The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-05

| commands, and city government all took
electric cars for the West End hotel where
comfortable lunch was served, there be
ing no speeches.
GRAND TRUNK ANNIVERSARY.
day Afternoon.
Half past two O'Clock was the time for
| beginning the exercises connected with
| the celebration of the 5Oth anniversary
Of the opening to travel of the Grand
| Trunk railroad. 1t was after three
when Mayor Randall, led Gov. Powers
and the other guests of the city upon the
platform on the Eastern promenade.
There was large audience in waiting,
which was entertained by the American
Cadet band for three-quarters of an hour.
1t was solme little time after three
| O'Clock when Prof. julius Ward led his
| chours in singing the ''Angel of Peace
which started the programme. Then
Mayor Randall took charge and intro.
duced the Rev. DR.. A. Fl. Wright Of the
St. Lawrence congregational church who
offered prayer. 1t was prayer proper
to the day and the occasion. DR.. Wright
expressed thankfulness for the success of
| the great enterprise which was being
celebrated, and for the good which had
been wrought through it. He remem
bered with fervor the nations soldiers in
Cuba and their friends at home, and he
| thanked God from fall heart for the vic
tory which Yesterdays dispatches re-
ported.
| Then the chorus sang the Star Spanglel
| Banner. They were hardly started when
the balloon ascension came off and as the
balloon passed almost directly over where
they were singing and the parachute
descended in plain sight the national
hymn was not great success
Mayor Randall made very ,briet and
entirely appropriate address introducing
| the orator of the day. He spoke as fol-
lows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are assembled here today to COM
memorate with appropriate exercises the
fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the
Atlantic and st. Lawrence railroad, now
a part OF that great system known
throughout the land as the Grand Trunk
Railway of Canada, which connects Port
land with the great city of Montreal and
the far west, This occasion must be in
teresting to Canadians and Americans
alike, and we are especially pleased to
welcome here today to assist lis In cele-
brating this event this splendid battalion
of the volunteer soldiers of that great
country to the north, which forms part
of that vast empire On which the sun
never sets. and which we are proud to
call our friend.
One year ago had the honor of well
coming to our city, on the occasion of
the Queens Jubilee. the officers and
crew of Her Majesty's ship Palas, and
today it affords me equal honor and as
great pleasure, in behalf of the city of
Portland, to welcome the officers and
men of the Fifth Royal Scots of Montreal.
Gentlemen. we are glad to meet you
here, not only to assist us IN this celebra-
ton, but also to cement more firmly the
ties Of friendship and regard that are to-
day binding together the English speak
ing people throughout the world.
Thirty-eight years ago an English fleet
1oJ az lICuOl III Jul lIdt OOI, dnu lIOHl
yonder point I saw the future King of
England embark for home, followed by
the cheers and best wishes of the citizens
of Portland, and today it seems especially
fitting that on this his ORIG spot represen-
tatives of the two great nations should
meet together and while celebrating the
birthday of the iron road that binds
them together commercially. should also
pledge to each other that friendship and
support which eventually will dominate
the world
And as today from every part of this
great nation prayers are offered for the
safety and the health of the President of
the Republic and for the success of our
army and navy, SO also do we join with
you in praying 'tLong live Victoria. God
save the Queen"
We have with us today distinguished
citizen of Portland, who is probably bet
ter acquainted with the railroad history
of our state than any other man within
her borders, a gentleman whom we all
delight to honor. I now have the pleas
ure of introducing to you. as orator of
the day, Hon. Josiah Ii. Drummond.
The address of Mr.. Drummond occu-
pied twenty five minutes. He succeeded
in holding the attention Of his audience
throughout, which was by no means an
easy thing on a holiday and in broiling
sun. If a tenth of the money spent on
the horrible parade of the early morning
had been devoted to this afternoon DEM
onstration some things would have been
done more creditably, but the orator was
partially protected by an umbrella In the
hands of q charitably disposed citizen.
Mr.. Drummond spoke as follows:
MI. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen Fifty
years ago this morning, no passenger car,
for public use, had ever left Portland fol
the North or East. Not one foot of the great
systems of our present Maine railroads east
of Portland, had then been fully completed.
But when evening came, hundreds of oul
people had been drawn by the locomotive
towards the interior of the state. For on
that day, July 4, 1s4s, the Atlantic and ST.
Lawrence railroad was opened for public
travel from Portland to Yarmouth; and
while it was not then fully completed. its
operation has ever since been continued.
That this event marked an important era
in the history of our city and state, and OF
the Dominion of Canada, goes without say.