The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-16
AT LAWRENCE.
Population Of 52,l53 In 1895 ksains.
1000 to $500 In l846.
TWO DAYS JUBILEE HAS BEGUN
To Commemorate the Fiftieth
Birthday of the City.

xJhwRENCE, Mass, Sept. 16.-This city Ia
. blaze OF color, bunting and decorations.
and every preparation has been made for
the reception of the thousands OF guests
who have flocked here from all directions
20 witness tho two days of celebration in
honor OF the semi-centennial Of tho set
Element of the city.
The citizens of Lawrence have been
working for months TO make this celebra-
tion success, and the matter assumed
such proportions that one day--which is
ordinarily deemed sufficient for any cele-
bration-was not considered enough In this
case and rs result tho celebration will
extend through today and tomorrow. and
the program which has been arranged Is
Of so long and varied a character that even
fS hours will be scarcely sufficient.
Think OF 1t! Fifty years ago Lawrence
was practically wilderness There was
no such place on the map of Massachusetts,,
and today 10 contains in the neighborhood
Of $4,000 inhabitants
With business In their eyes, several hun
dred out-of-towners have swarmed upon
the population accompanied by various
articles for sale, which they desire 20 leave
behind thcm in return for certain financial
equivalents A good deal of money is
likely TO go never to come back, and that
Is only in line with the financial prospect
of the whole affair
The city acts like n magnet When
trains come in they have lots of people in
them. Carriages in every stage of dissolu-
tion roll In over the road from Lowell,
Haverhill, Lynn, Salem and even from
Boston in competition for the patronage
which the influx OF strangers demand.
The Fun Begins.
The bells were rung out this morning at
mnrise. and aroused all except the peren-
NAL all-night minors who were there some
hours ahead of the bcll-ringers
There was plenty of time for morning
nblutions and the donning of best clothes
before the governor got in. Before that
important event took place, however,
there was an initiatory hush to the festiv-
tiles by asporting eye-opener on the Com
mon. Boys and men were entered In spe-
cially arranged events for prizes that ag-
gregated $i00
When the governor arrived tho usual
salute of IL guns was let off. Battery @
manned the guns on the Common
Seventy-hve appointed citizens and sew
eral thousand self-delegated ones escorted
his exoellency to the Franklin House, and
after allowing him TO undergo a reception
led on TO the Opera House. Mayor Rut-
ter welcomed the governor, the governor
acknowledged it; Miss Emily q. Wether-
bee read her poem, in which the glories of
Lawrence were embodied, and several
other prominent citizens contributed
words.
This afternoon the celebration will be
carried on with baseball, football cricket
and bicycle road race. The last event of
the first day will be the grand banquet at
city hall, when Lieutenant Governor VOL
colt will be the chief guest.
Founding of the City.
The possibility Of founding a great and
prosperous manufacturing city where
Lawrence stands has been ascribed To
Samuel Saunders, resident of Methuen.
who, living for years on the banks Of tho
Merrimac river, began TO realize that
there was an enormous water power here
which could be utilized.
Mr.. Saunders first step toward the car
rying out of his plans was made in is4O
when he bought strip Of land on the
south side of the river a third OF a mile
long, which took in what was then known
as Peters Falls.
During the next few years, and before
anyone else had suspected his object. Mr..
Saunders quietly acquired control of the
land on the other side of the river and of
an island in mdstream, so as practically
20 give him control of the water power.
When he finally made his scheme public
he was greeted with the dcrision which
is so apt 10 be the lot Of the inception of a
great movement, and the project was
referred to as Saunders
Folly"
He perSevered, however, with such good
success that in IS45 charter was granted
TO certain wealthy men, of whom Samuel
Lawrence was one and Abbott Lawrence
another TO form a corporation known as
the Essex company, the purpose of which
was to dam tho Merrimac river for water
power.
In lSi5, the same year In which the Es- |
sex company was formed, the town of |
Lawrence was created by setting apart |
for il certain portion of the town of |
Niethuen. Shortly after this Mr.. Saunders |
retired from any prominent connection |
with the scheme Of which he was the orig
Inator.
IL was finally decided TO name the en-
bryo manufacturing city Lawrence, for the |
family of successful manufacturers and
business men who had already become SO
eminent in the country.
The prosperity OF tho new town bcran
with it's birth, and in 1853 IL became a
.ity. Since then its progress has been
steady and rapid. IL now ranks ninth in
,he cities OF Massachusetts,. It's popula-
ion in 1890 was A, Co., and in 1895 il had
increased to 81, l53.
No IL of Vol / of the Merrimac Courier
published Jan. "a, 1si7, says; The popula-
ion Of Lawrence was estimated i'm Oc-
ober at from 2OOo TO 25oO, OF which very
many left at the coming in of winter.
ntxt..ts... A.. r,s-.