Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Story
July 8, 1901
The Jersey City News
Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey
What is this article about?
In Ocean Grove, police prevent five men in a boat from landing on Sunday, enforcing camp meeting rules, sparking humorous arguments about the association's control over beach and sea rights.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
KEEP OFF, IT'S OCEAN GROVE
Visitors in a Steam Launch Can't Land on Sunday.
An Asbury Park dispatch to the Newark "Sunday News" of yesterday says:-
It was about eleven o'clock last Sunday morning when a small boat put out from a steam launch off Ocean Grove, apparently intent on reaching the shore. There were five men in the boat, and a crowd gathered on the beach to witness the landing.
Hardly had the boat got within hailing distance of the beach than four policemen rushed to the water's edge and raised their hands in warning.
"Keep off, keep off," they cried. "You can't land here."
The men in the boat stopped rowing and a man in the rear seat began to talk excitedly.
"Keep away—Sunday, Ocean Grove,"
shouted the policemen.
No sooner were the words "Ocean Grove" carried over the water than the men in the boat made frantic efforts to turn around and put out to sea. In this they were finally successful, and it was remarked by several witnesses of the incident whose eyesight had not been impaired by the severe test of time that there was a general exchange of congratulations when the men rejoined their friends on the steam launch. In a minute the launch steamed rapidly away, the skipper being apparently impressed with the idea that he had struck a strange piece of coast, and that the natives were savage aborigines, who, if he repeated the experiment of landing, might come after his boat with bows and arrows and tomahawks.
"Suppose that boat had been backed out and wrecked in the surf and the men were drowned, who would be responsible?" inquired a bystander on the beach.
"Providence, sir," answered an old-time Ocean Grover.
And this led to a long argument on the rights and privileges of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, and whether the three-mile limit law ran three miles out to sea, or whether the government had riparian rights on the beach and whether an aeronaut caught in a storm overhead would be permitted to drop in the sacred city or whether he would inevitably be forced to pursue his journey heavenward.
The consensus of opinion, in view of the boat incident, seemed to be that if the association controlled riparian rights to such an arbitrary degree they could also draw an imaginary line overhead and send a balloon sky high if it crossed the Sunday chalk mark.
"Gracious! is that so?" interpolated an irreverent listener.
"Suppose an angel should come down, would they let him in?"
This was a poser and the crowd dispersed in positive bewilderment.
Visitors in a Steam Launch Can't Land on Sunday.
An Asbury Park dispatch to the Newark "Sunday News" of yesterday says:-
It was about eleven o'clock last Sunday morning when a small boat put out from a steam launch off Ocean Grove, apparently intent on reaching the shore. There were five men in the boat, and a crowd gathered on the beach to witness the landing.
Hardly had the boat got within hailing distance of the beach than four policemen rushed to the water's edge and raised their hands in warning.
"Keep off, keep off," they cried. "You can't land here."
The men in the boat stopped rowing and a man in the rear seat began to talk excitedly.
"Keep away—Sunday, Ocean Grove,"
shouted the policemen.
No sooner were the words "Ocean Grove" carried over the water than the men in the boat made frantic efforts to turn around and put out to sea. In this they were finally successful, and it was remarked by several witnesses of the incident whose eyesight had not been impaired by the severe test of time that there was a general exchange of congratulations when the men rejoined their friends on the steam launch. In a minute the launch steamed rapidly away, the skipper being apparently impressed with the idea that he had struck a strange piece of coast, and that the natives were savage aborigines, who, if he repeated the experiment of landing, might come after his boat with bows and arrows and tomahawks.
"Suppose that boat had been backed out and wrecked in the surf and the men were drowned, who would be responsible?" inquired a bystander on the beach.
"Providence, sir," answered an old-time Ocean Grover.
And this led to a long argument on the rights and privileges of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, and whether the three-mile limit law ran three miles out to sea, or whether the government had riparian rights on the beach and whether an aeronaut caught in a storm overhead would be permitted to drop in the sacred city or whether he would inevitably be forced to pursue his journey heavenward.
The consensus of opinion, in view of the boat incident, seemed to be that if the association controlled riparian rights to such an arbitrary degree they could also draw an imaginary line overhead and send a balloon sky high if it crossed the Sunday chalk mark.
"Gracious! is that so?" interpolated an irreverent listener.
"Suppose an angel should come down, would they let him in?"
This was a poser and the crowd dispersed in positive bewilderment.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Social Manners
What keywords are associated?
Ocean Grove
Sunday Restrictions
Police Warning
Steam Launch
Camp Meeting Association
Beach Debate
Where did it happen?
Ocean Grove
Story Details
Location
Ocean Grove
Event Date
Last Sunday
Story Details
A small boat from a steam launch attempts to land in Ocean Grove on Sunday with five men aboard, but police warn them off due to Sunday restrictions, leading to frantic retreat and beachside debate on the Camp Meeting Association's authority over the shore and sea.