The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-25
CHRISTMAS EVE J0LLITY.
SAVANNAH TURNS ITSELF LOOSE
The STREETS AS USUAL


Merchants and Shopkeepers Have
Their Annual Rush-The Markers
Gala Day-crackling Bonhres, Pop
pers and lin Horns Make Noise for
Thousands
Christmas eve is the eve Of all ewes in
Savannah, as it is the world over, but
Savannah's Observance is unique and be-
longs to itself. The great festival eve Is
celebrated nowhere else as it is here.
Old Probs did not smile very sWeetly on
the festivities yesterday and last night. but
that did not matter. The fun went
on Just the same. The streets were
thronged with people all day. They were
out early in the morning and they staid out
all day and some Of them good part
of she night It was after midnight before
the retail stores on Broughton street closed,
and it was long after that before the street
had settled down TO quiet and the last
Christmas horn had been blown and the
merry crowds that thronged the streets had
gone home.
The rain couldn't stop Savannah from
celebrating Christmas eve IL it did its
worst, and Il seemed as if it tried to do that
Yesterday. Broughton street, where the
crowds ara greatest on Christmas eve, was
q solid mass Of people last night from dark
until 10 o'clock.
Everybody goes out Christmas eve, and
they were all out last night. Broughton
street did not hold them all Bull street,
Congress, Barnard, Whitaker and all the
down town streets were alive with them,
sightseers and shoppers making their last
Christmas purchases. The sidewalk mer-
chants did a rushing business, and they
kar. 4 all n huU he
home.
BUSY LoT OF PEOPLE.
About the busiest people In the city, and
everybody was busy yesterday from the
highest % the lowest in every sense of the
word, were the express company employees
and the postoffice employees. They were at
work early and they were kept at work late
The postofice employees had the advantage
Of the expressmen, because they have shorter
hours. but they had to rush when they were
at work.
The Southern Express Company's offices,
the receiving office on johnson square,
where all the packages are received for
shipment. and the delivery Office in the
Lowell building ON Broughton street, where
all the city deliveries are made. were in a
rush from the time the offices were opened
in the morning until midnight and then the
work was not near done. double force
of clerks were on duty at each Office all
night and has been since the holiday rush
began q week ago.
IN THE PosToFFICR.
The Inside Of the postoffice, which the
public does not often see was a busy scene
yesterday. The click of leteer-stampin9.
the whirling Of thousands Of letters thrown
by unerring hands into their special bags or
boxes, and the tramping Of many feet as
the carriers march to and fro, incoming or
outgoing, are enough to make an uhinitiated
spectators head whirl. while the safe deliv-
cry Of a letter would seem almost q miracle.
But the apparent confusion is only the mo-
ton OF the many parts OF machinery,
curacy every step Of the journey
from the time il is deposited in the
city letter boxes until it reaches its
destination. Huge canvas bags are being
packed every hour with thousands of par
GELS carrying greetings to their friends in
the sister states. No remote point is left
forgotten, for Christmas letters are being
sent everywhere The stamp, registry and
money order departments of the postof1ice
will be closed all Of to-day. The general
delivery viii be open until 10 o'clock a. m.
The carriers will make the usual delivery
and collections up to $50 O'Clock a. m.
Mail for all points will close at 10 o'clock.
AT THE MARKET.
The market was crowded all day with
purchasers laying in their Cristmas supplies
The butchers had a busy time of il and
hardly had moment to rest during the
day. Meat of all descriptions from Chicago
beef to turkeys and chickens were sold by
the ton almost. Roasting pigs were in great
demand. The market stalls were trimmed
with evergreens, pines and holly and pre-
sented quite a Christmas appearance. One
ingenious marked gardner had pine tree
over his stall trimmed with carrots, turnips
and other vegetables in imitation of a
Christmas tree
The streets around the market were
crowded with holiday shoppers buying odds
and ends and knickknacks. freworks fruit,
and hundred different things. Last night
from 6 to 10 o'clock the streets in front of
the market were 80 crowded as to be hardly
passable and Barnard street to Broughton
was crowded almost equally as bad.
THE TURKEYS DAY OF FATE.
The turkey coops were piled right around
the market and in front of the grocery
stores all day long. Many a turkey met
his fate last night Savannah gets its sup
ply OF turkeys from East Tennessee, and
the number sold this Christmas will reach
in the thousands. Everybody wants a tur-
key Christmas. There are no dull times
with u.s. said young grocery dealer. ave
have done a bigger trade this Christmas
than ever before.n
The fish dealers reported the usual heavy
demand for oysters. The warm soggy
weather however, interfered greatly
with the shipments. Hudson had
fifty green turtles yesterday just
received from Florida that be was
shipping on to New York. Green turtles
are in big demand north at this season.
Some Of the big fellows weigh l00or more.
They are shipped alive.
AT THE HOTELS.
About the dullest places in the city were
the hotels. Everybody that can goes home
to spend Christmas, aud the day and those
Immediately preceding and following it are
always dull at the hotels. Nevertheless, ali
the hotels, as usual, have prepared fine bills
Of fare, and will furnish those who have no
other homes, or cannot reach them, with
the best OF good cheer. The De Soto has
prepared to astonish its visitors, and the
Pulaski expects to make a hit. The other
hotels will not be far behind.
THE CoLoRED PEOPLES TINE.
The Christmas season above all Others
brings to the surface in all its intensity the
naturally happy, sunshiny disposition of
the colored people. This element of Sa-
vannah's population made a night of It.
From o'clock until after midnight crowds
OF negro men, boys and women
dressed in all sorts of fantastic
and grotesque costumes, armed with
tin horns and other earsuiercinq