The San Francisco call., 1896-07-07
Commodore Sloat's Great.Grand.
Son Will Read the Proc
lamati0n.
REV. vooRsANGER THE ORATOR
Men From the Fiagsh p Philadelphia
and From the Preside to Take
Part in the Ceremony.

The arrangements for the celebration IL
this City on Thursday next of the semi
centennial anniversary of the conquest of
California and the taking possession of
Yerba Buena, as San Francisco was then
known, by Captain Montgomery OF the
sloop-of war Portsmouth are com mplete and
will be carried out at noon on that day.
There are to be two celebrations of the
conquest-one at Monterey to-day to cele-
brate the conquest of California by the act
OF Commodore John Drake Sloat in having
the American flag raised at Monterey, and
the other in this City by the Exempt Fire
Company in commemoration OF the rails
ing of Old Glory on Portsmouth Square.
Last evening George T. Bohen, A. ],
Jessup, ]. J. Guilfoyle, Godfrey Fisher
and James O'Donnell of the committee of
arrangements held meeting in the hall
of the Exempts on Bre nham place, when
what had been done was reviewed, and it
was decided to make report to the COM
pany at a meeting to be held to- night at
which every member is expected to be
present.
The programme as arranged is as fol-
lows: As the bell sounds on the Central
station OF the fire alarm system the flag
will be run to the masthead of the pole at
the head of the square by detachment Of
men from the flagship detailed for that
purpose by order of Admiral Beardslee;
the firing of a salute and the playing of
1.-The Star-spangled Banner" by the band.
Then James Bayard Whittemore Jr. will
read copy OF the proclamation that was
issued by his great-grandfather, Commo-
dore Sloat, upon the seizure OF Monterey.
The band will then play Hail, Coium-
bia,'' after which Rabbi Voorsanger will
o1, tIo hn
will close with the rendering OF the Ma
tional hymn, America.
The old double-decker hand engine, COW
cred with bunting, Will be rolled TO the
eastern sidewalk of Brenham place; the
platform on which the old boys worked
the upper brakes in days of yore will be
extended and serve as the rostrum for the
reader of the proclamation and the orator.
Under the shadow of the big double
decker there will be on exhibition the
pioneer engine g '49, " that did service in
the days of the big contiagrations; and
there will also be shown a reel that was
once the property of Brode rick Engine
Company No. l of the volunteer depart
ment. This is a curiosity which for twenty
eight years was under shed in the South
ern Pacific Railroad Company's yard, near
Third and Townsend streets, where it was
kept for use in case OF fire, and it has upon
it several lengths of leather copper-riveted
hose that was in use long before carbon
lied rubber or canvas hose came into
service.
There are many in this City who when
they see this on Thursday will for the first
time see that kind OF fire hose.
There will be a detachment of men from
the Philadelphia, soldiers from the Pre-
sidio, members of the Naval Battalion and
military, and naval officers, State and City
and County officers who have been in
vited.
After the ceremony the invited guests
will be treated to a collation. in the hail of
the Exempts.