The Forrest City times., 1893-05-05

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 PRESIDENT CLEVELAND.
 wheels afiying. the innumerable engines and mechanisms and the labyrinth of beltlng and gearing which make up the ma chinery of the Worlds Columbian exposi ton. At the same moment national salute belched forth from the guns of the An drew Johnson, lying off the exposition grounds in Lake Michigan: TOO flags. released from their stops at concerted signal. swung loose and streamed out under the sky in scarlet. vel low and blue; over in machinery hall great roar arose. and the turrets of the building nodded as the wheels began to turn. and greater volume of sound arose from the threats of the great concourse of people who thus ac- claimed the opening of the grandest achieve ment of American pluck, enterprise and gener- osity.
 There was no hitch in the programme finally arranged Sunday night. The distin- guished descendant of the great admiral in whose honor the days spectacle was inaugu- rated was escorted from the Auditorium hotel to the Lexington, where President Cleveland and his suite were in waiting, and the two par ties combined were taken in procession through miles of streets. lined with cheering thousands. to the grounds of the exposition. There the formal exercises were gone through With. The blind chaplain of the national congress invoked the blessing of God upon the under taking about to be consummated; poem cele. bratlng the voyage of Columbus was read in 3 manner fitting the time and place. Director General Davis. upon whose shoulders the atlas like load of the enterprise had rested for months. presented the completed work to the president of the United States. and that officer. representing the power and majesty of 5000 GO citizens. after sngularly happy speech. declared the Worlds Columbian exposition fully opened. Then he cannon boomed. the flags fiuttered in mid air, the fountains spouted. and the people shouted.
 The greeting to the president was hearty. It came first when his genial face was seen above the heads of the diplomats and commissioners on the grand stand. It was repeated when he stepped forward to make his modest address. and for the third time it rose when the signal was sent and the great achievement of the cen tury was inaugurated.
 But only part of this honor was Clevelands $. the rest was in acknowledgment of the event which that roar from machinery hall, that sud den outflow of flags. as if a rainbow had been splntered above the buildings. that praying Of cannon and that triumphal chorus signalized. There was nothing inadequate about this. The head of the nation received his due need of honor. but the completed Worlds fair the triumph of new world industry and genius. was the object upon which the multitude expended its heartest cheers and upo nswhich it lavishcd it's loudeSt acclaim.
 It was unfortunate that this part of the day s proceedings should have been marred by what
 
 proved to be only momentary surge of the great sea of humanity which beat against the platform in front of the administration build ing Always anxious to see and hear. as all crowds are. some of those in the rear began to press forward in hopes of gaining advantageous positions from which to witness the goings on at the platform. The pressure was almost uu- noticed at first. but as those in front began to feel it they in turn swayed back 10 resist it.. Then began one of those peculiar pulse-lke movements never seen except in great crow l.. There was d pendulum motion which attract cd the attention of those on the platform. and or. ders were given to the police to clear away th 9 jam that began to threaten the platform. Of fcers sprang into the crowd. but it was some minutes before their efforts were successful. and when the dense mass of people had been in some degree separated, twenty persons had been taken out in a fainting condition. For tunately, however. no one was seriously hurt and great calamity was averted
 Of course it was big crowd 10 handle. for Director Of Works Burnham declared that 444.00o people had passed the gates since day light number far in excess of the most san guine expectation. To take care of such a multitude with only one accident which could be called serious-for all the other casualties of the day were trival-was therefore. matter for graduation among the officers of the expo sition.
 When the crowd that had cho.ed up the en-  after the ceremonies and there was more room to move about with freedom, the president and other distinguished guests entered the admin istration building. The president himself rested for while in the director generals of flee, while the foreign diplomats. the congress men. the legislators and other notables of more or less magnitude, gathered in the TO- tunda and agreed that while il was all very fine they were glad it was over.
 Then every one began hunting something to eat. The dignitaries were accommodated in the special dining room fixed up for the occa- sion in the administration building, where they dined in state. The vast crowds besieged the restaurants throughout the grounds. and while most Of them succeeded in annexing a sandwich piece of pie, there were many who got nothing at all
 After dinner the presidents party took up the line of march for the manufactures build ing where he did the courteous to throng of foreigners and officials. Then he was hurried over 10 the women $ building. where he listened to the dedica tfon speeches ty Mrs. Potter Pal ncr and others.
 The Irish village next claimed his attention, and after that he loaded his s5o pounds of