Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1890-08-22


business en- Thursday. Among the features
Of the second days session was the presen.
tation to Comrade William Warner ola clock /
and candelabrA. In the evening the dele
gates had their banquet at Mechanics Build /
Ing.
Friday.
Friday was a great day for old Plymouth. |
The crowd was too big for her 70 handle |
with anything like ease aud comfort. Great |
preparations had been made for the excursion |
of the delegates 10 the Grand Army encamp |
ment, but no one anticipated 50 great Q |
throng.
II took eight special trains to bring the |
yisitors-threc from Boston and five from |
other places along the line of the Old Colony. |
These trains carried 90 cars, and the number |
OF passengers must have been quite 5000. In |
addition to this the regular trains brought |
In great crowds, and the population Of the |
adjacent towns came in as best they could |
in the electric cars, In carriages aud on foot. |
It is estim sted that there were 10000 stran. |
gers in town. 1t was a mighty crowd TO |
care for The grand old town Is as full OF |
public spirit, patriotism and hospitality as
could be wished, and she let herself out TO |
do the best thing possible for the veterans.
The town was decorated with gay bunting |
from one end to the other. Flags foated |
from every window, and the public squares
were radiant with color.
The factories were closed, and little bust.
ness Of any kind except to feed the multi.
tude was attempted.
The objective point was Norton's field,
where an immense clambske was In prepa-
ration. In the field were arranged SO tables,
each capable of accommodating 100 people.
The bake contained 1000 buckets OF clans.
I barrels OF common potatoes, barrels of
sweet potatoes and $3.50 ears Of corn. In
addition there was provided 10 barrels OF
bread, 500 watermelons aud 223 gallons Of
coffee. Barrels filed with ice water were
placed among the tables. The crowd watched
the bake with great interest. Quite . num-
Der present said they had never before seen
q cl m.
A black cloud had begun to creep up the
western horizon q short time before, and
now II took on threatening proportions.
Just as the edibles were being taken out of
the bake rain drops. immense In size, began
to fall, Each place was provided with q
wooden plate and big tin dipper. With
these utensils the crowd scooped the ediblcs
off the tables, and crawled under them to c.
cape the rain. No seats were provided for
the feeders, nor was there any shelter over
head.
The clambake was served right in the
open air. II was q comical sight to see the
thousands Of men and women hubble unde-
the tables, each OF them now and then raisf
3 mess of clans. The shower lasted but 8
few minutes. and the sun came out again
boiling hot The way the coffee disappeared
Is some indication Of the rapacity OF the
crowd. II was brewed in an old building
standing In the field, and it was the intention
tables In water pals. Fifteen big pots were
brewed, each holding Is gallons.
Before the walters got an opportunity TO
distribute it at the tables the crowd swooped
down upon the old house. The faucet OF
each pot was turned and the coffee was
drunk up in jify; not man In dozen got
taste OF it. There were probably $500 or
1000 people on the field. They all took
things in a jolly mood and were bound TO
be contented, no matter what happened.
After the bake WAS over, the crowd began 70
gravitate toward Boston.
Saturday.
There was hustle but no confusion on
board the men o. war In the morning.
Promptly at $50 the work of getting under
way was carried on In unison. The Atlanta
was first to get her anchor aweigh. One by
one the other vessels completed the Same
man9uvre, and the ships began their trip
toward the lower BAY, the Atlanta leading,
followed by the Kearsarge, Yorktown,
Petrol, Dolphin and Cushing. The signals
from the Atlanta announced each m,n9uvre
TO the other yesses of the feet, which were
highly interesting, but too lengthy TO
chronicle.
The most astonishing part Of the exercises
made some Of the astonished spectators jump
high In the air. The big S-inch guns Of the
Atlanta went off and Jared things until It
seemed like dynamite explosion under the
hulls Of the different vessels. The report
was tremendous. 1t was the first time In
Gle Sam had wasted powder In his guns In
| rhn rtrtl If
was the only ammunition, but blank car
fridge for modern s-inch rife contains no
small quantity Of powder.
About l25 pounds is fired away at every
discharge, and the smoke that springs out
from a couple Of these guns Is sufficient
almost to enshroud the vessel and hide her
from sight All the ships participated In the
firing, the little old muzZe-loaders OF the
Kearsarge striving to keep up her reputation
as silence-breaker. Her guns are DIN. bore,
but the charge Of powder sufficient to fire
the shell discharged from them 10 less than
10 pounds. The Gin. guns of the others re-
quire 100 pounds Of powder for every dis
| charge.
After some rapid firing by the Gatlinss
and the Botchkiss revolving cannons, a.
we'll as the larger pieces, the Gushing. which
had taken up her position left Of the squad
| ron, sped OF TO show how fast she could 20.
| Down the line of the feet she sped, increas-
Ing her gait until she fairly seemed to fly.
The water rushed away from her bow on
both sides Ike the waves Of rapid, and the
| big seas swclled up from astern until people
wondered how so small We sci could kick
up such ar awful fuss. Her low hull, with
scarcely anything visible above water, Is apt
| to give the ignorant the impression that she
won amount TO much. But she does. and
she can cleave the water at Q rate that few
ocean steamers can approach.
Everybody was pleased with the apparent
| ease with which she was handled and the
manner in which she darted around from
port to starboard and back again, with the
rspidity Of whirlwind.
The trial completed, the band on the New
York struck up the Star Spangled Banuer'
and 1.-THE Girl Left Behind Me-" the pas
gers cheering gleefulIy as the Atlanta slowly
turned her PROV toward the sea, her crew
peering through the portfolios and waving
their hats from the forecaste deck.
The series OF entertainment rendered the
Grand Army veterans during encampment
week were brought to a close Saturday by o
delightful allday excursion down the har.
Dor, out into the open sea, returning by way
OF Marblehead harbor, in the commodious
side-wheel steamer New York. The steamer
| was not crowed, and the veterans were In
their jolliest mood. They enjoyed every.
thing, from the splendid and novel spectacle
OF the naval evolutions Of the cruisers, down
to the genuine Boston clam chowder, which
was served in quantity amply sufficient for
all on board.
Probably the happest man on deck was
Comrade w. Fl. Beasley Of Ithaca, Mich,
who had o premonition as soon az he crossed
the gangpiank that he had been there
before. So c'rtain was he Of II that he
secured the old steamer from deck to coal
bunkers, until he found the chief engineer
who had been on her since 1885, and from
him he learned that the New York was the
truce boat in 1854 that carried three lots OF
exchanged prisoners Of war from City Point,
Va, to Annapolis, Md. Beasley was then
one Of those exchanged prisoners. He was