The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-26
1T WAS A MERRY XMAS.
HOW sAvANNAHIANS CELEBRAT-
ED THE DAY.


Bright Weather and Happy Crowds
Greet Santa Claus - Business Sus-
pended and the City Takes a Rest
The Day in the Churches - Devout
Worshipers, Beautiful Music and
Elaborate Observation-Disclosures Char.
ity's Work-The Gloom of the Prison
Cell and the Hospital Ward Lightened
for a Few Hours - The Children's
Merry Making-Th Fireworks and
Nominations - The Day with the
Police.
Not in many years has there been a
brighter Christmas day than yesterday was.
IA merry Christmas"
The same to you, and many of them. -
These were the greetings that were re-
peated over and over again. And a right
merry Christmas it was, too Everybody
seemed happy, everybody was glad. Per-
haps the beauty of the day had something
to do with the universal felicity. Every
church that celebrates Christmas had its
congregation of worshipers.
The big business houses were closed all
day, and the Bay looked as it does on Sun
day. The retail houses were open until
i
was thronged in the morning and the gro
GERS were rushed to fill their orders. By
noon, though, the rush was over, and the
only places that kept open after that were
the fruit stores and the saloons, and they
did thriving business all day. Broughton
and Congress streets and Market square
were as deserted in the afternoon as they
are on Sunday.
TEE AFTERNOON PROMENADE
Bull street and the Park were quite the
opposite. They were throngeo with prom
enaders. The residence portion of the city
was as orderly as it was down town, except
for the cracking of fire peppers, the snap of
torpedoes and the toot of the Internal
Christmas horn. The small boy was at his
best, ard he kept close watch of the piles
of barrels and boxes stored away in
back yards until nightfall, when the
bonfires were lighted and blazed
in every square south of Liberty street, fire.
works were set off and the air was filled
with Roman candles, fire balls and rockets.
Pulaski, Chatham, Madison, Troup and
Calhoun squares and the park extension
were like solid blocks of fire..
The police did the best they could to en-
force the ordinance prohibiting the shoot
ing of peppers north of Liberty street, but
in spite of all they could do the small boy
had his way and from Bryan street south
it was pop, bang, fzz, all day long and from
night falluntil midnight.
LAST NIGHTS FESTIVITIES
The park extension was lit up on all sides
by bontires and fireworks displays, and
there was hardly an open lot in the south
ern part of the city that did not have an
illumination of some kind.
= Troup square was probably the most
brilliantly illuminated of any in the CITY.
The young men and boys had collected fully
600 barrels for their bonfire, and Hon. J. j.
McDonuugh had, with his usual liberality,
provided hogshead of rosin and a wagon
load of fireworks, which illuminated that
part Of the city brilliantly from dark until
nearly midnight There were some very
fine pieces in the collection. 1t is estimated
that Mr.. McDonough provided not less than
$3.50 worth of fireworks for the young folks
of Troup square, and he witnessed the fes-
tivities that gladdened the hearts of the
celebrators with as much interest as he has
done every Christmas night for the past five
or six years.
AROUND THE JASPER MONUMENT.
The celebration Madison square was
hardly second to that in Troup square.
There was fully as much enthusiasm about
the Jasper monument, but the fireworks
were not donated. everyone setting Off his
own, and they were of great variety and lit
UP the ruins of the old government bar
racks, which is being demolished. The boys
at this square had collection OF some 200
barrels for their bonfire
The boys of Washington square were in
the interdicted limit, and under the ordi-
nance could set off their fireworks only
under a ban, but as the police had graver
responsibilities than arresting the boys, the
ordinance was honored more in the breach
than in the observance. The Washington
square boys had bonfire, and in order that
it might vie in brilliancy with
those south of Liberty street, they
rolled off a barrel of coal tar
distillate from Broughton street just before
nightfall, and concealing it in safe place
utilized their prize in sections, keeping a
wary lookout for the ''cops" The Southern
Vulcanite Asphalt Paving Company may
be big corporation, but it has no terrors
for the bohemians of Washington square,
1T WAS NOT ALL QUIET.
The outskirts of the city were not so quiet
as 1t was farther down town The corner
groceries did not lack customers, and some
sections Of Yamacraw, Frogtown and the
Old Fort fairly howled.
A good many people spent the day indoors,
and a good many didn't. The number of
turkeys that was eaten can hardly be esti-
mated, but it is way up into the thousands.
So many turkeys have never been
sold before in Savannah and many a
strutting old gobbler, whose tough joints
resisted the carver's knife, came back last
night, and stood upon the stomach of the
Christmas feaster in his dreams, and COB
bled in his ears
1t was a delightful Christmas socially,
and there was hardly parlor in the city
that was not thrown open to entertain.
From South Broad street south the streets
were filed early in the evening with
promenaders, and glimpses of bright par
Tors, decorated with evergreens and holly,
and pretty Christmas trees laden with gifts,
told how everybody kept the day. 1t was
merry Christmas this of 1885.