The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-11
Big DAY AT SHORT BEACH
ANNUAL ILTUMTN1TTON VAS Il
GREAT SUCCESS.
Nights Brilliuncy Along the Beach
Was Never Surpassed-Grcat Crowd
Present-AImosta Drowning Accident.

Was Never surpassed-'Grcat Crowd
Present-AImosta Drowning Accident
The annual illumination day at
Short Beach yesterday was without
much doubt one of the most successful
that ever the cottagers at that popular
summer resort have arranged. The en-
thusiasm this year among large num-
Der of summer residents has been very
marked, and for this reason it was EVIL
dent, long before the date had been set
for the big event that there would be
no pains spared by them in making the
celebra tiQp Of the day a piece of history
that should long be remembered by all
who We're fortunate enough to witness
the grand display Of lights and fire
works.
And they were successful in their
undertaking, as the great crowds p lain
1y demonstrated. The demonstration
this year was more elaborate In every
particular than in recent years. The
races, both on water and on land, had
a greater number of contestants, the
fireworks We're more brilliant and the
illumination last night was never so
dazzling. Every cottage was lighted
up with hundreds of japanese lanterns
from those on the extremity of Kelsey's
Point, on one side, to those on Killam's
and Shepard's Point at the other end
OF the colony. The effect to the hun
dreds on the water was that of one
great horseshoe of fire and the sight
certainly was a beautiful one. There
was hardly dark spot on the entire
shore between Kelsey's and Shepards
Points, so we'll had the cottagers plan
ned to do their part. Red. white, green,
and blue lanterns were used to good eff
feet at different intervals and these
added to the beauty of the scene.
Nearly all the sail and row boats at
the beach We're in use last night and
furnished a pretty sight from the shore,
decorated as they were with many
lights They darted about the pretty
little harbor and formed no little part
In the illumination.
The crowd was typical and thronged
the walks on the beach. The trolley
cars now make Short Beach SO access
ible that nearly every one who didn't
sail or row to the beach made that their
mode of transportation. The accom-
mediation were very good and the great
crowd was handled satisfactorily. There
were no accidents and in fact nothing
happened to mar the pleasure of the
day.
The Branford road was the scene of a
continual procession of pedestrians and
carriages between the hours of 1880 and
49, and it is estimated that fully 1000
people came to the illumination by that
route. The big Wheeler & Wilson band
of Bridgeport arrived about 1880 and
played a delightful programme during
the evening. The band was stationed
on the pier. Several large yachts were
in the bay last night, and were hand
sonely trimmed.
The swimming event and races on
land was mostly between the younger
'fo1ks, yet they were very closely con-
tested and were witnessed by large
numbers.
The yacht races were the most ex-
citing of ,the numerous events of the
day andr the usual large number of
boats participated.
The course was a Triangular one,
Rbou ten miles in length. The start
was made in the bay near the pier and
the first leg of the triangle was to New
length. The first leg was a beat, the
second leg was reach and the third
was reach until Flat Rock was passed
and from there until the finish was
reached the yachts had a free run,
bringing them in in good style. The
start in the different classes was to
have been made at 10 o'clock, but at
that hour there was not a breath of
rr,iv, 1e4iry tts,H
tee wisely postponed the races until II
O'Clock. At that hour the breeze was
very light and things looked most I'M
favorab bic for a start. The boats were |
manoeuvred about the starting line as
best they could and about IL o'clock it
was announced that the start would be
made in five minutes. At promptly
12:05 the starting gun was fired and the
race in the sloop class only was on.
About 1890 a fresh southwest breeze |
sprung up and lasted all the afternoon. |
The starters were Charlse, sailed by
William l.. Barnett; the Freak, by Ho-
mer Shepard, Amanda by L. Haberton,
Sharpe by III. Damon, and the Arrow
by Judge Welsh. The race between the |
Freak, Charlse and Amanda was a
pretty one for six miles, when the two |
uOTTneT ydCIlS ufeW away lIOll the |
amanda. Freak and Charlse fought it |
out together, the former crossing the |
line minute IL seconds, corrected time, !
ahead of Charlse
In class two for open catboats were
John N. Champions Imp, Robert A.
Browns Siren, Horace P. Shares Sterl- |
ing, the Wink and Mr.. Jeffcott's Juniat
There was some misunderstanding in |
the start for this class, and Mr.. Cham
pion was left several minutes behind
He sailed a great uphill race, how
ever and gained on the Siren and was
finally beaten by one mirfute and TWEEN
ty-two seconds corrected time. The two
flyers crossed the finish line abreast and
the Sight was pretty one.
In class three, the knockabout class,
there were four starters and this race
was very pretty one. The Diana,
owned by Reuben f. Hill of Guilford;
Walter Spencer's Ella, Bert Rogers
Monarch, and the Madge crossed the
line well punched. The Diana crossed
the line winner after close rub with
the Ella, which finished only a few sec
onds later. The Winkana was a good
third, but was out pointed by her rivals.
In class for cabin cats. Stanley
Brothers, Poem won in sail over It |