The Portland daily press., 1898-01-01
New Yerk's Gitizsus Celebrate
Despite the Storm.
PARADES. ROCKETS, GUNS AND IL
LUMINATIONS USHER In YEAR.
FurIed Flag of City of New York Sent to
Top of Staff on City Hall and at Mid
night Broke Ont and Swung to the
Breeze Amidst Redlam of Cheers.

night Broke Ont and Swung to the
Breeze Amidst Redlam of Cheers.
New York, December 31.-The exit of
the old year and the Inauguration of
Greater New York, was celebrated fitting
ly tonight. One of the events that marked
the occasion was o grand parade conduct
ed under the auspices of the New York
Journal and Advertiser.
Old City Hall was brilliantly illumi-
mated with strings of electric lights, beau
tiful colored electric shields and Ameri-
can flags, composed of revolving lights
On the dome of the municipal building
were placed eight search lights that
flashed in All directions and cut across
the electric lights that blazed their rays
from the roofs of the post office and news
paper buildings.
Notwithstanding the warning element
and the announcement made in the early
afternoon that the carnival and parade
would be postponed, a great crowd of
merry makers, paraders. masqueraders,
wheelmen and members of various socie-
ties with numberless floats, met at the
rendezvous around Union Square, already
to march through the rain and mud to
honor the old city and welcome the new
one.
Col. G. r.. Smith of the Goth regiment,
acted as marshal, and promptly at ITO
the order to march was given.
Following the police escort came the
marshal and his aides, and they were
hyv q hnr nd n ftfa h fru<
delegation in open carriages. Next in
line were several uniformed bodies.
Following them was an immense float re-
presenting the Brooklyn bridge. Then
float followed float in rapid succession.
Six divisions of wheelmen, consisting OF
marshals' stat, military divisions, ,couriers,
manufacturers div sion, the organiza-
tions and grotesques, were in line
Shortly after 10 o'clock some hundreds
of soldier looking citizens carrying Chi
nese lanterns, marched to q position of
vantage in front of City hall. They re-
presented the singing societies of New
York and Brooklyn.
At 1890, Hon. Andrew H. Green, the
father of Greater New York, VIM. Sohmsr
and Bruno Oscar Klein. were escorted to
The platform. Mr.. Klein was the Judge
of the choral singing.
Bombs placed on the lawn gave the
signal that the parade was approaching.
and one hour before midnight the first
of the procession turned into the park.
A huge balloon with trailing light was
sent up and as it swept across the park
a blazing American flag foated down
and remained burning until the balloon
was out of sight.
At exactly 10 O'Clock the search lights
on the neighhoring buildings were turned
upon the flag staff of City hall. AS the
hands pointed the exact hour little
white ball was seen to climb the staff
slowly. The mayor of San Francisco had
touched the button and the electric cur
rent sent the furled flag of the city of
New York to the top of the staff. Here
r. broke ont and swung into the breeze.
T ZEN BedlaIn brooke loose. Hundreds
of bombs were thrown into the air, send
ing down their showers of blazing stars
and the salute of q hundred guns WAS
fired by the Second Battery Of the Ma
tional Guard.
Not long afterwards the crowds disap-
r,nara1