Evening journal., 1889-08-12
CROWDS IN THE WOODS.
Ten Thousand People at
Brandywine Summit.
BEAUTIFI, CLEAR BIG SUNDAY

Those who We're There.
staff correspondence EVENING JOURNAL.
BRANDYwINE SUMMIT CAMP GROUNDS,
August, 12.-The prospects on Saturday
afternoon for a successful big Sunday,
were very dubious. Rain fell in the
morning and the day was one Of clouded
sky and threatening weather. But early
in the evening, the sky cleared, the wind
came out cool from the West, and the
moon shone brightly on the camp all
night.
Sunday morning dawned clear and
beautiful, with every prospect bright for
big crowd and a successful day. As
the sun rose toward the zenith, a cool,
pleasant breeze sprang up. The locusts
hummed their drowsy song In the rust
ling tree tops and the day passed as one Of
those rare, perfect, and restful days that
summer sometimes gives us.
How the Crowd Came.
The people were there. They
crowded the streets and avenues, the
camp entrances and the woods. They
were everywhere, and as for the exact
number of them no man knoweth 1t. At
IL 30 o'clock there were about one thous-
and vehicles on the grounds and about six
Thousand persons. They kept coming in
rapidly and at supper time ten thousand
persons promenaded and visited.
Nearly 1000 people spent the night in
the tents and the crowd began to arrive
early in the morning. About $50 people
came out on the morning trains from
Wilmington. The hacks running from
Granogue station could not accommodate
all. so the majority walked the two miles
or more over hill and dale to the camp.
Numbers came from Wilmington in hacks
which ran all day. From $50 O'CLOCK un-
til late in the afternoon, a steady pro
oession of carriages of every style. came
| through the entrance to the camI
grounds. During the morning the greater
number were from the surrounding coun
try. The camp grounds seemed
/ TO be the Rome TO which
all roads led and along these roads
hundreds Of pilgrims travelled from every
farm house and village within a radius
of ten miles. Beaver Valley, Brandy
wine hundred, Del, Chester and Della
ware counties, Pa, had large representa-
tions
The people came here in all kinds o.
vehicles and turnouts. An observan
person could have great enjoyment by
studying the tide of human freight that
swept into the camp grounds. Stylish
carriages drawn by frey horses were
among country "buggies" and German
Everybody was here except "Bill" Jone
and Dick" Smith, so said a tenter to
reporter.
A countryman drove in in the mornin
with pair Of big dark mules attache
| - II, .
wagon were eleven persons besides dir
ner for them all.
The Concord pike was in a good cor
dition Notwithstanding the heavy rair
The worst part of the drive was th
entrance to the camp grounds, which
still badly fixed up. That rut, previousl
noticed in these columns, was a dee
mud hole, dangerous and ugly. Happil
no broken axles resulted from 1t. Mos
persons paid the necessary twenty fv
cents and had their teams attended to b
the camp employees, but many stage
outside the line and left thei
teams without attention. Ever
hitching place in or near tn
camp was taken by o'clock in the after
noon.
One Of the outside hostlers tried I
start the tide of teams down his way
telling the drivers that the admissio
place was full, but Manager Thoms
McCreas eagle eye found him out, an
the colored man "shut up.
Many people drove out from Whining
; ton in the afternoon, and faces we
known on the city's streets were seen o
the crowded avenues of the camp.
The new system of collecting 2
cents from every driver Of carriag
doubtless did the association good 1t
too early yet to form an estimation {
the total money taken in at the gate bu
the amount was very large. The hostleI
had little more work on hand than the
could manage but everything passed o
quietly. and the horses were attended
without loss. Over FIVE hundred team
were cared for The admission fee {
r % cents included feed for the horsI
Whether every horse was fed is a ques
tion. One colored man told gentlema
who asked that he did not believe
possible to feed all the horses on I'll
grounds in good time,
What the Crowd Did.
The bulk Of the immense crowd col
2 gregated about the tabernacle and mai
( circle. It's various divisions sprea
themselves through every avenue Of Il
= camp. Hundreds visited the kaoli
works, and approaching the deep quar-
with cautious steps peered curiousl
down into its depths. Some ventureson
I small boys performed the hazardous fei
, of going down the almost perpendiculi
sides of the pit to the bottom and clim
5 ing back again without harm. The crow
s attended the religious services |
thousands, many sitting out Of the rans
/, of The speakers voices. Between u
= services the people wandered aimless
y about the grounds and promenaded u
circle in dense crowds. The more 70
n ward of the youths and maidens that hi
b no company cast sleeps eyes at eaC
other and furtively exchanging wink
There were hundreds Of children on Il
4 grounds and they were everywher
threading the crowd with delightf
facility.
I. The day and the place seemed to be
= rendezvous for the people Of all Il
&c country round about. They came
families and greeted each other wit
10 You're quite a stranger | haven't see
" you since last big Sunday" One Ia
l. iank fellow, with a skin tanned by q
summer sun the color of russell leathe
introduced his companion to lone Of n
. cousins that haven't seen for for
= years" Most of the country people lie
!, their teams in the outside grove, and tl
young men, as is the custom. psrad
the camp with their carriage whips
,, their hands, for it is not considered a s.
Is in camp meeting time to steal a go'
J, 1 whip or TO exchange one that is worn o
~ fo,- NNhav. ho hnnp for dim