The sun., 1900-12-08
MOVEMENT TO
Celebrate DAWN
OF NEW CENTURY
Citizens Demand that a PrOper
and Fitting Celebration
Be Held Here.
FIREMEN ARE INTERESTED
Many Organizations Willing to Par
ticipate if Affair is Held. Old
Fireman Recalls the Glori-
Celebration Which Usher
ed in Centennial Year.

rs there to be no general celebration
IN w llmlngton of the dawn of the
Twentieth CenturyY' is the auestion
which is continually heard from day TO
day of late.
1t is said that number of the secret
societies and particularly the Mogulians
and also many of the tiremen are talk
ing of starting a project of a big night
parade and display in the nature of
the famous Mardi Gras celebration. The
matter is being quietly agitated and it
Is expected that meeting for the for.
nation of general committee will be
called in the course of few days. IL
anything is done it must be done ouick-
ly however.
1t has been suggested that Council be
asked to contribute something towards
making the affair q success. Members
of the finance committee of that body
say that Council could not very well
appropriate any money for the purpose.
IL mas also been suggested that public
subscriptions be asked for.
II Is said that all the organizations that
participated in the all Halloween par
ade would tarn out If the celebration
were held
| 1t is the opinion of large number of
citizens that the dawn of a new century
and the passing Of one so filed with
important events as the nineteenth
should merit gigantic celebration here
IN wilmington and that residents of
delaware should not be compelled TO go
TO Philadelphia in order to see n nrober
celebration.
The celebration held here on the dawn
OF the centennial year, 1876, is still fresh
III the minds of mary of the residents.
and some Of its features might be in
troduced in the 20th century celebration.
| a member of the Delaware Gire Com
pany said last night in speaking Of the
1876 celebration:
1es that was never to be forgotten
night. The celebration really started
IN the afternoon of December 81, 1875.
The news was spread osef the town
that the ordinance against shooting off
firearms ana the inaNing of pyrotechnic
az lays would not b. enforced and late
~ Y" afternoon the banging of pistols
ana ihe shooting of frerraekcrs could
/. heard over the town and by s D. m.
it had begun in earnest on Market street
anu increased in violence from that time
on.
AS soon as darkness came on
queradcrs commenced flittiAg .hot
lcltiz"ns Illuminated their houses. Many
Of the stores were Illuminated All of
the engine houses were decorated and
lit up. The Friendship engine house
made pretty sight, there being candle
i'll every pane of glass in the windows of
the building and tower.
Every room in the Clayto House was
lit mp.
Shortly before 10 o'clock the fire COM
panies moved Oat from their engine
houses and took up the position as
signed to them and awaited the signal
for the forward movement.
Ten minutes before u O'Clock the City
Hall bell was rung, which was the signal
for the real commencement of the cele-
bration. This was followed immediate
ly by the ringing of all the church bells
and the bells on ali the engine houses.
as well as the blowing of all the steam
whistles in the city.
AT the r., w. & r. depot the loco
motives were moved out of the stalls in.
the round house to the yard and un-
earthly screeches were emitted for n long
time. The minute guns of the Delaware
Fire Company also kept mp din.
"All the fire companies paraded up
Market street and down King street.
The Delaware and the Washington Fife
Companies tried to outdo each other in
fantastic costumes. The Washington
Fire Company had as its guests the
Aemricus Club of Philadelphia.
'HThe bell of the Water Witch Fire
Company was rung when the signal was
given at ten minutes of twelve and kept
going continually the remainder of the
might. The Delaware scrcnadcd all of
the other companies hut onr 10 which it
did not go on account OF the mvl. Yes
we should have general celebration of
the closing of the century aud usher in
the new one in bcfiitting manner"