The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-08-09
THE PRESIDENTS WELCOME


Mayor Melcher expressed his pleasure at
meeting the President and said he was sorry
that the Presidential party were UNABLE W
make longer stop in our city. fresiuent
Harrison gracefully responded, saving tnat
he was sorry that his arrangements were f.
such that he could not stay longer tinie III
the metropolis of Maine.
By this time the engine had been changed
and John Sinclair was at MS posi- III tue eau,
ready to take the President on the balance
of his Journey. Mr.. Charles M. Benjamin had
taken charge Ct the tran IN R ss Harbor
President Harrison again gave MS stten-
ton to the crowd in the depot, shaking every
hand that was presented. Presently tine
bell rang and the train began 10 move: linen
the people cheered again.. A smart OF small
and stuck up their hands. The President
bent down and touched every hand IN reach.
The train was going pretty last before the
boys let 60 their hold and one spry little fell
low chased the train clear to the Portland
street bridge.
Thus the Presidential train departed for
the east.
After Portland the next stop was at Bruins
wick and with 1t another crowd and more
cheering A salute of q guns was also fired
by platoon of the Maine State Battery, I'M
town has only 5000 or 5000 Inhabitants but
the crowd was big one and gave the Presi-
dent as hearty "How do you do" as he had
received at some Of the larger places along
the road. Mr.. Reed once more performed
the duty of introducing the President to the
people, though in reality the people had in
troduced themselves vigorously to the Presi-
dent as they caught sight of him first.
Gentlemen" said Mr.. Reed, II have the
the pleasure of introducing to my constit-
uents the President of the United States"
Then gun was fired and Mr.. Reed con-
tinued, "and call for three cheers now"
The cheers were given in Maine style, and
brief good"
THANK you, gentlemen" said the Presi-
dent, bowling as usual. and then little
bouquet of flowers was handed to him by
someone in the crowd. The people were
cheering and pushing forward to attract at
tention, young America being especially
''three cheers for Tom Reed" being given as
it started. Mr.. Reed left the train at this
point, which was at the end of his district.
The gentlemen who joined the train at
Brunswick, included delegation from Au-
gusta, among whose members were Mayor S.
w. Lane, Postmaster j. III. Manley, Hon.
Jno l.. Stevens, minister to the Sandwich
Islands, National Committeeman j. Man.
chester Haynes and Maj. 0. K. Michaelis, of
the Kennebec arsenal. Col Thompson of
Gov. Burleigh's staff, was also in the party.
Between Brunswick and Augusta the mem
Harrison previously were introduced to him.
Major Michaelis had known him 25 years,
and some others had known him smaller
number. Then President Harrison settled
Stevens and to Postmaster Manley, while a
table at which he might lunch was being
prepared. There were probablyIa dozen peO-
Pile in the car at the time.
Outside of Gardiner the train stopped for
minute to let freight train get out of the
nv in cto Ion
enough to let the crowd that was waiting get
just one glimpse of the President.
1t was then 1.40 p m. The only other stop
before Augusta was reached was opposite
the Kennebec arsenal, where salute was
fired from the river bank.
At Augusta.
At Augusta large crowd were in wait
ing, crowding the depot platform and even
the roofs of adjoining buildings. The train
was brought to standstill and the Presi-
dent, after saying goodbye to Mr.. Manley,
walked OH to the platform and looked out
between the flags at the end. He was given
an old-fashioned Maine cheer. Mayor Lane
waited for a lull in the cheering and then he
said: "Fellow citizens, you have conferred
upon me great honor and it is with great
pleasure that as your representative intro
duce to you man who worthily fills the
highest position in the world, our Presi-
dent"
Then the cheering began again and the
President grasped many of the score of hands
which were held out to him. Everybody
wanted to shake hands of course, and men
and women clinched the sides of the plat
form and elambered on the couplings as had
so many at stations before. In order to be
able to do so there was pushing and hustling,
for the crowd was packed closely AMI one or
two men lost their hats in the rush.
Gen. Harrison leaned round the corner to
reach the hands of would-be welcomers. A
little girl handed him her parasol to shake
as she could not near him herself. This was
just as the train was leaving. aa
The President sat down at luncheon with
Senator Hale, who had come aboard at
Brunswick, as soon as the train left Augusta
depot. By his own wish the lunch was
served so late, as he had been given so many
lunches and dinners recently. The bill Of
fare included: