Norwich bulletin., 1911-09-09


 held at the old-time picnic ground at Alewife cove. There was an at tendance of two hundred and fifty which included the active and honary members and invited guests among which were the members of the court of common council and other promin- ent in the affairs of the city and a delegation of friends of the company from Westerly. There was music all through the day and their were field sports galore including hose reel contest that was a reminder of the old firemen days when horses and au- tornobiles were no part of the fire department. Everybody was there for a good time and they had it to the limit.
 Of course an important feature of the picnic was the feed and the drink as no picnic and especially a firemens picnic would be complete without an abundance of each. As for the drink of that which cheers and inc briates and that which does not flowed all the day long and was as free as the waters of Alewife. Just to give. an idea of what two hundred and fifty men can eat at a picnic, besides drink ing their fill, few accurate statis- tics are here given. To begin with they ate just after the noon hour tf1irty-fve gallons of clam chowder and thirty gallons of fish chowder and
 
 cream and Roman punch.
 A few hours later the clam bake was served. It was not an open bake where the steam is generated from heated stones but the bake, so-called, was built in a mammoth hogshead, the steam being supplied from the boiler of the uto-chemical hose wagon. Here is correct list of the feed that was placed in that bogshead and was thoroughly cooked by steam, the several ingredients being cut for serv- ice and wrapped in cheese cloth and placed in wire serving trays. First in went the rock weed and on this was tenderly placed 90 pounds of chicken, S5 pounds of fresh pork chops, 95 pounds of bluefish, 45 pounds of small sausage, one bushel of sweet potatoes, one ioushel If white potatoes, three bushels of clans, and all covered with rock weed. Then a taurpolin was placed over the hogshead and made fast and the steam turned on until all in the hogshead was thoroughly cooked. In the meantime two long tables had been set and decorated and containing besides the brown and the white bread, the pilot bread, the pickles, the grapes, peaches and ba- nanas, 15 large watermelons cut in points and five dozen of quartered mushmelons. and a bushel of sliced tomatoes. With the steaming food rom the Dake, came zbU SO1t-Snell crabs, 260 clam fritters, 260 cold boil ed Holsters, 260 biscuits. A souvenir bottle of cocktails was at each plate and coffee, or almost anything else in the line of drink was generously served. It would seem to be a feed ample for a regiment of soldiers after a .day's hike, yet it was all devoured by the fire laddies and their friends at the Nigara picnic on Labor day.
 For the first time the konoroc Hose company and friends enjoyed picnic on Labor day the event being held at Richards grove and that, too, was a big success. A feature of the picnic was concert by the Eleventh Artil- lery band from Fort Wright. Fish and clam chowders were served and also steamed clans and Holsters. but the big take was omitted owing to lack of steam facilities and the danger of failure of an open bake, which is all too frequent on occasions of this character. There were athletic games for prizes and the stuff that makes men appear very happy and seems to drive away dull care was on draught from the opening of the picnic to the close thereof. The Konomocs, too, had citizens of prominence as guests of honor and if every individual present did not have a bang up time
 
 As these picnics were not money making affairs the holding of two firemens picnics on the same day in little New London was in no way an- tagonistic and did nit interfere with the usually large attendance at the Niagaras which was in fact larger than on any previous occasion. Now these firemen's picnics are not held for the purpose of enriching the com pany treasury, for the opposite is the result At the Niagara picnic the mem bers were assessed $1.50 and members who invited a, personal guest were required to pay the same amount in addition, but the total sum re- eeived is only sufficient to pay about two-thirds of the cost of the picnic and the deficiency is made good from the company treasury. This will be readily understood when mental cal is made of the probable ex- nual picnic for themselves and friends and there are glad to pay the freight.
 That Groton has progressed in tho past thirty years was shown on We'd nesday of this week when there was suitable celebration of the Sixth of September and all that it represents without the solicitation of assistance from New London where equal inter est is manifested in the memorable event of September Sixth when Ar hold burned the town. But, come to think it over, the celebration of the Groton centennial, so-termed, which was the biggest event of the kind ever held in this section of the state and could not be crowded into a single day, was managed by a joint committee of of citizens of New Lon don and Groton, but the chairman of the committee and general manager of the mammoth celebration was a resi- dent of Groton. Pay Director J. George Harris, United States Navy. With Frederick Bill and a few Groton he conceived the idea of the centennial celebration and realized that 1t was too big job for Groton to tackle and the result was that New London gladly accepted an invitation to aid in making the celebration what it was, the biggest ever. even greater than the celebration of the two hun dred and fftieth anniversary of the founding of New London.
 While the celebration of the Battle of Groton Heights last Wednesday was infitesilnaI in comparision with the centennial celebration of thirty years ago, when even the blue sky assumed a decided yeIIowish tint and added Yellow Day to local history, still 1t is creditaable to the people of Groton and to the members of the societies who planned and the successful event.
 George s. Palmer is of the kind that oractices what he breaches, for he has made his property in the Pequot