The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-24
ALL CEREMONIAL DISPENSED
WITH BY REQUEST.
Escorted to the Ponce de Leon as
Mr.. Flagler's Guests.
A Reception in the Evening Attended by
Thousands Decorations
and IIiuminations.

The universal feeling of profound re
gret that the extraordinary event of the
visit of the President and Mrs. Cleveland
to s'the oldest city in America" should
not have been distinguished by appro-
pirate ceremonials and a public demon
stration befitting the occasion, did not
prevent the people of st. Augustine from
showing their appreciation of the honor
of visit from the Chief Magistrate in a
simple manner which would conform
substantially to the Presidents wishes,
| and at the same time crafty their earn
est desire to appropriately recognize the
presence in their midst of the chosen
| ruler of seventy millions of free and
Independent people.
| The fact that Mr.. Cleveland was
| coming to st. Augustine, not in his
| character of President, but solely as the
| private guest of Mr.. Flagler, and that he
| demonstration in his honor, was exceed
| ingly difficult to dissociate from the fact
| that he is the President, and as such, en-
| titled to receive the respectful attentions
of a faithful and devoted people. The
reception ceremonies, therefore, such as
they were, comprised sort of compro-
mise between the two extremities OF the
| dilemma, and consisted chiefly of the
profuse decoration of the buildings along
| the streets through which the Presiden-
| tial party passed to the hotel, the firing
| of Presidential salute by a detachment
of the Second Artillery, U. S. A., the
really necessary escort of citizen soldiery
| which served to protect the cortege
from the eager crowd of curious specta-
tors, and the attendance along the line
of march of the assembled multitudes.
The decorations were so much delayed
by the bad weather of the two previous
| days that they could not be described in
rotation, and many wore just completed
when the President arrived.
The decorations at the Ponce de Leon
partook of the same modest character as
those along the line of march. Every
thing was in the rarest good taste, and
without ostentation. Many -colored
Chinese and Japanese lanterns, of all
sorts of shapes and sizes, were hung by
hundreds along the interior corridors of
every floor around the court, and along
| either side of each paved walk were ar
ranged little slender stakes some two
feet high, painted green, on which were
hung hundreds of many-colored tiny
glass globes, each containing taper.
The fountain in the center of the court
was furnished with large number of
| electric lights of various colors, some
| festooned about the basin and pedestal
and some arranged underneath the water
| giving most brilliant and novel aspect
| to the scene. Overhead, at the top of
the central pedestal of the fountain, wa:
a magnificent triumph of the electric arr
in the shape of an immense light of one
hundred candle power.
Over the great gateway on the south
ern front of the building, but inside the
court, was mammoth arch having
span of twenty-four feet, on which was
t arranged in letters two feet long the
| ldUlt CI6NtldB III CitCbIlC "
different colors, the whole trimmed ant
festooned with garlands of evergreens
Inside the building no change wa
made save to fit up tn,
| rooms for the distinguished guest
and a perfect gem of little pri
vate salon for meals on the west side O
the corridor leading to the grand salon
Those who were favored with peep a
this room We're especially delighted
particularly the ladies, with the excel
lent taste displayed in its arrangement
and decoration. A profusion of flowers
including rich sprays of orange blooms
adorned the chandeliers, walls an
furniture, and the tiny antique sideboar
of rare carved wood, was furnishe
forth with plate, cutlery and glasswar
fit for kings palace.
The Sanchez block was also decorate'
with flags.
DIR. Carver's (the oldest house in til
city, was embellished with flags, draper
The American flag fioated GRACEFUL
from the tall flag staff in the parad
grounds.
Mrs Carr had the United States fla
over her balcony.
Where Treasury street runs into Ba
was a motto. Treasury Street fet
wide" over which hung several flags.
The decoration of the corner of ii
Vail Block, occupied by Benhayon
Gonzalez, was unique. The telephor
:. pole at the corner was swathed in amp
folds of red, white and blue fabric, al
extending thence to the corner of Il
building were banners bearing the f,
lowing Inscriptions:
"Bien Benido Sea Nuestro presldentea
Florida Oriental"
mo North, no SOUTH
"An One People"
st The Lorillard Cottage, on st. Geors
street, now occupied by the Paimet
Club, was ornamented with a profu
display of color-the regulation Spani:
yellow and red, intertwined with t
'sred, white and blue
The Florida House was elaborate
decorated with immense streamers
yellow, white, red and blue, extendil
from the highest points of the roof
the farthest corner of the lawns, wi
q multitudesof tiny flags of ali natio
dispersed y tasteful groups about t
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