The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-06-22
DEDICATED TO PEACE
Emperor William Thus Describes
the Kiel Canal.
LAST STONE LAID AT HoLTENAU.
The Festivities Conclude with n Monster
Banquet In a BANQUET Hall Built In Fac
simils of Huge Vessel of Ancient Con-
struction.

Banquet in a Banquet Hall Built In Fac
simils of a Huge Vessel of Ancient Con-
struotion.
HoLTENAu June 22-After visiting the
Russian armored cruiser Rurik yesterday
Emperor William laid tho last stone OF
the Baltic and North Sea canal in tho
presence of many thousands of spectators.
The weather was brilliant, and the cere-
mony took place in the open air, and not
In the lighthouse adjoining the sluice, as
at first contemplated. The scene at tho
ceremony was embelllshed by handsome
designs In landscape gardening, and the
lighthouse standing close to the spot
showed the three bronze reliefs OF Elm
peror William /, Frederick III and Will
lam ii. Under the relief medallion of En-
peror William III is black marble tablet,
ON which Is engraved in gilt lettering:
His Majesty Emperor William lnid tho
corner stone Of the Baltic canal on June3,
1887, and accompanied lbs blows with the
hammer by the words, In honor of united
Germany, to her perfect welfare, in token
OF her might and power"
The lighthouse and the block of ma
sonry into which the emperor placed the
finishing stone were surrounded by enor-
nous scaffoldings rising in a semi-circlo
and affording seats for about 10, 900 people.
Baron Won Bowl -Berenberg, president
| OF the reichstag, in brief speech pre-
| sented the emperor with mallet, sin the
name OF German national representation.
Tak1n8 the mallet the emperor said: In
memory OF Emperor William, the great,
christen this canal tho Kaiser Wilhelm
canal" His majesty then tapped the
stone three times with mallet, saying;
"ln the name of the Triune God, in honor
OF Emperor William, the veal of Ger
many and the welfare of nations"
After the emperor had tapped the stone
a parchment was placed inside of it re-
hearsins the circumstances of the build
| ing and completion Of the canal. The
chancellor Prince Hohenlohe, in full of.
fetal uniform, read the document aloud
before depositing 1t in the stone.
The guard Of honor was furnished by
| the First Foot Guards and Marine Artil-
| lery, the former wearing the traditional
miter head dresses and red faced uniforms
ornamented with silver worn by the Prus-
sian guards upon state occasions. The ar
tillery soldiers were singularly fine body
| Of men, The whole scene took place be-
meath brilliant sunshine and with nice
breeze blowing.
AS the emperor, empress and the young
princes, the kings and grand dukes, stood
eminently picturesque group with the
background of variogated colors, uni
forms, flags, white and red plumes gilt
tering swords and bayonets, orders, parti-
| colored flags naval uniforms of dark blue
| with gold epaulets, the whole controlled
with military precision, and in the dis
tance the many thousands of holiday at-
tired spectators.
The actual ceremony for the great mass
of onlookers was mystery, and outside
the inner circle not one Of Prince Hohen-
I lohe's words was audible. When the set
of coins was placed in the stone, the en-
| pcror, empress and other Important per-
sonages, bareheaded, tapped the stone
three times, In accordance with German
tradition, the massed bands playing diff
| ferent airs as the various persons touched
the stone.
There was royal salute from nll the
wnrships as the emperor gave the first tap.
The whole ceremony lasted exactly half
an hour. The emperor and the imperial
party, as we'll as all the foreign officers
and other persons then returned to THEN
respective ships amid renewed cheering.
In the MEANWHILE the stone was built
in with bricks by the master builders of
the canal, the people pressing in while the
work was going on and seizing scraps OF
4
Tho review OF the feet began at Q D. IN.
The imperial yacht Hohenzollern, with thu
imperial family, kings, grand dukes, prin.
ces and mayors OF the chief cities, etc, on
board, left her moorings, and at the same
moment the crews of all the vessels in tho
harbor manned the yards or rails to theif
full strength, presenting another grand
spectacle. Tho Hohenzollern proceeded
slowly down the line, the emperor, in an
admiral's uniform, standing alone on the
bridge the crews of all the craft in the har-
Dor greeted his majesty with loud cheers.
The great banquet, which practically
wound up tho ceremonies of opening the
Baltic North sea canal took place last even.
Ing in the much discussed structure rep
resenting the old German warship Niobe.
About 600 guests participated in the en-.
tertainment, including the diplomatic rep
resentatives of the various nations
The banquet hall was u fac simile of
huge vessel OF ancient construction, as in
vogue in the seventeenth century. Tho
three masts, each 100 feet high, were taken
from the hulls of the Nlobe and Gefon, tho
earliest two vessels of the infant German
navy of 1850. The bowsprit formed part
oil the Moltke, another old vessel. With
the two topinhsts added, the total height
of the nusts was 227 feet The whole
wide. The banquet hall itself measured
83l by 81 feet. One hundred and fifty arc
lights furnished the illumination, and tho
table arrangements We're entrusted to Bor-
chardt, OF Berlin, who receives S25 per
plate, or about $25, 900 in all, which sum
includes wines, service and transportation
Tho French Admiral Mcnurd sat on
the emperor's right hand and the Russian
Admiral Skrydlon sat on his left. At tho
conclusion of the banquet the emperor
made brief speech, concluding as fol.
| lows:
1.-THE participation In our fetes of the
powers whose representatives we SEQ
amongst us, and whose splendid ships we
today admired, l acknowledge the moro
readily, as believe am right in perceiy-
ing therein es1e complete yindicntion of
tho efforts we have always directed toward
the maintenance of peace. Germany will
range the work inaugurated today on ths
side of those accomplished In tho service
Of peace, and will esteem herself fortunate
if the canal, in this sense, furthers and
,trengthens our friendly relations with
he other powers" ..
Counsel for the Defense of Collins.
TRENTON, June 22.-John 5. Durham,