The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-05-24
BROOKLYN BRIDGE.
Completing Preparations for the
Grand Opening To-day.
New York and Brooklyn TO be Brilliant
ly Illuminated Tonight.

New York, May 23-The decoration of the
station building at the Sands street end Of the
bridge, where the formal opening of the strue-
| ture VIII take place tomorrow was begun yes
terday afternoon. The interior was draped with
| flags and rows OF small banners were set up on
the roof. Throughout Brooklyn there was
much activity IN preparing for the decoration
and illuminations, which promise TO surpass
nything ever before seen in the city. No such
| celebration has been seen in Brooklyn since
! the opening of the water works in 1859.
All the public buildings, all the structures in
the business part of the city and many
! private houses will display flags and
! bunting by day, and by night will be brilliant
1 with candles, gas, lamps and Chinese lanterns
| Many of the decorations will be completed to-
| day In the majority of stores and offices in
! Brooklyn a neatly printed notice that business
| Will be suspended at ii a. IN. or IL m. tc-mor-
! row has been put up.
| The arrangements for the celebration can be
| properly divided into the parade from the City
Hall to the bridge by the 23d Regiment, escort
| ing the mayor aud other city officials, the sa-
| lntes 60 be flied at tho moment OF crossing the
| bridge, the afternoon concerts IN various parts
| of the city, the illumination aud decoration of
| the buildings, and the reception TO the Presi.
dent and Governor. The line Of the parade
will be formed in Remsen street at p. IN.
To-morrow afternoon concerts will be giyea
in Prospect Park and at the fountain in Bed
ford avenue at o'clock. AT p. N. CONCERT
will be given in Fort Greene Park. The ar.
rangements for the salutes are as follows:
When the President reaches the New York
tower a salute of twenty-one guns will be fired
from Governors Island and the war vessels in
the bay. When he reaches the Brooklyn tower
signal will be given TO gunners stationed on
Fort Greene and AT Stagg street aud Bushwich
avenue, and twenty-one guns Will De hred at
each place. When the bridge is formally
handed over to the two cities by Vics President
Kingsley signals will be given and salutes OF
100 guns will he fired at each point.
n~,N A - AI..at. al.
evening President Arthur and Gov. Cleveland
Will both be present. Nearly ten times as
many tickets as the balcony will hold people
have been issued, and only the earliest TO 90
will secure seats
The last OF the tickets to the opening exer-
cises on the bridge were sent out yesterday.
Only the holders of white cards will be admit
ted TO the building where the speeches will be
made. The blue tickets only admit to the
bridge approaches and the space under the
main floor of the building. About. 1900 tick
cts have been sent out in all. of which Geo
were white cards AS the building will only
seat comfortably about 1900 persons, the
amount of struggle for the best places and the
efforts OF the ushers to reserve places for the
distinguished guests and the press reporters
will be desperate.
Among the decorations promised in Brook
Ign representation of the bridge in gas jets
will be displayed ia front OF the Academy Of
Music, with a laurel wreath aud the dates
'lo5glloS3'' above 1t. transparency will be
pat up in front of the Park Theatre showing
Brooklyn as it was in l746 and in 1870 and as it
Is now and rs it viii he in 1890. The house OF
City Works Commissioner Ropes, at Hicks and
Pierrepont streets, will be decorated with hags
from each window
Ii is expected that the display OF fireworks
on the bridge towers viii be seen 70 the best
advantage at distance from the towers. TIE
aud bombs will be very large and will go up
500 or 1000 feet. There will be a simultaneous
discharge of 800 huge rockets from the top Of
the towers
The display OF fireworks viii begin prom pity
at s p. m, aud will last one hour. Rockets,
gold and silver rain aud colored fires will be
given ON the towers. At the centre of the
bridge rockets and bombs will be discharged
IN the roadways aud FIRE balloons will be- sent
up from the foot bridge. The whole display
will be aerial. To avoid danger from fire in
the roadways of the bridge from the rocket
boxes. which usually catch FIRE, hose is 10 be
laid on the structure from both cities
After the exercises at the SIEdssi station
the 23d Regiment will escort President Arthur
and Governor Cleveland TO Mayor Lows house
on the Heights. After reception in the Acad-
emy of Music, the President, Governor aad
other guests will probably be driven over the
brid- o on their return to this city. The TAX
ing Of toll viii begin at midnight.