New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-24
THE FORTH BRIDGE.
THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF IT BY THE
PRINCE OF Wholesome USE
Full STATISTICS.
London. March 8.


which the Forth directors understand not
loss we'll than the art OF building
II They are entitled to the credit,
whatever it may be, of having organized the
functions of Tuesday in highly superior man
ner First of all they secured the Prince of
Wales 1t is admitted that none other draws so
well as the Prince or cnlists wide circle
of interest. or attracts many people and 70
large share of attention from the pubic. III
cannot be necessary 10 explain TO any good he-
publican why this should be Inc fact suflces'
The Prince was the guest of Lord RosebcrN' "o
Dalmeny Park, hard by the Forth Bridge S'a'ion
at South Queensfcrry. The Prince ana Loi"
Roscbery are friends; the 'flnce mas "''" a
guest at Damcny before now, and 1t was natural
OF might seem natural. that he should DE "3ain
IN such an occasion as this. II was. nevcrthe-
less an act of public spirit on LORD koSeperN
part to contribute in any way TO the celeorauoh
of bridge which may, sooner or later' nriVe
him from his home and the home Of his fathers.
Dalmeny Park is not, it is true, ruined as Hope
town House is ruined, by the immediate ana CON
tinual spectacle of the Bridge, which Is happily
not visible from the house None the less docs
this new line create great centre of railway
traffic within two three miles Of Lord Rose
bcry's front door, and only six or seven from
Edinburgh: with possible consequences easy 10
imagine With the Prince of Wales came his son,
Prince Georcr his brother, thc Duke of Edin-
bnrch. and his son-in-law, the Duke Of Fife.
There were other persons whose celebrity IS wholly
or chiefly of a social kind. but ;hc most interest
ing group of guests that army Of railway
rulers, men of business men of science engineers
from all over England and all over
Europe. who had do honor TO
the achievements Of this company and lis
officers and servants VI. Eincl was ono Of them.
Mr. Dent Dent. prompted by Lord Colvillc rccoG-
nzed his presence at luncheon and hailed him with
The remark that he must admit the Forth Bridge
10 he more wonderful thing than his own Tower.
Few compliments have been more gracefully
turned
With all these famous persons 10 help. it has
nevertheless. 10 be said that }hc opening ccrc-
mony was hut n tame one The public was nu-
mcrous bat scattered and distant. Not much
can he made Of railway trip across bridge
and back again. even if Won throw in marine
promenade in very small steamer in half gale
Of wind when your time j. equally divided be-
tween holding TO your hat and staring IN AT
the bridge above YOU 1t j. one OF the prerogativcS
Of royalty in this country that on an occasion Of
ceremony like this only tall hats may be worn.
The tall hat is well. but with the wind blowing
sixty miles hour il offers m inconvcni"ntlY
large surface OF resistance Beside these eNcur-
sions md alarums by land and sea. there was III"
driving OF the last rvet by the Prince Of Wales.
the declaring of the Bridge open by the same per
sonage, and 4 luncheon, which. | observe, it is
the custom in Scotland TO call q BANQUET n word
applied elsewhere in ;hc United Kinadom-and |
think in the Civilized World. Also MS Mr. Glad
stone would be sure to remind us-onlv 20 such
fcssts as occur later than ? o'clock. There was
H.,
and this was Tie mes, picturesque part of The
transactions OF the day. The Prince and the rest
of Lord Roscbery's house-party were sent forth
in the same smartlv turncd-out euip-
ages in which Mr. Gladstone and his
fcllowguestS at Damcnv in 1879 and
1854 and 1855 used TO make the journeys 70
and from Edinburgh An open landau but with
out the box. and four horses with two positions
and the Princes servant and footiHan in the
rumble behind. conveyed the three royalties and
their host. \ second landau and four followed.
then landau and pair and an omnibus. There
were ontridcrs. and whether Lord RoSchcry or
Mr. Busk-Mr. Busk is his coachman and tie re-
sponsbc head of the stablcs-arrangcd it or not
these outriders lent animation 10 the before
the start by caracoling for a while on the side OF
. hill in full view from the front windows Of the
house.
Passing ont from the Chapel Gate. one Of the
nine gates OF the park. this procession fell under
the guard Of squadron of husSars stationed AZ
due intervals all along the road from the gate to
Queensfcrry. Mounted police brought mp the
rear, and the throng of spectators. and also Of
PEOPLE travelling by road from Edinburgh 10 the
Bridge. were kept back till the Prince and his
party had passed So punctual was this process
sion that il reached the station good quarter OF
from Ednburgh with other sections and com
panics of the guests of the Bridge Directors.
Some of the Scotch papers. all of which devote
many columns TO this pageant, tell You that the
Prince travelled by this special from Edinburgh
10 South Quccnslerry. DO not believe them.
lie passed the interval Sctwecn his own arrival
and that of the Edinburgh train in being photo
crap-ed in being decorated with flowers by
Young lady Of seven years, a granddaughter Of
Sr John Fowler. in paclng-pcihaps impaticnty
since royalties not often expected 10 wait and
this was his second experience within twenty
four hours-up and down The railway platform:
and finally in the waitng-roo OF the station, 10
which lie rctrcatcd, but in good order, before the
bowling blast. You will be interested 10 hear
that neither during this walk nor at any other
instant of his thirty hours visit, did the Prince
bctray any sign of lamcness or Of any lll-hcalth.
lie seems TO have got the better Of that local
malady-a varicose vein in the lcg-from which
he suffered last summer AT llOmburg, and since
The passage Of the Bridge need not detain us
long. The engineers took pains 10 point out that
though there blew from the southwest wind
enough to set the train rocking the fabric of the
bridge remained mistaken. We went slowly ar
rived safely at Invcrkcithing, ran down 20 the
pier below By another lire of rails, embarked.
tl.o nj
seas and spray which drenchcd the decks and
spoiled the carpets and velvet hangnes and vel
vet-covcrcd chairs provided for royalty and fair
weather, and disembarked where we had first en-
barked. The voyage lasted half an hour, and
not even N. Eincl or any OF his French cOinpan-