Norwich bulletin., 1910-04-25

r. ' to say grace, Foreman Jacobs perform | ed that duty. Landlord Winter and his able corps of assistants had spared no pains to make the dining room resplen- dent in fine linen and glttering glass l and an abundance of large and small candles prettily arranged about the ta- bles in sparkling candelabra- Every appointment was perfect and much fa- vorable comment was expressed at the conclusion of the banquet upon its | quality and the excellence of it's ser vice.
 | The following menu was keenIy rel ished by all present:
 l! Tomato aux Croutons. 1 Boiled Fish, Cream Sauce Radishes- Dressed Lettuce. Olives l Potatoes a la Anglaise. Boiled MacarOni with Cheese.
 Roast Stuffed Chicken. Giblet Sauce. Rolls.
 Mashed Potatoes Sugar Peas. Strawberry Ice Cream. Gold Cake. Silver Cake l Toasted Crackers
 l American and Sage Cheese. 1 Cigars. Coffee Interesting Speeches.
 When the delectable repast had been disposed of and cigars were lighted. l Fred w. Gerrick as tOaStmaster intro
 duced MT. Clark, who responded by saying what a pleasure it was for him to be present on an occasion like this and told of his regret at leaving the | alIeT eleven years or ser vice. He said that the Excelsior Hook and Ladder company was as good if
 not better than any other company and | said while that might seem rather i broad statement to make it was a fact nevertheless He said that perhaps | the best years of his life had been 1 spent in the department.
 MT. Gerrick, after another of his pertinent speeches, introduced MT | Congden, who responded in his genial manner and at the outset contradicted his brother member, MT. Clark, for saying that it was with regret that
 they were about to leave the company,
 as only a short time before over at l the rooms they had both mutually agreed that had they known that any l thing like the present festivities were l to be pulled off that they would have resigned long ago. MT. Congden said l that he had been a member of the de- partment twelve years and contrasted | the conditions when they used to run to fires hauling the truck by a rope and the present day method of having horses do the work in perhaps better time and certainly much easier, as the
 men are now better fitted to cope with
 a fire than when in days of old they
 were all in from hard exertion of get l ting on the job.
 | He spoke of the many changes in | the personnel of the company in the l last dozen years and of the very few | now affiliated with the organization
 that were in harness at that time. He expressed his keen regret at leaving | the city and said that he would always have warm spot in his heart for the members of the company and the Will limantic fire department.
 Toastmaster Gerrick introduced Foreman E. w. Jacobs. who spoke with great feeling at the sorrow of losing two of as good fireman as Wil1i- | mantle ever had and hoped that they would alwys feel that they were well [ come whenever they chanced to come TSp< f,f.r1 Ina ferred to the many pleasant times that I they had all enjoyed together in. the past and incidentally alluded to the | Teapot club, an organization which he had the honor at present to be president, which was organized in 1906, and in behalf of that organization he took extreme pleasure in presenting to | both ex-Foremen Clark and Congden | as a token of the appreciation that the members felt for their retiring broth | CTS a teapot apiece. The teapots were | then preseHted and each were filled | with assorted pinls and tied to the | handle of each was a card bearing the | inscription: Tn honor of Teapot club" Honor Guests Respond. 1 Messrs. Clark and Congden respond l ed briefly. They were charter members I of that popular organization that held undiSputed sway all one winter and periodically since.
 1 Ex-FOren1an Joseph R. Batting re- | ferred to the value of the men that were about to leave the company and | the city and spoke of the pleasure it afforded shim to be present at such a | time and do them honor. He mention | ed the significant. fact that seated | about the board were a foreman and | three ex-foremen- of the company, a | thing that had not been seen or known | of in the last forty years history of 1 the company, and that soon there were ! to be two vacancies and then he would | be the only ex left.
 Lieutenant Hadfield's Response. | Lieut. William HadfieEd of the fire | police spoke briefly and referred to the retiring ex-foremen as exceptionally l fine officers to work under and said 1 that they had at all times used him Jas a gentleman and that he was ex- | tremely sorry to see them go.
 Chief Webster Heard.
 Chief Wade U. Webster of the Will
 limantic fire department was called
 upon and responded, referring to the l efficient work of the men who were
 about to sever their connection with | the Excelsior Hook and Ladder com | pany and the Willimantic fire depart | ment, saying that he had seen them, l been with them, and corroborated MT. l Clarks previous Statements relative to | the excellence of the service that the | Hooks had given the city at all times. 1 He said that they were two of the best ! hfeInen that the department ever had and that they were always on the job ! ana lESiI the pest or all IndL they ulO 1 their duty. He also spoke of MT. ! CIark's membership on the board of | fire engineers and said that when MT. l Clark Was on the job he always felt | safe and knew that all was being done l that could be, as he was a careful and I ipainstaking man.
 ! This concluded the speechmaking ! and the entire company arose and united in singing Auld Lang Syne. | Later Entertainment.
 
 ] if the company would adjourn to the parlors of the company's Bank street l house there would be a little further 1 informal programme of music, song l and speechmaking, story telling and games.
 1. The invitation was accepted and