The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1922-07-07
Big CROWD SPENDS
THE FOURTH HERE
Celebration Was q Success from
Every Point of View and Crowd
Seemed Pleased


Der of people who attended the fish
fry-celebration here Tuesday vary
considerably it is safe to say that the
crowd was fully as large as on sim
liar occasion last year, and it may be
said that the celebration was a sue
cess from every point of view in spite
of a number of handicaps. Because
of the fact that there was no dock,
the water sports and the bay did not
attract as many people as would have
been the case had there been a dock,
and as is usually the case, there was
delay in serving the big crowd.
However. there was food aplenty for
all who wanted it and if any failed
to be served it was because of i'm
patience.
Practically all of the available
parking space in the central part of
town was taken up by automobiles,
$40 being counted along the two
main streets. Altogether it is likely
that there were fully ESQ cars and
conveyances, and estimating the aver
age number of people who came in
each at six. it is safe to say that fully
5000 people came in private con-
veyances, to say nothing of the large
number who came on trains Tuesday
and the day previous. The estimate
of six to the car is perhaps low, as
there were 4 number of trucks, some
of which carried as many as thirty
persons. and many big cars carrying
from seven TO 10 people. Practical
ly every section of South Florida, and
many points in the middle part of
the state, were represented, but the
bulk of the crowd came from DeSoto,
Hardee, Highlands and Polk coun-
ties, with Manatee and Sarasota fair
ly we'll represented. Doubtless the
atrocious condition of the roads lead
ing in from the north deferred many
hundreds of people from coming, a
party from Leesburg reporting the
lower portion of State Road Number
Five as being in very bad condition.
This party cot stuck" in the ruts
in the western approach to the bridge
here and succeeded In extricating
themselves only after several hours
of hard work.
There was little or no disorder, but
Chas. Futch, a member of the Punta
Gorda baseball team, suffered a
broken leg which will keep him on
the inactive list for some weeks, and
Ihn pf Vol nf
Arcadia, was severely cut on the leg
and thigh by barnacles clinging to
pile while in swimming. So severe
were his injuries it was necessary to
call physician to take a number of
stitches in the cuts, which were long
and deep
punta Gorda was defeated in the
ball game with Nocatee, the defeat of
the locals being caused, it is said,
chiefly by the injury sustained by
Futch, who was put out of the game
as a result of his injuries, after which |
the Nocatee aggregation had an easy |
time.
The water sports were witnessed |
by a large crowd which gathered |
along the seawall. In the 50-yard /
swimming race for boys, Earl Hines,
of Wauchula, won the first prize of
IS; John CTowl the second, SO, and |
Eugene Koon the third. $3. In the
50-yard race for girls, Josephine Bell |
won first prize, IS; Elizabeth Bell |
second, So, and Wanda Bassett third |
50. In the 600-yard race, f. D. !
Rountree won first prize, S10 E. w.
Rountree second, Sc, and Leonard /
Smith third, 81. These same boys .
were the winners of the first, second /
and third prizes, in the order named, !
in the 3O0-yard race, the prizes be-
ing $S, "a and SO. The water polo
match was won by the reds" The
winning team was composed of Nor
man Cochran, captain; Beryl Chad
wick, Clay Chadwick, Ebert Stevens,
Freddy Bell and Lamar Rose. The
blues" team was composed of Jess
Gallagher, captain; Paul Bryant, Roy
Adams, Dan Pate, Theo Midget,
Chas. Cochran, Commodore Gala
CHER The prize in this event was
SIS.
Much credit for the success Of the
occasion must be given to the Char
lotte Military Band, which dispensed
excellent music throughout the day
without expecting or receiving a cent
in pay. This band. composed mainly
of boys under eighteen years of age,
has within a year developed as one
of the best in this part of the state,
and its success is the more remark
able because of the fact that the boys
have had little if any professional in
struction, except for a short time
when the Commercial Club, the city
and the Civic Association were con- {
tributing regularly for the purpose of
employing an instructor. All that 4