Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-05-09
OUR CENTENNIAL.
IMPOSING OPENING OF THE CEN
TENNIAL CELEBRATION.
THE PRESIDENT GREETED WITH
A MAGNIFICENT NAVAL
DEMONSTRATION.
SYNOPSIS OF DEPEW'S MASTER
LY GRAFTON.
The Decorations surpass Anything Ever
seen In New York.

The Decorations Surpass Anything Ever
seen In New York.
The centennial celebration in New York
III commemoration Of the inauguration of
the first president of the United States
may be said 10 have commenced on the
morning of April 80, with the arrival OF
President Harrison from Washington on
schedule time. On April 20, 1889, Gen.
Washington arrived in New York after a
journey of six days from Washington.
President Harrison, so great is the contrast
in means OF transportation wrought by
century, arrived at Z - a. m, having COW
cred the same distance surrounded by the
ease and comfort and elegance Of palace
car, within six hours
The line OF march followed as nearly as
possible the h stOric route taken by Gen.
Washington 10 years ago The parade and
procession was the most imposing scene
ever witnessed in New York. Nearly $4,000
men were milne. The fifth division, called
the department of agriculture, was striking
and picturesque. This was the granger
division. There were numerous floats rep
resenting farmers 100 years ago and to-day.
Men in old-time costumes, carried scythes
and sickleS, boys were going TO mill with
bags OF grain, and groups of farmers had
old fashioned wooden mould board plows,
cradles. fails. etc.
New York was literally clothed in flags
and bunting, and on all sides were evil
dences Of lavish expenditure of money in
decorations. OF the buildings below the
city hall the most noticeable were those
Immediately opposite the Equitable build
ing, the DreXel- Morgan building. the Gus
tom house, the various exchanges and the
sub-treasury building. The eight massive
columns in front of the latter building
wereentwinedwith flags, and from each
column United States shield was dis
played. The stand on which the exercises
took place was tastefully decorated. The
Trinity fb mainly
about the entrances, and consisted Of a
simple but beautiful draping of large flags.
From window in the steeple prOtruded
pole on which was suspended large flag
The decorations on the city hall were of a
most artistic nature. a huge rosette. haV
ing for IA center the escutcheon of the Unit
ed States, formed a top-pece. Each win
DOWN the front had n base consisting of
half rosette of flags and coat Of arms of
some foreign country, and above them
hoated small colonial flags. In the spaces
between the windows appeared the arms
of the states. The roof was edged with
crimped bunting. On the Broadway
side of the building the windows were
draped as in the front, and two immense
flags were spread to their fullest extent
across the top From every window in the
postofce building toated Il flag, aud bunt-
ing and strealneIs appeared in profusiOn
The decorations on the Equitable building
consisted simply of large rOsette placed
at tie top OF the building, and IL streamers
about 500 feet long, which were hung from
the rosette 10 the sides OF the building and
caught in loop by ropes OF red, white and
blue
The corridor Of the building where the
President made his entrance had no decora-
tions, but the rooms of the lawyer club,
where he was rendered a luncheon there
was slight depression from the rule. The
table was lighted by twelve electric lights
and the center was covered with q mass of
beautiful flowers.
Up town the hotels and buildings were all
in holiday attire. The arches placed at
different points along the line Of the parade
were four in number. First in point OF
beauty was the one situated ut the junction
of Broadway, Fifth avenue and Twenty
third street It is 20 feet high aad spans
100 feetof the roadway. Paintings of great
men of the country were hung above the
arches and on top. Above the keystone
was statue of Washington on horseback,
f1anked on either side by a large gilt eagle
Each turret had spire in each corner,
eight spires in all, and each spire is % feet
high. In the nitches of columns were
placed statue Of soldiers and sailors i'm the
costume Of 100 years ago The arch at
Fifth avenue and Twenty sixth street had
three spans and was 700 feet wide. 1t was
the same hight as the other arch, and was
decorated in somewhat the same manner.
AT Fifth avenue and Washington square
was an arch made to repre- sent stone, 81
feet high and spanning 40 feet. Laurel
ywreaths, flowers and bunting formed the
decoration.
One of the most elaborate pieces0f street
decorating in the city was the merchants
arch, near the foot of Wall street. The
arch was from the curbs and spanned the
street. the center, representing the key
stone, being 40 1eet above the pavement, in
its draping silk was as freely used as bunt-
. toll
and streamers and draperies of nation al
,colors were arranged in accordance with
designs prep red by some Of the most noted
decorators in the world.
AT an early hour in the morning the vari-
,ous vessels that had been assigned to
places in the grand naval parade began
taking their positions and making prepare
tions to receive the president The feet
comprised Heating craft of every imagin-
able description, the mcn-of.war, revenue
boats, yachts. sailing vessels, ocean steam
,ers being uneXcelled in the brillancy and
extent of their decorations, and when all
was ready the reception committee started
TO meet the presidential party at Elizabeth.
port.
The president and party embarked on
board the Dispatch at Elizabethport and
the vessel, accompanied by the steamer
Sirius carrying other guests and officials of
the presidential party, and the Erastus
WIman with members of the press, govern
ors. commissioners of states, etc. steamed
through the Kill Won Kill TO the upper bay
AS she passed Port Richmond, the tug
Nina. which had returned to that point,
fred q gun, which was repeated from the
Chicago as signal for the feet TO heave
anchors short and prepare to get under
way. When the Dispatch was opposite the
line of the tenth squadron Of merchant
marine lying off Staten Island Commodore
Moran moved his flagship, j. A. Dumont
from her temporary station at the left of
the line out in the stream and accompanied
the Dispatch as far as the right OF line,
where he took position. At the same time
he dipped his oolors and his entire squad
ron did the same, and blew steam whistles
for half minute. AS the presidents boat
turned north into the main channel and
reached the left of line of squadron 9, that
squadron and squadron on the east side
went through the same ceremony, as did
all the sIuadrans in turn by pairs There
was no other blowing steam whistles until
the Dispatch came abreast of the Chicago,
when the whistles OF the entire fleet were
blown in unison for half a minute
When the Dispatch came abreast of the
near OF the yacht division the revenue cut
ters and such of the yachts as carried guns
began u salute of II guns, and as the Presi-
deats ship passed, the officers and crew Of
each vessel paraded the deck and saluted