Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-22
Annual Picnic Of Employees OF John
Morrel g. Co. a Success.
OVER FOUR THOUSAND AT CRINNELL
A Day of Pleasure and Pront-Picnic
Held on College Campus-nIuseum
Opento All visItors-Result
of the Prize Contests.
[From Fridays Daily

+ L. 800 - ANtAy = a~AAiJ u
Over four thousand Ottumwa people
attended the fifth annual outing given
4 by the employees of John Morrell &
CO., at Grinnell, yesterday. The at
tendance was the largest by far that
has ever been present at any of the
preceding picnics, and the program
and enjoyment at the 1899 outing sur
passed any of the previous annual fes-
tivities. Grinnell spared no pains to
make the visitors welcome, and the
city was decorated in its gala attire in
honor of her guests. Thousands of
people from other cities and towns
Joined the Ottumwans in their festipi-
ties. and the facilities of the city for
entertaining We're taxed to their ut
most. The picnic proper was on the
college campus, beautiful place,
Which had been especially decorated
for the day. The college museum was
thrown open to the visitors, and the
majority of them took advantage of
the privilege to visit this splendid col
lection and were thus benefited as well
as entertained. The amusements We're
diversified, consisting of base ball
Grinnell team, the former being the
y -. INdInScll SullS Oh
horribles in the morning parade prov-
ed an interesting feature, the prize in
this contest being awarded to Wesley
Lake. Ed Hall was the prize winner
/ in the cake walk contest.
Hon. j. p. Lyman delivered the adj
dress of welcome, which was responded
to by I. d. Foster, president of the
firm of John Morrell & Co.. The Wa
+ nalln Ghiof ho nd {haG ,.sr, al Ao,,
under the leadership of Prof. Case en-
livened the occasion with plenty of
good music, and the Ottumwa Ladies'
Quartet, comprising Mrs. Harry Sven
son. Miss Alberta Powell, Mrs. John
Hughes and Miss Jessie McIntire as
sisted in the musical program, receiv-
ing hearty encores for their efforts.
OttumSa Deserted.
The effect of the picnic was very per-
ceptible in Ottumwa from early morn
ing until late in the evening, when the
excursion trains began to arrive on the
return trip. The city all day yesterday
was very quiet, and the streets were
practically deserted. Early yesterday
morning one could see crowds OF peo-
nle laden with baskets scurrying to-
wards the Iowa Central passenger de-
as'sCl, dta lue -1OOL OF JeIleTSOu SUIeeu, OF
to. the yards at THE packing house of
John Morrell & Co., where the trains
were made up. Thirty-nine passenger
coaches and three refrigerator cars
We're necessary to transport the crowd
and picnic equipments to the scene of
the festivities. The Iowa Central, over
which road the excursion was con-
Quoted, had made every arrangement
to accommodate between 1000 and s.
600 people, but their expectations were
not in the least over-estimated, and
the three long specials which were pro.
yided for the occasion as well as the
regular passenger train which depart.
ed for Grinnell at 6:15 a. m, were
loaded to their utmost capacity. Even
the tops of the refrigerator cars in
two sections of the train We're packed
One remarkable feature of the day is
that the vast crowd was handled with
out a single accident of any conse-
quence. There was an absence of that
boistrousness so frequently witnessed
in large gatherings of this kind, and
the only accident reported and sub.
stantiated, is that which befell Mrs
7 Anna Loppacher on the return trip
( when some unknown person threw q
bottle, striking Mrs. Loppache1
in the face. The injury was though,
to be much more serious at first thar
it really was. The report that
man fell off the third section of the
returning train and was killed, is un.
true and. merely canard. The first
two sections of the returning trains
..=.............