The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1884-05-22
The Run Of Squad No. 1.

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the Excelsiors to beat the time
made By Squad No. 2 last week. los
The rain was gently falling when
the squad appeared on the pub
lie square a little past six o'clock,
but as it struck the red hot ardor
of the Excelsiors it lissed and
fried and glanced off to their
uniforms which, being less imper-
vious, soon displayed tie muscular
development of the boys to the adj
miring spectators that lined the
curbing below the Court House.
The engine was fired up and the
coming squad went prancing to its
place in Boundary street, under the
escort of one Of the judges, and nu-
merous yells that actually rent the
clouds and sent them scurrying with
their rain.
We have it from good authority
that runners were placed at the
starting post and the corners along
the track, by Squad No. 2, whose
business it was to run p0rt paS$u
with No. l, and see that there was
no sharp practice.
The engineer signaled that he
was ready; the Judge at the starting
point tagged the 'start;;" and Squad
/ just flowed down Nance street as
gently SIS any stream you ever saw.
The accompanying runners set off
at 2.40 dash but soon found that
something was wrong. and when
they came down the home stretch
they were running like potato vines
in dry weather. The squad came
steadily on with damp, unbroken
front. 1t was passed on the track
by Maj. S, who gave it the encour-
aging assurance that it was making
dashed good time. The wheels Of
the reel split the mud-and all was
excitement at the grand stand.
The running squad, believing that
the race was not to the swift, made
haste too slowly, and failed to get
to the end Of the hose ahead Of the
water. Here they made the serious
mistake Of trying to screw the noz-
zle on solid stream of water. The
undertaking was hazardous. The
stream was not properly threaded
and it began to squirt in all direc-
tions in search of dry clothing. The
director was drencLed; several fire.
men locked as if they, like 'drown-
ed honor" had been dragged up
from SCOTS Creek by the locks;
and one of the judges was knocked
out of time, and his Judicial aspira-
tions dampened beyond recognition
Time, three minutes.
Squad No. 1 had a walk over"
but made foul at the nozzle-in
fact, two or three genuine feather
less water fowls. Squad No. 2 said
it didn't propose to be walked over,
if it was muddy, and that it would
not accept any such medal; squad
No. l said "you're another where
! aon the matter was referred to
I'D Ie Judges who had not been put
. | ia solid stream of water.
"I " -@ae deliberation the medal
was s'Hf HpfresSFyseesd to the President Of
the company, for the company;
and this is convincing proof that
squad No. was right in supposing
that the medal is not always for
the swift.
We think the whole thing was
unfortunate. The medal. which is
costly and handsome, was offered
by our generous and public spirited
council-and the most liberal spirit
should have characterized the con-
testants. The ground was muddy
Monday, and the members of Squad
l, say they could not run-but were
expected to run and had to 60 over
the course. No. 2 says they were
not obliged to run; and so the
matter goes.