The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-23
saved BY A SACK.
President Cleveland's Narrow
Escape on His Arrival
Here Yesterday.

The arrival of President Cleveland in
Jersey City yesterday afternoon from
Buzzard's Bay caused a ripple of ex-
element among the passengers in the
big Pennsylvania depot, and particularly
among the station officials, who MAIN
tanned the utmost secrecy as to the ar
rival and departure of the President.
Station Master Kiefer, ever affabie and
polite, was s%tudiously discreet, and so
was Detective P. Morris. Both of them
the hundred and one questions fired at
them by a small army of reporters, who
wanted to know o know.
"He will come in by the Lighthouse
tug at the Adams Express dock, and
leave by the 1882 Washington train" was
the invariable reply of the Station Mas
ter, and nothing more could be got from
him.
AT first the newspaper men believed
this, and swarmed at the river end of
the dock, from Whence a good view of
the river could be obtained. But when a
steam launch came alongside the adj
joining pier and a naval officer in un-
dress uniform stepped ashore, the report
erS rushed back to the depot. 1t was
plain to them that the Station Master
had purposely sent them to the dock
so that the President might slip into
his car to prevent the reporters tackling
him with, Have you signed the Tariff
bill?"
The naval officer, however, was there
on other business, and back flew the
of their number representing a sensa-
tional New York sheet had a camera
planted, commanding the place where the
President would land, and for several
hours he was arranging his plates and
carefully focusing the lens.
About five minute before three o'clock
the dark funnel and hull of the Light
house tug was observed creeping up
later the President could be seen sit
ting on the upper deck, under the stern
awnings. He had with him DR.. O,Reilly
and Captain Fighting Bob Evans.
When the tugs hawser was slipped
around the bulkhead the newspaper man
got his camera fixed all right and
awaited the moment when the party
would appear at the gangway.
THE CAMERA WAS OBSCURA.
A second or two later Mr.. Cleveland
was seen on the lower deck at the gang,
way, and when the camera man was
about to pull the string one of the Ad-
ans Express employees deity slipped
over him and his camera a huge dirty
sack: When he got rid of the wieldy
way up the dock to the depot. Nursing
his wrath to keep it warm, he uttered
some polite remarks to the grinning
'longshoremen, and, Selling his camera,
hurried after the retreating forms of
the Presidents party.
He was too late, however, to catch a
snap shot before they boarded the train,
for "a watchful gatekeeper shut the pom
derous gates in his face, saying
mo go, my friend. Some other time
The President looked remarkably well
in a light brown suit, and a soft, hat
to match. Two sailors preceded him,
with two light oyercoatS. Satchels and
bags. After the sailors came the Penn
sylvania station police, and then the
President. thanked by his friends and
Station Master Kiefer, the newspaper
men in a bunch behind.
No time was lost in the depot. The
party assembled by the baggage elevator
and at once boarded the special car.
Punctually on time the train steamed
away for Washington, leaving the re-
porters still in doubt as to the Tariff
bill.
H will not talk at ALL" said DR..
O'Reilly," who mounted guard at the
car door until the train steamed away.