only put.
ting in their pockets some small things
from their contents, for carriages and
hacks are not common around that part of
Hoboken, and they were wise enough to
prepare for the run that they soon took.
They started from the boat at very nearly
full speed, in spite of cheerful warnings
from fellow passengers, newsboys and
others to save their wind. A number of
them followed at a lesser speed to see how
they came out. A cry of stop thief was
raised by an unenlightened H~obokener,
but he was choked off. The three gentle
manly fellows were for the time hardened
to all the slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune. Not so when one of them had to
come back alone. He was shorter and
fatter han his companions; they flew over
the wavering gangplank just as it was
trembling on the very point Of retirement
from public service. He didn't. He re-
turned mid expressions of sympathy from
the interested populace to hunt up the man
plenty of time to consider what he'd do
next.-New York Herald.