The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-14
CROWDS AT TWO PARK PICNICS
MCALL AND STRASBOURGER EN-
TERRAIN CHILDREN.

The Tammany Alderman Takes the Young.
stcrs OF Ills District to Central
Park - Rush for Provisions Mars
the Tax Commissioners Big Party.
More than $4,000 Harlem children went
picnick ing yesterday Between 10000 and
$1,000 were the guests of Tammany Alder
man John T. Mccall in Central Park, and
still bigger crowd was entertained at
Mount Morris Park at the expense of Tax
Commissioner Strasbourger.
Alderman McCall's picnic was held at
Cedar Hill, near Seventy ninth street, and
his guests marched there in a procession
which almost choked the streets through
which it passed The children gathered
at Progress Hall. Second avenue and
Eightieth street, at 0 o'clock in the morning.
Each got red. white and blue cap and an
American flag and then the parade moved
off down Second avenue, with the Alderman
leading, and three brass bands blaring.
The procession turned into Seventy
eighth street and all cheered as they passed
the Alderman's house. Then they hurried
as fast as their little legs would carry them
to the Park, and when the bands and Alder
man came up putting, they found most
of the procession drawn up around 4 small
mountain of provisions, consisting of 100
cans of TX, 5000 sandwiches, 10 barrels
of cake and an almost unlimited supply of
ice cream.
The children hadn't been in the Park
long before the "a in began to come down
hard Some got under trees, some under
bridges and benches, but the most of them
never stopped playing The red, white
and blue began to run out of their caps and
trckle down over their faces in way. that
made them look like a lot of painted
Indians
The centre Of attraction at the Mccall
picnic was big street sprinkler filled with
lemonade 1t had fire big spout. and
when a yorngster got his mouth glued to
it, he might just about n as well h s been been
a few let go Of their own accord.
Commissioner Strasbourgers. blowout
wasn't so successful; The children came
through Norris Park West in four long
entitled them to ice cream and OF her things
and some didn't, The provisions were
stored away in a vacant lot across the road
from the Park This lot was enclosed by
high board fence. Inside were 10000
e essss and 9 ianf p of %n and ays s sho of
The children knew this and when Mr..
Strasbourger's menials opened hole in
the fence and began to pass out the pro,
visions a few plates at time. the crowd
puSneu forward.
Those who didn't have any tickets began
to clamor for them, and some kind hearted
individual who couldn't be seen started to
throw them by the handful over the fence.
That caused big rush and scramble and
1t looked for few minutes as though many
children would be hurt.
The cops hurried in and restored order
only after they had got hold of the unseen
distributor and made him quit After
that the boys pushed up to the hole in the
fence and every time a few plates OF
ice cream were handed up. whole sea of
hands shot out for them. Sometimes the
cream went sliding down the necks of the
youngsters. sometimes it was tramped
Into the mud and sometimes it found its
way into the boys pockets. One lad,
little taller than the rest, came running out
of the crowd with his coat pockets stuffed
with ice cream, licking his fingers as he
ran.
Finally the Tax Commissioner discovered
that the little girls weren't getting any
thing, and he called halt Then he sent
his men out to distribute the stuff, but
they couldn't reach every one
Mayor Low was expected at the Tax Com
mssioner's picnic, but he didn't show up