The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-09
WELCOMED BY THOUSANDS.
savannahians FIocked to Sec the
Liberty Bell.

Liberty Bell.
The Liberty Bell arrived at Savannah
over the Southern Railway yesterday
afternoon at $50 o'clock and was hail
ed with patriotic airs and noisy demon
stration AS the train entered the
Plant System yards the locomotives
under steam had their whistle valves
opened. and amid din and footing the
train rolled in.
Throughout the city bells rang in
proclaiming a welcome to the Liberty
Bell and to the Philadelphians. This
was in conformance with a suggestion
in yesterdays Morning News. Church
bells and fire bells rang. The chimes
of st. Johns Church we're played by
Chimemaster Roberts, who rendered
the Liberty Bell March.
At tho depot was the First Regiment
Band. which played patriotic airs as
the train rolled in, and continued its
contribution TO the reception after the
car on which the bell stood had been
cut loose from the train and switched
to a section of the yard where an I'M
INSTRUCTED view was afforded the
crowd that had gathered to witness the
arrival of the historic relic.
Long before the hour for the arrival
of the bell crowds began to gather at
the Plant System depot. The MEM
bers of the board of aldermen were
there to act as escort for the visiting
Philadelphians in the drive about the
city. Aldermen Dixon, Bacon and
Watson had gone by train to meet the
special, and returned with the Phila-
delphians. having become acquainted
with them on the way to Savannah.
The police had difficulty in keeping
back the crowd that rushed to the
rearmost car of the special-that on
which the bell. supported by its frame
work, stood. At each corner of the
cara flat-stood member OF the
Philadelphia police force, each a giant
in stature. The representatives or
Philadelphia finest were Sergt. VIII
liam A. Terrell, William P. Bruce, j.
w. Robinson and Gilbert Forsythe.
While the crowd. or a small portion
of it. for the great mass of people was
without the fence enclosing the yard,
gathered about the bell, the aldermen
went aboard the train, where they were
presented to the Philadelphians by Al
dermen Dixon. Bacon and Watson.
Quite a number of the aldermen and
the visitors took their stations aboard
the Liberty Bells car while it was de-
tached from the train and shifted to
that portion of the yards just north
of the depot, where the bell was open
to the view of the thousands that had
gathered to see it.
People thronged about the car,
shouting and clamoring for the PAM
phlets relating to the Bell, Philadelphia
and the Revolution that were tossed
from it. There was jostling and elbow
ing to make way through the crowd
and secure the literature, while calls
to those who threw out the pamphlets
invited shots to the hands that were
stretched in air to catch them. Every
body seemed to want one of the pam
phlets, and hundreds of them were dis
tributed. 1t would be a difficult matter
to estimate the crowd. Sufficient to say
that all the members of the party de-
clared 1t the largest that they had en-
countered since leaving Philadelphia on
the tour.
| The study of the Liberty Bells his
tory that had been made in the public
schools contributed to the. crowd that
| gathered to see it, In all of the schools
there had been some work incident to
| the coming of the bell. In some of the
schools short talks were made in all
the grades by the principals, while in
others the pupils were required to pre-
pare compositions, with the bell as
their subject. The school children
therefore, We're familiar with the his
tory of the relic about which they
| crowded.
Throughout the afternoon there was
crowd about the bell. AS those who
cd 81 INaL f1,,- -. L.
departed, their places were taken by
others. The four stalwart policemen
remained on duty. receiving the assist
ance of members of the local force, and
it was not until late in the evening
that visitors ceased to appear for a
sight of the famous bell.
After the distribution of the litera-
ture and view of the gathered thou
sands. the visitors We're escorted tc
the waiting carriages by the aldermen
and the drive that had been arranged
was taken, Mr.. c. w. Sipple acting rs
marshal of the procession. This was
through some of the principal streets
the route that had been mapped out
in the Morning News being followed
The ladies of the party, Mrs. Samue
H. Ashbridge, wife of the Mayor OF
Philadelphia, and Mr.. Ashbridge's
daughter and sister were taken in
charge by Aldermen Jones and Thomas
and Miss Jones and driven to Bon
adventure and Thunderbolt. returning
to the De Soto for dinner and going
thence to the Theater, where they en-
joyed a box party.
One point in the route of the stag
party was the water-works, where re-
freshments were enjoyed during a brief
rest. Then the route was again taken
up, being concluded at the Fortieth
street junction at G O'Clock. when cars
were taken for Isle of Hope.