Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-01
GREATER NEW YORK
Inauguration Celebrated With
Passing of New Year.
A Grand Parade, Nominations and the
Like Ushered in the New Metropolis
Brooklyn Observes Its Demise.

Brooklyn Observes Its Demise.
New YORK, Dec. S1.-The exit of the
old year and the Inauguration of Great
er New York, was celebrated fittingly
tonight. One of the events that marked
the occasion was grand parade con-
Quoted under the auspices of the New
York Journal and Advertiser The
scene in City Hall Park, previous to the
arrival there of the procession was spec
tacular and brilliant, and was enjoyed
| by thousands. Although the head of the
parade was not expected to reach that
point much before midnight, the park
was crowded as early as 8 o'clock. The
crowd struggled and jostle1 for an hour
or more, but finally small army of
officers drove the park invaders to the
street Zines, where they were held in
check by a Gordon of police Only those
entitled by passes were allowed within
the park limits.
Old City Hall was brilliantly illumi-
mated with strings of electric light,
| beautifully colored electrical shields and
American flags composed of revolving
| lights. On the dome of the municipal
| building were placed eight search
| lights which flashed in all directions and
cut across the electric light that bIazed
their rays from the roofs of the post
! Office and newspaper buildiags. Many OF
the buildings surrounding the park were
decorated with handsome electrical de,
vices, while several bands of music Wed
| with the bearers of trumpets and tin
horns to entertain the populace. In
front Of the city hall main entrance
platform had been erected for the ac-
commodation of the judges selected to
award the various prizes. 1t was pret-
tily decorated, and surrounded by a
myriad of electric lights. Within the
| building several rooms had been set
aside for the many guests invited to
| witness the celebration.
! Notwithstanding the warning ele-
ments and the announcement made in
the early afternoon that the carnival
and parade would be postponed, a great
4 crowd OF IlierIy- makers, paraders, MAS
| queraders, Wheelmen and members OF
various societies. with nunlberless
floats, met at the rendezvous around
I MON square ready to march through
the rain and mud to honor the old city
and welcome the new.
Col. George NJ. Smith of the 69th reg
iment acted as marshal, and, promptly
at 1e.1e, the order to march was given
The crowd of spectators at the starting
| point was enormous, and it was with
! difficulty that $50 policemen. com
manded by Inspector MCLAUGHLIN.
opened a passageway through which the
procession had to move.
Following the police escort came the
marshal and his aides, and these were
| followed by Fanciullis Band, leading
the Chicago delegation, who We're IN
five open carriages.
Next in line were several uniformed
| bodies of men, consisting of the Robert
Anderson Battery, Veteran F'iremen,
| Irish Volunteers and the Naval Battal-
ion. The German societies Joined in
the procession at 18th street. Follow
| ing them was an immense float repre-
sentng the Brooklyn bridge, with the
| cables made of evergreen, on which the
| wedding Of Father Knickerbocker and
/ Miss Brooklyn was being celebrated in
/ truly German style. Then float fol-
! lowed float in rapid succession, includ-
/ ing number of large theatrical floats,
one of which represented southern
plantation with a dozen colored musi-
| clans.
| Six divisions of wheelmen, consisting
of the marshal's staff military division,
| courlers, manufacturers division. the
| organizations and grotesques, were in
| lire, and in front and behind these We're
| representatives of the volunteers in all
| departments, soldiers, fremen and
others.
Shortly after 10 o'clock some hundreds
of solid-looking citizens carrying Chin
ese lanterns marched to a position of
vantage in front of city hall. They rep
resented the singing societies of New
York and Brooklyn. At 1890, Hon.
Andrew H. Green, the father of Greater
New York. VIM. Sohmer and Bruno Os-
| car Klein were escorted to the platform.
Mr.. Klein was the judge Of the choral
singing. The choral societies sang the
German chorals in turn, but the immen-
| sity of the square and the tooting horns
drowned the sweet voices of the singers
| before they reached the throngs with
| out.
After this ceremony the bombs placed
on the lawn gave the signal that the
parade was approaching, and one hour
before midnight the first of the process
sion turned into the park. A huge bal
loon with trailing light was sent up; and
as 1t swept across the park a blazing
American flag fioated down and re-
manned burning until the balloon was
out of sight The drizzling rain had
| turned to snow, but the great crowds
remained, surrounding the paraders,
who had gathered in the park for the
cHleL ceremony OF tne nlgnt. AI exdctly
12 o'clock the searchlights on the neigh
boring buildings were turned upon the
Flagstaff of city hall
As the hands pointed the exact hour,
little white ball was seen to climb the
staff slowly The mayor of San Fran
cisco had touched the button, and the
electrical current sent the furled flag of
the City of New York to the top Of the
staff Here it broke out and swung
into the breeze.
Then bedlam broke loose. Hun
dreds Of bombs were thrown into the
air sending down their showers of
blazing stars and the salute Of nun
dred guns was fired by the second bat
terry Of the National Guard. Not long
afterwards, the crowds dispersed.
PASSING OF BROOKLYN.