The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-06-08
|$40OFOR FIRST DIG
Leader Davis Bids in the
Gold Shovel at St.
Patrick's Party.
$40 FOR The SILVER one
Garden Prettily Decorated
With Chinese Lanterns
and Arc Lights.

St. Patrick's garden party opened amid
a blaze of lights last evening in Bramhall
Park. The sight was a most inspiring
one, and the interest manifested by the
parishioners, was well worth seeing. The
pretty pleasure grounds never presented
a finer appearance. The booths scattered
about the park was decorated pleasingly.
In the centre of the park is the centre
stand, divided into four booths. These
were tastefully draped with handsome
American flags and hundreds of fancy col
ored Chinese lanterns were suspended
from the booths to neighboring trees. The
twinkling lights shining through theN
stately trees made pretty contrast to the
arc lights. All present remarked on the
picturesqueness of the pleasure grounds.
| No stone was left unturned to make the
arrangements perfect in every detail. All
day the members were busy preparing the
various stands and the opening hour saw
everything in readiness.
! About three hundred people were present
when the Rev. Father Carroll mounted
/ bench and announced that in the capacity
of auctioneer he would dispose of gold
plated spade to the highest bidder, and
that the purchaser would be given the
privilege of turning the first sod prepara-
| tory to the erection of the proposed new
school house and parish hall. He told the
gathering that he had about twenty-five
hundred miniature spades to sell al dol
| lar piece, each purchaser being allowed
| to dig, and that when he made his usual
| fall tour of the parish, he expected to
| find A shovel in every home as
fitting souvenir of the new par
! ish building. This unique method devised
| by the rector to raise sufficient funds Tor
| the new building was success. Con-
| siderable excitement was caused by the
auctioning off of the gold shovel, and doz-
| ems bid for the honor of being the first TO
| turn a shovelful of earth. The bidding
began at S.. and gradually increased un-
| til Andrew KERN and City Collector Rob
ert Davis were the only two bidders left.
Both bid spirtedly and finally the sum
was raised to s40O. Mr.. Davis purchased
the shovel. Cheering followed.
| A silver plated shovel, appropriately in
scribed with the date of the opening, was
next put up. Mr.. Davis and Mr.. John
KERN were the principal bidders for this
After the sum had been raised to $40 Mr..
KERN was allowed to take the shovel
Mr.. Davis then dug a spadeful of earth
from the centre of the park. Mr.. KERN
| followed by turning over a second spade
full. The gathering cheered Justify until
about one hundred others who in the
meantime had purchased small shovels
| had turned over a shovelful of earth.
| This was the feature of the fete.
Father Carroll was highly pleased with
| the amount realized from the sale of the
shovels. He hopes to dispose of all be-
/ e., IL lot ioIt
| The philippine Frolic was well
patronized by baseball enthusiasts, who
succeeded in limbering up their muscles
| by fiinging balls desperately at shiny
eyed individual.
| The cane stand saw many trying to win
walking stick and hundreds of rings
were flung at the sticks. A pool table
was the scene of many exciting games.
The small bowling alley attracted con-
siderable attention, and Mr.. Davis was
among those who patronized this form of
| amusement.
The merry clicking of the rifles could
be heard on the range at the Clerk street
end of the park, where good scores were
made by the contestants. The wheel of
fortune and SWITCHBOARD also aided great
| ly to swell the highly satisfactory re-
ceipts of the evening.
| The booths were so we'll patronized that
the head workers and their assistants
were kept on the jump all the evening.
| Great quantities of Notwithstanding
| fluids were disposed of, and other refresh
ments We're bountifully served to the big
gathering.
| Dancing was another important feature
| The air was fortunately cool, and when
| strains by a popular orchestra hoated
! through the park great rush was made
| for the dancing platform. This pastme
was INDUCED in until II o'clock. There
were no pretty fortune tellers nor tents
These were missed very much. On Satur-
day evening the event will be brought to
a close.
Those on the committees in charge are:
| Philippine Froic Mr. John Gleeson;
Music, Mr.. John Murphy; Ring the
Canes, Mr.. James Manning; Pool Table
Mr.. c. O'Connor; Bowling Alley, Mr. P.
J. Donnelly; Rifle Range, Mr. Thomas
| O'Day; Shuttle Board Mr. Philip MUIR
ply; Wheel of Fortune, Mr.. Thomas
Long; Printing and Programmes, Mr..
Andrew KERN; Gates and Tickets, Mr.
John Lane, Mr.. John Guilfoyle, Mr.. P. ].
O'Connor, Mr. Frank Hurley, Mr.. E. G.
Sanborn, Mr.. Patrick Shea, Mr.. James
Baker, Mr.. William ]. Connor, Mr.. Ed
ward Dixon, Mr.. David Barry. Mr.. Rich
ard Culbert Mr.. James Finlay, Mr..
Frank Brady.
Booth No l. Miss Mary J. KERN; Booth
/ No. 2, Miss Mary Manning; Booth No.
| 8, Mrs. William J. Forsythe; Booth No
| 4, Miss Mary Gleeson Assistants, Miss
Mary Atkinson, Mrs. Rebecca Baldwin,
Mrs Catherine Carbine. Miss Minnie
! Clancy, Miss Mary Coleman Miss Della
| Connolly, Miss Margaret Connolly, Miss
Mary Cronley Miss Mary Cummings,
Miss Johanna Cunningham, Miss Anna
Driscoll, Mrs. Mary Finnely, Miss Anna
Foran, Miss Mary Gallagher Miss Bridg-
ct Gleeson, Miss Catherine Guilfoyle
! Miss Lillian Horoho, Miss Agnes Kealey,
Miss Jennie Kelly, Miss Rose Keilt Miss
Mamie Kilroy, Mrs. P. H. Kilroy, Miss
Anna Lafferty, Miss Mary Lane, Miss Re-
becca Eanghrey, Miss Catherine Lowe.
Miss Anna Lunney, Miss Mary Lunney
| Miss Ida Malcolm, Miss Mary O'Connor
Miss Teresa O'Connor, Miss Jennie OGor-
| man, Miss Catherine Slamon, Miss Eliza
| beth thinner; General Manager, Rev. L.
lCarroll; Assistant, Mr.. Thomas Collins;
/