Norwich bulletin., 1911-10-13
Especial to The Bulletin.l

ar October day, was given over to
| the fire fighters and a host OF visitors
that was estimated as numbering from
$500 to 5000.
A Big Day.
Not since Putnam has been a city
| has it had a bigger day than Thurs
day. and the years effort of the local
| fire department to make the event one
of real red letter character was tully
| crowned with success Every feature
| O. the dav was all that anyone ex-
pected it would be, and this is saying
great deal The crowds were especial
! ly orderly and easily handled and IN
the seething business section, where
| the sidewalks were jammed WIN
mass of humanity during the morning
| Eours, everyone was good natured ana
! having a lovely time:
k An Ideal Day.
The fog with which the morning
was ushered in had hardly been diss1-
pated by the brilliant sunshine when
| the first of the thfong of visitors began
to pour in on morning trains and troll
| levs. and up to the noon hour they
came in undiminished number Seek-
| ING vantage points for the first big
| event of the day-the parade-they
quickly congested the center of the
| city
Arriving companies of fremen and
their bands lent additional color. and
I
/ ton. but everything went along as
smoothly as could be expected or
wished.
There was no disorder in assembling
and assigning the various organizations
to their positions for the line of march
and there was very little delay in oAt-
ting the pageant under way for It's SIX
mile tour through many streets in all
parts of the city. Efficient manage
ment was at once noticeable.
Fine Parade.
The parade was. of course, the great
feature of the day. 1t proved spec
tacle that won enthusiastic applause All
along the line of march, and well II
might, for every company was natty
and Respondent in the neat blue regu-
lation fremen's uniforms, now so gen.
e1al1y used The red shirted, white
II ousered. helmetcd fremen's parade
day marcher is no more. He was
wholly missing from the line on Thurs
dsv but he nor his day have not been
forgotten. as was attested by the
memories of many who stood by yes
terday and applauded the Sticky dress
ed department. man of today With
him has gone a ~icturesqueness that
was always pleasing and inspiring, but
in its place is substituted a jauntiness
Of dress and carriage that suggests
that there has been no change in the
spirit or the efficiency of the men who
wear the clothes.
The New Order.
And with the, scarlet shirt has gone
the old hand engine and hose reel and
clumsy ladder wagon, to make way
for the express speed motor hose truck,
the glistening steamers and the crack
ladder and horse hose apparatus of this
later DAY. The bands played as mer-
rly. the drums beat as snappily as
ever Thursday, and were as demon
strative and unchanged as of yore, but
their martial strains were for paraders
in a service that has undergone a
striking Transformation. The firemen's
parade of today is a semi military
event
Formation of Line.
The formation of the line began
promptly at 10 o'clock in the public
square and was started promptly as to
schedule. Mounted and riding at the
head of the line were Marshal David
Flagg and his aides, George E. Shaw
and Frank Thayer. Next came a pla-
toon of six police, officers Herman G..
Carver. Benjamin F. Chaffee, John Nc
CURE. James O'Brien, Charles Tatro
and Theodore Bollay.
How They Marched.
The companies of the Southbridge
department held the right of the line,
tho makeup of the parade being as
follows: Southbridse band, "a men;
Southbridge combination wagon. four
horses. ten men: Southbridge hook and
ladder. triple hitch of horses, II men;
Southbr1dge steamer, four horses,
seven men.
st. James band, Danielson, C. A.
Potter marshal, % men; Minnetexit
Eose No. /, Pioneer Hose No. 2, Dan
ielson (combined), 80 men, with Mime
TEXT hose wagon; Rather Hook and
Ladder company, DanielSOn, rs me-
with new steel frame truck; General
Putnam steamer, Danielson, four
ECrses. four men.
ST. Jean Baptiste band. Webster 20
men, Peter Dumas drum major: Ly-
man r. Eddy Hose company. Webster,
20 men; automobile combination truck,
Webster. 10 men.
Willimantic fire department chiefs
automobile, carrying Chief Wade U.
Webster and his driver, Frank L.
Powell.
Swedish band North Grosvenordale,
"a men; Holmes Steamer company No.
3, Millbury, Mass. % men, no appa-
ratus a. ID. Batchelder H. & l.. COM
pany. North Brookfield, Mass, % men.
Tubbs' band, Norwich. "a men; Pro-
tector Hose company No. /, Putnam,
wagon and 10 men: Eagle lose COM
rany No. 2 Putnam, wagon and 10
men, Warrens Drum corps, Putnam,
| Il men: Mansfield Hose company No.
5. Putnam, wagon and Is men; Kilties
Scotch band, Waterbury. 10 men; Put
nam Hook and Ladder company, 30
men, with truck.
Line of carriages with Mayor Ar
cEibald Macdonald members of the
common council and other city and
visiting officials and citizens.
Enthusiastic Spectators.
All along the route of the parade
the marchers were greeted entllusias-
tlcally, and at times the applause and
cheering was deafening. There was
not much attempt at decorating, appa :
| iatus this year, although most of the
trucks carried some regalia, notably
Minnetexit of Danielson and the Eddy
company OF Webster All companies
were accorded special demonstrations
when passing the City hotel on the re-
| turn route.
Dismissed at Noon
Dismissal of the parade was prompt
" at noon in Public square. Not a
! hitch marred the carrying out of the
| entire parade. which was through
streets bordered by prettily decorated
buildings and admring crowds of peo-
pie.
Oanielson Won Prize.
The Danielson division carried off
the honors of the parade first prize
| Sl3, for the best appearing company
| in line, going to the combined Mime
TEXT and Pioneer Hose companies of
| that town. as did also the first prize
s25, going to the same combination for
having then decorated piece of APP
Daratus. second prize, SO for best
appearing organizations. went to the