Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-11-28
BROOMS TO BURN !!
TorchIight PrOcessiOn-Serpen
tine Dance-Great Parade
And Speechifying On The
Return OF Navy "Vets"
HAPPENED WITHIN THE GATES


WeIoome For Mddies Football Team
And EVERYBODY Happy Inside
Naval Academy
''Brooms to burn" was the order of
the evening at the Naval Academy
last night, upon the return home from
the glorious victory on Franklin
Field won by the Naval Academy
football team. Probably eight hun
dred brooms were carried as torches
in the Parade, and later were made
into bonfire in front of Bancroft
Hall.
what useless extravaganza !"
exclaims the frugal housewife.
Burning eight hundred brooms that
cost 40 cents apiece, out in town.
Gracious, that means $500! How
could they do it?"
Well, they did do it, and they
didn't care hang, and brooms were
nut the only things burned either
pronounce it with long ID. There
were scores of waste baskets, (the
willow kind) from Bancroft Hall
thrown on the fire, until it was one
blaze of glory around which the eight
hundred Middies danced the serpen-
tine, to do honor to the team that
had just arrived.
The special bearing the football
squad and coaches pulled into the
Short Line Station at $40, and
there they were met by the Mid
ehspr,ao of fha Grct boEkoI;o,, Rha
second battalion being lined up in
side the gate at the Naval Academy
with the band. This was a new
turn. Formerly the entire brigade,
headed by the band, had marched
out in town to meet, and welcome
the home coming victors.
On the last occasion, however,
church people objected to the social
ed Dissertation of the Sabbath" and
the disturbance to their places of
worship. Out of respect to their
feelings, and in consideration therefor
the reception in town was quiet and
unostentatious. All the pent-up
enthusiasm, however, burst forth in
the Naval Academy and within the
gates" on Government property,
where nobody but Uncle Sam had
any right to object or to raise fuss.
While awaiting the arrival of their
team the first battalion behaved in a
quiet, gentlemanly manner, not to
offend the most prudish citizen.
Buses had been engaged from a
local liveryman to convey the players
to the Academy, but the horses were
detached from the vehicles, and
squads of the happy Midshipmen
acted in their stead. In the process
sion to the Academy grounds, head
ing the line of march, was a squad
of several Middies carrying a huge
broom, with another party bearing the
Navy blue and gold banner close by.
As the players tumbled out of the
cars after the train had come to a
stop they were lionized by their CON-
rades, who bore them on their should
ers to the busses in waiting on the
outside. amid a deafening roar of
cheers. Dalton, whose right toe
kicked the field goal, thereby bring
| ing the lsurels home for his team,
and whose name will 60 down in
Naval Academy athletic annals, par
ticularly came in for bowling re-
ception that made him forget what
bad faults of disposition and tenn
per he might have.
As the Middies lifted{him to their
shoulders his bearers became en-
tangled in his suitcase to the extent
of causing them to lose hold, and
the big halfback fell sprawling to
the station platform. But he was
picked up unhurt, and though still a
little sore from the grueling engage
ment of Saturday, he got some
pretty hard knocks across the back
from his fellows in their great JOY
to greet him.
The procession then moved down
| College avenue to the Academy.
amid din of yells and howIs and
songs from the brigade, who took
full advantage to let loose their
pent-up enthusiasm of three long
years. for it is Navy's first victory
since 1907. Half way down the line
a match was applied to the.big broom,
as well as the smaller sweepers that
had in the meantime been distributed
among those in line, and it was Z
great torchIight procession that filed
into the Academy gates.
Just before the team in buses drawr
by Midshipmen, instead of Chaney's
horses reached the gate at the Acad
emy,a blast from the bugle announced
their coming and all the brooms were
lighted. The bowling mob was Z
bowling success, and it was difficult
to hear the band play. Screaming
and yelling and waving torches, the
brigade twisted and contorted ant
danced down the walk in front of tho
Administration Building to Bancroft
Hall, where doing the serpentins
around a big bonfire, into which eacl
dropped his burning broom, th,
! eight hundred mIdshipmen did a wal
dance until siIenced by Adjutant
Uberroth, who gave the order fol
quiet and attention.
Cheer Leader Smith then announced
the yells from the megaphone wher,