New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-09-07
WARDS ISLAM DGAY, TOO
Has CAREFREE DAY OF 1T.
Hospitals Distinguished Characters
Take Part IN Celebration.

Wards Island celebrated Labor Day yesterday.
1t went about IL in way OF its own TO be sure.
but. saving the presence of such guests as Cleo
patra. Alexander Hamilton. John Law, Absalom
and haIf-dozen others, 1t seemed 10 he about as
good a celebration anybody had between the
Hook and the Tappan Zee, and quite as light
hearted.
The hosptal-it is simply the Manhattan State
Hospital over there and never the State Hospital
for the Insane-turned out practically it's whole
population. male and female. convalescent and
incurable. with the hospital STAFF. in body They
made close TO four thousand persons. all told. and
half many more of friends and relatives came
pouring from the city on the steamer. There
wrench at the heartstrings for some of the
visitors in the stubby, round nOsed craft, for
commonly her part is not to serve as a ferry but
to saunter about the river with inmates out for an
airing, and her name is--the Wanderer.
They heavy with luggage they up
her plank baskets. bags and hampers. and glass
ware which chuekled under it's wrappings of news
paper as SUCCESSFULLY as if its contents had not
been so innocent. There rush for the Office
where visitors passes were made out. and then
another for the broad green field where the games
were TO he held beside the blue water of He'll Gate
and its marching ships
There the patients had gathered, the men massed
on one side of the sand pathway in a great rec
angle of stopping shoulders and big hats of brown
straw. and on the other side the women in phan-
tasia of headdress such musical comedy never
saw. The hospital orchestra, piano and all, played
in the shade of the empty grandstand. across from
the chairs which were reserved for the physicians
and their wives.
The 1OO-yard dash was run in three heats, and
the time of the final Is seconds. The only in
cident OF the developed when disappointed
hacker Of the last in il retired to horse chest
nut tree and had fit. The sack won to.
the accompaniment OF immense applause from the
bleachers by negro who fell just after he got
across the tape and piled up half the runners on
top of him.
The bleachers were attentive all along. and every
now and then particularly exciting contest would
raise cheer The rest of the time the talk, such
as foated TO the edge where observer could
catch It, was pretty straightforward and we'll ar
ranged. The conversation turned often questions
of finance Usually It question of transfer
and it was remarkable fact that there was little
stringency in the market and that the fnanciers
were not trying for the most part, TO raise the
enormous sums which they discussed. but to place
them out usually without asking consideration or
security in return.
On the women's side there was even more talking
TO be done. For the most part II was serious run
ming largely on the theatrical trumphs OF the talk
ers or on the relative excellence of the millinery
which was represented. girl with impossible
quantity of hair shook 1t all down on her shoulders
1t all her own. the color of old honey and she
did It up again in entirely different way, quite
satisfied.
There were dashes for the women patients. egg
races and potato races. a dash for the nurses
wheelbarrow races for and women. and a tug
OF war. in which the west wing pulled the east
wing out of their footholds twice. The women en-
ployes had nail driving contest, and there were
other fun making amusements with which Labor
Day outings forever blessed.
To wind up the day Miss Rose Mabon. the super
intendent's eldest daughter, bestowed the prizes
necktie a ribbon for each winner, and table
or picture, screen to help cheer up the ward in
which he lived. There a baseball game in the
morning. at which the patients beat the employees
by the score of q to Il.