Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-10-21
A JUBILANT CITY.
Miwauk 80 Celebrates Where. the
s HE eli E@30S Hamlet Stood, Fifty -. 2
-.-.-- st...s-f.. Years Ago.

The loud booming of cannon, the ring
ing of bells and the footing of innr-
merable whistles announced to the world
that the day and the hour of .1ilwau-.
3 KEGS se1f1i-ccntennial celebration had ar
n riyed,7 while yet the red outline of the
sun was barely discernible through the
morning mists on the 18th inst. The sun
was scheduled to appear this morning
at 6:14 O'Clock and it was not more
. prompt. than the. battery, that was sta
toned on the lake front to greet its APP
Dearance with a salute. When the first
ray shot across the bay there was a
roar that shook the town and awakened
the sleepy inhabitants. Instantly it was
answered from thousand factories,
where engineers had been awaiting the
signal. and almost as quickly the pealing
of bells was heard from every steeple.
es Roar followed roar, whistle piled on
~ whistle and bell on bell until all were
lost III one great wave OF sound that
seemed. to cover the city. The Andy
Johnson in the bay aided the battery in
With all the noise nobody could stay
in bed and the town was astir early.
People focked out onto the streets to
find that the faint promise of a fine day
had materialized in a glorious reality.
The sun shone as. bright as though it
was trying to make a special effort for
3 the occasion and the atmosphere was al
b most as balmy as spring day. AS if by
magic the decorations of yesterday had
dOubledrand tripled during the night and
from end to end the city was gay with
holiday attire. Flags fiOated from every
hOusetOp that was provided with, staff
and streamers and festoOns decked every
street. Very early the streets were
filled. with the sound of music, as the
various bodies marched to form in the
parade, and the crowds that followed
the sounds filled the sidewalks. Every
street car after Z o'clock was packed
and thousands upon thousands of people
who lived within walking distance of
some favorable point on the line of
march walked in. Very early, too the
trains began to- bring in the crowds from
out of town and before noon the thor
Oughfares were perhaps as lively as they
were ever known to be in the history of
the city.
The big parade was the event of the /
morning. 1t was past noon before it
was over and the crowds stood for hours
on the sidewalks to see the soldiers and
the governors and the various societies
and to hear the music of the endless
bands. For the old settlers the recep,
ton at the Academy was the event OF
the day and dozens of them came down
hours before it opened to be sure to be
on time. The building was crowded to
the doors and there were thousands who
would have been glad to have attended
if they could have got in. The day
night, which will attract even greater
crowds than this mornings parade, and
the general Examinations Of the city.
The streets may have been as well deco
rated before, but it is certain that there
never was a time when such an illumina-
ton was provided. Thousands of cleo
trio lamps have been strung on the build
ings of the city and tonight the streets
will literally be blazing with lights.
One of the prettlest decorations. OF the
was hn of
circling the lantern on the top OF the
Pabst building They made perfect
bIazesOf light which was to be seen from
all parts of the city and the surrounding
country and were as pretty as the crown
of lights on the Administration building
in Chicago or the World building in
New York. Many people would like to
see them burning every night Many
business houses, particularly on East
and West Water streets, Wisconsin
street and Grand avenue, have effective
arrangements of incandescent lights.
This evening the city will be ablaze with
light. ~ -
The forty-foot flag on the city. hall
building was raised at precisely o'clock
in the morning. Along about s o'clock
while the aldermen were at the. LAKE
front Aid. Bryden's flag was holsted to
its position on Juneau park.
The event of the afternoon was the
general reception at the Academy Of Nlu-
sic, which was announced to begin at 3
o'clock. 1t was not a reception IN the
usual sense of the word, though termed
so in the official programme, but rather
a memorial meeting. The theater was
crowded as it probably never was before:
All but the gallery seats were reserved
for old settlers and other specially invited
guests. Mayor Koch welcomed the Wis
istOrs TO Milwaukee and Gov. Upham
spoke as the representative of the COM
monwealth of Wisconsin. Gen. f. G.
Winkler was the orator of the day and
cTNnly IN
briefly. Vocal music was furnished by
the male choruses of the Arion club and
the Musical society, which rendered the
song 'Milwaukees Fifty Years. com
Gregory. The Arion band of Oshkosh
furnished the instrumental music.
When the parting "Good Night famed
out Thursday night on the lake front,
in the midst of shooting stars and sprays
of fire. and. expired in shower of rock
cts. Milwaukee's ssemi-centennial cele-
bratiOn was over. - ....aa-aey--~--~~s-.a
The second day Of the celebration was
ushered in like the first with the BOOM
ing of cannon and the blowing of W.hls,,
ties, but there was not quite so much OF
either rs on Wednesday. And when
the day dawned and it was found that
the weather clerk had granted another
.f fine day, the fun began afreSh and the
city gave itself up to a second long
round of pleasure, business being aban,
doned with a recklessness strange indeed
for conservative Milwaukee.
Wednesdays crowds on the streetWere,
81. repeated and the success of the events
of that day were duplicated. And there
were events enough to keep everybody
interested. AT 8 O'Clock the informal
reception at the new city hall began and
lasted until u o'clock. At 10 O'Clock
a reception to the city's guests began
at the Pfster and lasted until the guests
were loaded into carriages and taken for
a drive around the city, which consumed
the balance of the morning. At the
same hour began the most interesting
event of them all, the reception at the
PIankinton to the pioneers and old set
tiers of the city, and while those events
were going on the tiremen were giving
their interesting exhibition on the city
hall square. E-..sr