The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-25
THE FESTIVALS FINALE.
THE RAIN INTERPRETERS WITH THE
FIREWORKS DISPLAY.

Closing Events of Jasper Week-The
Gun Club Contests Partly Finished
and Postponed Until To-Day-The
Promenade Concert at the Park
Eight Thousand People Go Out to
See the Fireworks and are Driven
Away by the Rain.
The Jasper Festival came to a close last
night in a drenching rain The fireworks
were down on the programme as the grand
finale
The park extension was thronged with
| people who crowded upon the ropes until
they gave way, and the plaza from the Con-
! federate monument nOrthward was one
solid mass of people. To therear, groups of
people from tens to ffCies were scattered
about the inclosure, Forsyth Park had its
full contingent, the seats being occupied,
and men and boys climbed trees to get
better view of the display.
The plat around the monument, the base
and half way up was black with people.
Wherever there was a projection men and
| boys sat, and it was a picturesque sight as
! the illumination preceding the discharge
| OF the bombs and rockets reflected its sheen
upon the monument and brought out in
| full relief the dense mass that sur
rounded it. Red and green lights were
| burned in the park i'll the rear of the stand
where the Second Artillery Band discoursed
music during the evening entertainment.
THE ILLUMINATION.
Promptly at s o'clock the Park was
Illuminated, bombs were sent skyward and
exploded with a sound like artillery, the
band played and the crowd cheered wildly.
But the clouds were lowering, stray rain
drops began TO fail, ara the more timid
raised their umbrellas. This was provoking
to thousands, who kept shouting PUT down
that umbrella" and whenever one was
raised it was greeted with shouts of put it
down. There was one umbrella that re-
fused to surrender. The bold youth who
kept it raised had climbed one of the small
trees in the Park extension, and like the
Alpine youth, kept the umbrella alOft AS
it did not obstruct the view, that particular
umbrella kept its place, and was not dis
lodged until the young scape-grace was
literally washed out of the tree.
THE AERIAL DISPLAY.
The aerial display was all that could be
| expected. The rockets performed their work
well, and the view was grand and roman
tic. The fiery yews and willows descended
| gracefully mingling with the foliage of the
| pines, and boquets of varied colors were
showered i'll profusion about the place.
Fiery serpents writhed and gyrated through
the air or went with spifAl swiftness over
the Park, while falling stars and meteors
kept the sky ablaze with light The fixed
fireworks, however refused 10 do their part
to full measure of the design. The 81"
| in the casper Festival refused to come
out although the rest of the piece was beau
tiful, and before the many colored letters
ceased their illumination q shower of green
fire descending i'll great beauty kindled the
enthusiasm of the crowds which cheered
and cheered again.
| TOO WET TO BURN
The mosaic rosette burned well, and its
| revolving rosettes and many cOlored and
beautiful priSms were enhancing The
eclochia wheel burned slowly and the fire
did not communicate to some of its parts
Our Country Cousias' refused to perform
their part of the programme. What is true
of these is true of all the fixed fireworks
except the Maltese cross, which was perfect
in its every part, and which drew cheer
after cheer from the spectators. The rain
| which had been threatening soon began to
fall, and there was general raising of UNI
brellas, Many who were unfortunate in
not having any retreated hastily from the
grounds. The band struck up Dixie and
this seemed TO act like magic on the people.
| who cheered the music more vociferously
than they had applauded the fireworks. AS
the clouds grew backer and the rain be-
came heavier, all idea of carrying out the
programme was abandoned and soon the
sky was one blaze of stars, meteors bombs,
boquets, yew and milen trees, serpents, and
liquid fire, and everything that would burn
was touched off. BY this time the rain de
scended in torrents, and the thoroughly
drenched crowd, amid the falling of rockets
beat hasty and inglorious retreat.
DID THE BEST THEY COULD.
A MORNING NEWS reporter interviewed
the two thoroughly disguised experts who
had charge of the fire works, under a tree
where they had taken refuge, to hear what
they had to say. They were both very much
mortified over the result. 1t had rained on
the fixed fire works nearly all day, and
| nothing better could be expected They
had, however, fired everything that was
down on the programme, and had to do it
hurriedly, or 1t would have bean even less
satisfactory. The people, recognizing the
situation, seemed satisfied that no better
display could have been expected, and in
deed the aerial display was one of the finest
ever witnessed in this section.
OF the thousands who assembled to wit
ness the display, few escaped a thorough
drenching, and an umbrella offered but a
small protection. Pouring out of the park
they crowded the street cars and stores and
|
der the arches of church doors, poured into
the corner groceries-anywhere to get out
of the downpour which, driven by a strong
wind, penetrated to the skin. While the
fireworks display was worth seeing, the peo-
pie paid dearly for it, 1t was the grand
finale of the three days festival which opened
with a shower and closed in a flood.
THE PRo'-ENADE CONCERT.
The promenade concert at the Park YES
terday afternoon by the Second United
States Artillery Band was attended by
crowds of people. The Park south of the
fountain was n solid mass of people. There
is no band platform in the Park and the
music could not be heard to advantage on
account of the dense crowds which com
pletely hemmed in the musicians. The pro
gramme was admirably arranged and its
execution was finely done. The band is one
of the finest anywhere in the country.
Fifteen Years a Sufferer From Rheu-
matiSm.
What Hon w TT IVil6ar Movo, of Al