Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-09-18
Especial to the Globe.
TJYNUIIr TO VI- V-01~'I
S. S. WIDE WEST WILLARD EXCURSION
COLUMBIA RIVER, Sept. II.

There is such a whirl and hustle and be-
wildering succession of surprise upon sur
prise, entertainment following entertain
ment, that it was impossible to scribble a
line yesterday or last night, or at any time
till the small hours preceding the dawn of
this morning, and as nature requires a
little relaxation from the strain upon it,
even the GLOBE correspondent had for
once to snatch few ours rest and sleep.
The programme of to-day, however, ad-
mitted of these hours being bat few in
deed. Breakfast at s o'clock, on board at
8 o'clock for a grand trip up the Columbia
and Willamette rivers. l should
not be doing my duty to
my commission, however, if 1 did not
LIT the readers OF the GLOBE have an &C
CONT of yesterdays proceedings as
promptly as is practically possible, hence
it is that l am seated at the writing desk
of the splendid steamer Wide West while
the band of the Fifth infantry is trying its
utmost to bewilder my thoughts with deli
cious sounds.
Yesterday, upon leaving the cars, we
were conveyed across the river on
handsome steamers upon which was
served
MOST RECHERCHE LUNCH,
including choicest wines and the most lus-
cious fruit to be found in any part of the
world. At Portland the press were taken
in carriages at once to their quarters,
which surprised everyone by the complete
ness and luxury of their appointments
not even the Uncle Sam part for postage
was omitted. Carriages then conveyed
as to the grand stand to witness the gor-
geous street pageant. Here we are nearly
two Thousand miles west of st. Paul and
the center of civilization, and yet what a
sight greets us! Upon the immense gallery
are thousands of we'll dressed gentlemen
and ladies in the very height of fashion
and the most costly of costumes. The
streets literally lined with an orderly, po-
lite n polished throng, such as one meets
on the fashionable boulevards and promi-
nades of the leading cities of the world,
and the streets themselves transformed
into fairy like vistas through an enchanted
bower. Triumphal arch after triumphal
arch strung together with
MILES OF FEsTooNs AND GARLANDs
and banners and flags. The banners bearing
suchnames as Willard, Cook, Mcclellan and
those of all the distinguished English and
German and American special guests, in
Guiding Onslow, Darlington, Hannah,
Russell, Braunfels, Froelich, Grosnig,
Hoist, Weber, E~isendecker, Blaine, etc.,
formed one immense blaze of color. The
procession was a perfect success, and one
would almost think that some portions of
it had been transported from st. Paul.
THE MILITARY DISPLAY
was very large, a fine field battery of ten
pieces, with some fifty coal black horses
being an especial feature. One of the
striking features of the whole show was
the beauty and excellence of the horses,
but perhaps nothing attracted more atten-
ton than the emigration train, which was
headed by au old lady OF horseback, her
saddle cloth announcing that in such man.
ner she crossed the plains in 1916.
The whole brilliant show was
Brought to a close by a company of some
fifty Warm Spring Indians, mounted on
their ponies.
After the procession we we're again i'm
mediately in carriages, (of which there
was no lack), and wheeled through the
teeming streets at a Jehu pace to the pa
vliop, which had been transformed from
an immense shed to a perfect temple of
orient beauty. Nothing could exceed the
graceful effect upon the eye of
THE HARMONY OF CoLoRING,
which must have been designed by IN ar
fist of most refined taste. The cores
pondent of the great paper of the North
west might nave felt a little disappoint-
ment at not finding his name upon one of
the most cons icuous banners upon the
streets, but that disappointment completely
disappeared upon entering this grand tenn
pie of loneliness, where were assembled
tie chivalry and beauty of the western
coast and eastern countries, for right at
the head of the vast hall, right upon the
very pinnacle of honor there was placed
the emblem of the great luminary, the
GLOBE itself. 1t was mounted in an azure
sky which backed the colossal orchestra,
and the effect was beautiful in the ex-
treme. At the other end of the hall oppo-
site the orchestra, was placed the gallery
for the accommodation of Mr.. Willard and
his guests, the floor of the hall and the
side gallery being filled with citizens of
Portland, who seemed all to be there, at
least the handsomest, and weather., and
best cultured. The effect of the 800 chill
dren in their light, picturesque
costumes, filling the orchestra and
backed by the curas fecked
azure sky was very pretty, and when they
stood to sing their song of welcome the
effect was doubled. Then followed a long
ard mastery Grafton by Hon. NJ. G..
George.
MR.. %vILLARD's SPEECH.
Mr., VillSrl responded as follows:
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen of
Portland: This is to me indeed a solemn, in
spring and most gratifs ing hour. Thoughts
crowd upon me so thick and fast that l can
truly say L find it difficult to discover words to
express them; but amidst the multitude of i'm
pressions that are crowded upon me in starting
upon this memorable journey a fortnight ago
from New York, some of these impressions l
discern clearly and distinctly at this moment;
and one Is that l have around me a host of per-
sonal friends. Applause. If there is any
thing gratifying to me in the record of the past
nine years, during which my personal and pub
lie career has been identif d with the state of
Oregon and tho city of Portland, it is the belief
that have made friends only, in this state and
in this city. The next sensation that
forces itself upon me at this moment is the
thought that this good city Of Portland is the
place where years agoI commenced the work,
where l found inspiration to do the work, the
contamination of which we celebrate TO-DAY.
Applause. As many of you will remember it
was late in the summer of 1874 that 1 first had