The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-25
DYNAMITE'S DIN
STAMPEOED STORES
AND MERCHANTS SUFFERED.
CROWDS WITH TORPEDO STICKS
MADE NIGHT HIDEOUS.

Police Saw to IL There Was No Vi
ciOusness and Few Arrests Were
Made-The Noise Made il Almost
Impossible for Clerks 10 Hear Or
ders of shoppers and Many Went
Home-The UprOar UnequaIed in
the History of Christmas Ewes
in Savannah.
Noise, the equal Of which had never
been heard in Savannah before, made
shopping impossible on Broughton
street last night and the merchants
lost hundreds of dollars.
There were nearly half a hundred
policemen on the street and little or
no viciousness was displayed, but no
effort was made to prevent the firing
of torpedo sticks and as a result the
retail trade and those who had
planned to do shopping suffered.
Broughton street Christmas Eve
crowds have been larger than they
were last night, but never was there
so much noise. 1t was a continual
uproar and even the holder shoppers
who stood the strain on their nerves
were unable to make themselves heard
IN the stores and had to return home
Merchants Lost Money.
In many cases this meant that the
merchants lost the profits on the in
tended purchases. since many of the
shoppers wanted TO purchase Christ
mas gifts. OF course. it will be too
open for business. and the merchants
have lost just that much money.
The retail men protested vigorously
against the noise. and it is hardly like
ly that anything of the sort will be
permitted again. The crowds with tor
pedo sticks broke the record for noise
making. At the same time they prob
ably broke the backbone Of the fashion
in which a certain class of Savan-
nahians celebrates the night before
Christmas.
Time to Call n Halt.
The matter will be taken UP by the
Retail Merchants Association, and eff
forts will be made at once that such
scenes are not again enacted. For
years each Christmas Eve has been
worse than the celebration of the year
before, and the merchants say it is
time to call a halt. They are suf-
fering Unreasonable damage and in
sist that such disorder should not be
tolerated.
1t was announced in the Morning
News some days ago that there would
probable be more noise last night than
ever before, because more noise pro-
ducers were on the market and were
being disposed of. The dynamite caps
for torpedo sticks this year are more
powerful than those sold last year, and
this in large measure was responsible
for the greater noise.
Little or No ViciOusness.
There was little or no viciousness
displayed. But this did not make
the pandemonium any the less OBJ
jectionable to those who were not
stone deaf; nor did it prevent the
merchants from suffering financial
loss. 1t was simply impossible for
who did find their way into the stores
and crowds of people left the street
at an early hour.
eve have been suffering a long
time" said one merchant. land it is
about time to call halt. We have to
every right to expect protection. Our
customers, too, have every right to
expect protection and the Retail Mer-
chants Association will unquestion-
ably take action at the next meeting.
There were numbers of people who,
for various reasons, could not come
down town sooner, and it is an out
rage that they should have been inter-
fered with by the Internal noise maxi
ers."
The Police Service.
Nearly everyone seemed to be in a
good humor and the few characters
that developed disposition to become
ugly and make trouble were at once
taken in charge by the police. This
prevented disturbances.
MUCH VI lHG lOI liiiS UtlOii6S
to Police Sergeant j. A. Woods. With
nineteen men under his control ne
inaugurated a system of patrol, so well
arranged. that at no time was there
more than one hundred yards on the
entire length of Broughton street that
was not covered by a patrolman.
sergt. Woods, himself. was moving
constantly up and down the street and
receiving reports from the patrolmen.
The instructions of Sergt. Woods to
all the men were to the effect that no
arrests be made unless the parties be-
came so disorderly that no other
course was open. This rule was obey
ed TO the letter. and as a result, though
the excitement and noise were greater
than ever before, the arrests were
fewer.
RANK EMpI DYES GIVEN