The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-08-23

the celebrated 'revel of Paignton,
held in Whitsun week, which fair, long
sunk to the level of few standings,
died out about forty years ago; that
later the white pot" was boiled only
upon occasions of national rejoicings
or to celebrate important local events,
and that lastly it was made a jubilee
festival dating from the revival of the
custom on June 1, 1919, after lapse
of many years. The ingredients which
composed the enormous pudding of
1919 were 400 pounds of flour, 10
pounds of beef suet, 40 pounds of
raisins and 240 eggs. The pudding
which weighed in all 900 pounds, was
cooked in a large brewing copper at
the Crown and Anchor Inn, being con-
tanned in a large bag, which was held
in a net suspended to a beam, from
which it was lowered by a tackle into
the vat. After boiling from Saturday
to Tuesday it was placed on a car
and drawn through the town by eight
oxen. But those who had assembled
to eat the pudding We're doomed to
disappointment. The outsie from the
constant boiling, had been reduced
to the consistency of paste, and the in
ner part was not even warm.
Although the jubilee of fifty years
was short a whole decade, the inhab
itants resolved to anticipate it in 1859,
in order to commemorate the opening
of the railway from Torquay and Lon
don. So as to secure success on this
occasion it was arranged that the mon
ster pudding should be cooked in sec
tions, eight sections, forming one lay
err, the whole being afterwards built
together. The pudding consisted of
573 pounds of flour, 191 pounds of
bread, 3S2 pounds of raiisns, 1871
pounds of currants, 3S2 pounds Of suet,
800 lemons, 144 nutmegs, 80 pounds
of sugar, $50 quarts Of milk and un-
known hundreds of eggs The cost
was G45 and when completed the
weight of it was a ton and a half,
while it measured 10 feet inches in
circumference at the base and feet
at the top. Besides this remarkable
pudding there were provided 1900
pounds of meat and 1900 pounds of
bread. and an unlimited supply of the
staple product of the Paignton or
chards-cider. Twelve lines of tables
were erected upon Poignton green,
where the dinner was to take place,
Unfortunately the gentleman stage
managing the entertainment had been
subpeonaed to attend Exeter Assizes,
and to his absence may be attributed
the untoward contretemps which after
ward occurred. AT noon on August l,
which was the day fixed for the inaug-
uration of the railway, the procession
moved off toward the green with the
great pudding mounted upon decorat-
ed wagon drawn ny SlSuI HOl SSS III
stead of oxen the wagon of bread and
two wagons of meat following. Ar
rive at the gree. the people took their
seats an dwere supplied with the
bread, meat and cider. AS the pud-
ding. Seeing the tur naffairs were
taking, outside public-and it was es-
timated that the festival had attracted
$4,000 visitors to Paignton-clamored
for slicesm; and breaking down the
fence, attempted to help themselves.
The police thereupon mounted the
wagon to portct the pudding. Seeing
the turn affairs were taking, the nav
vies and others at the tables, imagin- |
ing that they were likely to be depriv-
ed of the toothsome delicacy, left their
seats and swelled the tumultuous
throng, by whom the unfortunate pud |