The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-09-10
ST. PAUL IN GALA ATTIRE
The Fair City Outdid Herself in Dressing
for the Occasion.

The Fair City Outdid Herself in Dressing
for the Occasion.
Few cities have succeeded so we'll as ST. Panl
in decorations and Examinations in honor of
the boys in blue. The streets were rampant
with color. All who gazed up to the hill on
Sixth street to the towering and glittering
columns with their flags and stripes of beauti-
FIJI bunting gave voice TO expressions that were
glowing compliments TO the decorators art
and the patriotic people who added their lsbors
and patriotic desires 70 the identifying OF the
tboroIghfare.
II might properly have been termed Grand
Army avenue for there was street in the
city so ty pcal of the occasion so handsomely
attired in the colors and the emblems of this
great Nation.
Sixty marble white columns of faneifully.
moulded staff stood at intervals between Smith
Park and the Cathedral, each surmouuted with
banner that blew with the slightest breeze,
and all contained some figure or design en-
blematic of the great war OF the rebellion
and the present Reunion of the men who wore
the blue.
Every building. large and small, along this
gay avenue was decorated in some fashion, 50
between the columns of white were gorgeous
arrays of flags of every size and shape, and
thousands of yards of bright bunting and the
thousand and one little things that are appro-
pirate on such occasions.
he SUI SHINING Oh tHeSo pillars anu tneiE
attendant colOring presented brilliant picture
that could not fail to impress the behoder with
admiration and patriotic content. Along the
edges of the high buildings were hundreds of
miniature flags, and the windows and doors
and cornces were alive with banners of the
Corps, great American flags, rich in color, and
the faces of the Natioa's eminent heroes, both
in war and peace.
The faces of the structures seemed to move in
he of "
and blue draperies, and at stated intervals along
this patriotic avenue appeared stand OF the
American colors, which in themselves alone
were the richest decorations that could be
conceived in this land of the free and home of
the brave.
At night the scene was even more brilliant.
Along Sixth street, connecting the great white
columns with the smaller white masts we're
suspended numberless white electric lights,
each below a disc of white rejecting porce-
lain. Between Sibley and st. Peter streets
thus appeared no less than 2,250 electric lights.
Hanging just above the swaying bands OF red,
white and blue bunting which also conuect
the columns with the masts, these lights
brought into full relief the patriotic hues be-
Meath They also augmented the radiance Of
the streets normal lights to that degree that
no interior was more brilliant than the strees
of the grand parade.
But Sixth street enjoyed an additional
illumination at once weird and entertaining.
On the roof of the Conover Building, which
juts across Sixth street at the intersection OF
st. Peter street, a great search-iight was
placed. By means of 24-inch reflector an
electric lamp of many thousand candle-power
cast its brilliant bands of red, blue and white
light clear down the full length of Sixth street,
and as far east as Dayton's Bluff. From time
to time the great light was turned upon
the sky and clouds, upon the citys sky
scrapers, and the surrounding bluffs, affording
a series of startling effects not to be described
by the author of a circus poster. As measure
of public safety. and as feature OF decorative
illumination as well, the electric lights were
doubled on every street With the district fire.
quented by large crowds far into the nj ht. IL
was truly wonderful display.