The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-05
TYBEE'S GALA DAY
CROWD ONE OF THE LARGEST THAT
EVER VISITED THE ISLAND.
DANCING, BATHING AND FIRE.
WORKS THE ATTRACTION.

No Accidents, Though One Man Had
Narrow Escape From Drowning.
BECAME Exhausted In the Surf and
Was Helped in-The Surf Excel
lent and Was Enjoyed by Hun
dreds of PeopIe-HOteI Projectors
Thoroughly Satisfied with the
Days Business-Chathams Enter
tanned by Capt. George p. walker.
Yesterday was a gala day at Tybee.
In round numbers four thousand people
visited the island and enjoyed an out
ing that the day made ideal. The morning
trains were pretty well filled by those
who intended to spend the entire day
at the island. and it was not until after
noon that the crush began. Then it was
crush indeed. The $3.50 o'clock train
was in two sections of fourteen coaches
each, and carried in all 1885 passengers.
The second section was so crowded that
passengers not only filed the aisles as
we'll as seats, and many rode on the plat
form and steps. AS a whole the day was
red letter day in the history of Tybee,
the number of visitors exceeding that of
last year by about $50.
The hotels. pavilions and beach were
crowded At the South End. Mr. Bohan
said that his pavilion, for the first time,
was filled to its capacity. The surf was
excellent and many enjoyed a dip. After
the early rush from the $3.50 trains. bath
suits at both of the hotels were at pre-
MUM. At one time there were probably 500
people in the surf.
Fortunately there was no accident, such
as might be made possible by so great a
crowd. though there was a good deal of
excitement late in the afternoon over the
dangerous plight in which one
young bather found himself
Henry Stelljes swan out some distance
from the shore, and after being out for
some time found that he was unable to
swim back. His danger become known
to some of his friends, and they went to
his assistance, but although able to keep
him at the surface they were unable to
get him in, and his position was becom-
ing more and more desperate when the
struggles were seen by Messrs. J. ]. Gar
rity and j. w. Johnson, the latter Plant
System conductor, who swan to Stell1es'
assistance and succeeded in getting him to
the beach. The rescue was watched by
hundreds of excited people. When Stell-
jes was brought ashore, 1t was found that
except from being very weak from his
exertions and fear he was little the worse
for the danger that he had gone
through.
The crowd despite its size and hetero.
geneous character, was a most orderly one
and entered heartily into all the amuse-
ments, bathing, dancing, the acrobatic
performances which took place at the
South End Pavilion, and. at night, admir-
ing the splendid display of fireworks on
the beach. Both Mr.. Graham of the Hot ii
Tybee, and Mr.. Bohan. concluded that
from the standpoint of business, the day
was entirely satisfactorily. At Hotel Ty-
bee the menu card at dinner bore a most
artistic copy, in part, of the Declaration
of Independence.
members OF the Chatham Artillery went
to the island to the newly completed home
of Capt George P. Walker, where an in
formal house warming was given. There
were refreshments and number of i'm
promptu speeches, and the afternoon was
spent most pleasantly.
The fishermen who went down early in
the morning, and there were quite num-
Der. had a good days sport. One party
consisting of Messrs. Allen Chapman
Gillie Lowell. Harry Harden, Lowell
Schirm, and George Robertson, caught
four handsome channel bass some of them
weighing twenty-five pounds. Other par
ties were almost equally successful, their
catches making up in number what the
fish lacked in size.