The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-24
PALATKA CROWDED
10 GREET PRESIDENT CLEVELAND.
ST. AUGUSTINE OBTAINS THE
PRESIDENT TOO LONG.
Great Disappointment at the Inability
of the President to Stop.
Twenty Minutes at the Depot for Hand
shaking Mrs. Cleveland Greeted
Enthusiastically.

Yesterday in Palatka was a day OF
great expectations. Far and wide the
news had Travelled that the President OF
the United States and his wife were TO
pay the city brief visit, and that the
pair whom the people delight to honor
would hold a reception at the Put
nam House in the evening. AT different
| times during the day trains, regular and
special, and steamers on the river,
| brought in the people from all directions,
and as the crowds swelIed the excite
ment and expectation ran high.
BEAUTIFUL DAY.
| Even the weather entered into the
conspiracy to welcome our President
and his lady to the Gem City. The land
was indeed sunny one, and all nature
| had smile on her face as broad as the
| Heavens and as beaming as the God of
| Day could make it. Doubtless the song
of the turtle and the alligator could be
| heard in the land, and as the gentle
zephyrs slipped busily along the very
| buds on the trees audibly burst with
hearty welcome, and the blossoms opened
| their petals wide with joyous welcome
| to our President and his wife.
| THE FEW PREPARATIONS MADE.
| The Putnam House was deliberately
and tastefully decorated, and many of
our citizens along Lemon street had
made preparations for decorating and
| illuminating in honor of the distinguished
| visitors.
| DOUBTFUL OF HIS COMING.
| But while expectation and excitement
| were at its height busy rumor began to
ply its tongue and the story ran through
| the crowds that the President was not
coming. On all sides the questions and
| answers passed back and forth. rs the
President coming" 'fYes'-"No'-''He
will only pass through without being
seen and opinions were as various as
the form the questions and answers took.
1t was generally known, as announced,
| that committee of Palatka's leading
citizens had gone on pilgrimage in
search of a Pre- sident, and the first an
/
and secured him were pretty generally
relied on as settling the question.
THE COMMITTEE TELEGRAPH.
Late in the afternoon, however, tel
| egram was received from ST. Augustine,
and which, spread out on large white
card, was displayed on the clerk S coun
ter of the Putnam House.
'.PoNcE DE LEON, ST. AUGUSTINE.
President Cleveland positively de-
clines to stop at Palatka. Tell Barron"
| The news contained in this dispatch
was not generally known or the streets,
and up to late hour the greater number
of the people We're yet expecting the
President.
THE LOUISE WATCHED FOR.
As it was known that the Presidential
party would arrive on the steamer
Louise, her arrival was anxiously
awaited, and when her whistle was heard
as she approached the wharf on her trip
from the regular $50 train from st. Au-
gustine the crowds poured through all
the streets in hurried endeavor to reach
the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West
Railway wharf before the expected
visitors should land. A portion of
the committee sent out by Pa
latka was on board, and great
was their anxiety, lest when the
news they brought should become
known, the people in their disappoint-
ment would mob its representatives
As the steamer made its landing the
waiting crowd ranged itself in two long
lines, and anxiously peering in'o the
faces of the embarrassed passengers
who were thus compelled to run the
gauntlet up the long dock, repeated the
often before asked question: us the
President coming r
No, the President was not coming.
The news was brought on this boat that
the Presidential party would leave st. |
Augustine at $50 p. M, on a special |
train, and would take the train on the
Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Rail-
way and proceed Immediately ON his
way further South
SPECIAL TRAIN IN READINESS.
The special train provided by the
Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Rail
way had been standing side-tracked near
the upper depot from an early hour in
the afternoon, and at about 10 .. M. it /
was backed down to the Laurel street
depot to await the arrival of the party.
PATIENTLY WAITING
Long before the arrival of the special
train on the st. Augustine and Palatka
at East Palatka, the multitude
Of people had flocked around the Jack
sonviile, Tampa and Key West wharves,
and waited impatiently for the coming
Of the steamer Louise, which was to con-
vey the President and Mrs. Cleveland
and party across the st. Johns, where
the Presidential train, consisting
Of three cars, were in wait
ing, having backed down to the
wharves from the Lemon street station
1t 10 o'clock. All We're anxious to see
he President and the first lady of the
and and everybody was asking one an
other when the President would arrive.
As the moments sped by and the time
was thought to be nigh, the excitemer,s
IF the dense throng grew most intense.
THEY ARRIVE AT IL P. NJ
On returning from East Palatka, no
sooner had the Louise sounded her whis-
lie than cheers arose from the crowds
hat lined the wharves and streets ada
1
n craft in the river set up a perfect SER
made of whistling. The surging mass
If humanity was backed to the rear of
he Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West
Railway warehouses and a rope was