Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-10-23
4 JUBILANT CITY.
Milwaukee Celebrates n the
Hamlet stood, Fifty
Years Ago.

KEGS se~mi-centennial celebration had ar
rived. while yet the red outline OF the
sun was barely discernible through the
morning mists on the 15th 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 stationed on
the lake front to greet its appearance
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 1t was answered
from a thousand factories, where en-
gineers had been awaiting the signal,
and almost as quickly the peallng OF
bells was heard from every steeple. Roar
followed roar, whistle piled on whistle
and bell on bell until all were lost in one
great wave of sound that seemed to
cover the city. The Andy Johnson in the
bay aided the battery in the salute.
With all the noise nobody could stay
in bed and the town vas aStir early.
People fOcked out onto the streets to
find that the faint promise of a fine day
had m~aterialized i'll a glorious reality.
The sun shone as bright as though it
was trying to make Il special effort for
the occasion and the atmosphere was al
most as balmy as a spring day. AS if by
magic the decorations of yesterday had
doubled and 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 a 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 thou
sands upon thousands of people who
lived within walking distance of some
favorable point OF 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 thoroughfares
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 n there were thousands who
would have been glad to have attended
il they could have got in. The day
will end with the great bicycle parade to-
IlISuI- WHICH VIII dGtTdcl even STodl Ter
crowds than this mornings parade, and
the general illumination 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 IN 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 prettiest decorations of the
evening was the bunch of arc lights Ell
circling the lantern Oh the top of the
Pabst building. They made a perfect
blaze of light which was to be seen from
all parts of the city and the surrounding
country and were as pretty as the ROY
on the Administration building in Chi
cago 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 arrange
ments Of lncandescent lights. This even
ing the city will be ablaze with light.
The fOrty-foot flag on the city hall
building vas raised at precisely { o'clock
while the aldermen were at the lake
front Aid. Bryden's flag was hoisted to
its position on Juneau park.
The event of the afternoon was the
general reception at the Academy of Mu-
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
Il memorial meeting. The theater was
crowded as 1T probably never was before.
All but the gallery seats were reserved
for old settlers and other specially invit-
ed guests. Mayor Koch welcomed the
visitors to Milwaukee and Gov. Upham
spoke as the representative of the COM
mOnwealth of Wisconsin. Gen. T. G.
Winkler was the orator of the day and
n n h nE fba 81 % l-.-c
~. Vocal music was furnished by the
male choruses of the Arion club and the
Musical society, which rendered the
song "Milwaukee's Fifty Years. COM
posed for the occasion by John Goadby
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 a shower of rock
cts, Mllwaukee's semi-centennial cele-
DratIOn was over.
The second day of the celebration was
ushered in like the first with the boom
ing of cannon and the blowing of whis-
ties, but there was not quite so much of
either as on Wednesday. And when
the day dawned and it was found that
the weather clerk had granted another
tine day, the fun began afresh and the
city gave itself up to q second long
round of pleasure, business being aban.
doned with a recklessness strange indeed
for conservative Milwaukee.
Wednesdays crowds on the street were
repeated and the success of the events
of that day were duplicated. And there
We're events enough to keep everybody
interested. At 8 o'clock the informal
reception at the new city hall began and
lasted until II 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
Plankinton to the pioneers and old set,
tiers Of the city, and while those events
were going on the firemen were giving
their interesting exhibition on the city
hall square.
In a great industrial parade, several
miles long, the merchants and manufact-
9lrers of Milwaukee showed the visitors
from other cities how diversified are the
citys industries and how enterprising her
business men can be when the occasion
demands it. 1t is safe to say it was
the greatest industrial parade ever seen