Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-23
CONDITION OF THE WEATHER
Forecast for Nebraska
Fair and Cold; High y
GMAHANS OWN KANSAS CITY
Gate city Representatives Are Given
the Keys to the Town ON
the kru,


gram.) When Omaha's party of city officials
arrived in Kansas City at Gas O'Clock this
morning they were met at the depot by a
reception committee which presented each of
them with a badge bearing the Injunction:
Towns yours" That motto has been the
keynote of the experiences Of the Omahans
all day today and tonight, for the Kansas
Cityans have observed the very letter aud
spirit of the injunction.
The Omahans have been wincd dincd
and feted and their money has been coun-
tcrfeit. The party was taken to the Mid
land. where rooms were assigned them and
breakfast served Later they were given a
reception by the city officials.
At 10 o'clock score of carriages carried
them through the residence district of which
Kansas City people are so proud, the es-
Cort being Mayor Jones and his fellow city
officials The Zoo" was visited on the trip
and Councilman Mount repeated upon the
selfsame beast the camel rides which were
one of the features of the exposition last
year.
The feature of the days entertainment
was the magnificent banquet served in honor
of the visitors by official Kansas City. The
menu was perfect. About seventy-five plates
were laid aud among those present were
the wives of many of the local city officers
ne dldlE NOuuu UP WIFI iUt uSudl DOSI-
prandial exercises, in which the represent
atves of the two cities We'd in mutual
| fluctuations. Four hours were spent at the
| table.
While this entertainment was going on
! the exercises dedicating the mammoth new
| convention hall, which the Omahans had
| come to see, were progressing and the visi-
| tors witnessed a portion of them in the
evening. They heard the concert by Sousa' $
band and for Il time watched the grand
ball The interior of the building was a
marvel of beauty.
Later the visitors fell into the hands of
| another steering committee and saw Kansas
City by electric light. The party will be
entertained again today and will return to
Omaha on tomorrow's train, that is, some
of them expect to.
| Dedication of the Auditorium.
KANSAS CITY, Feb 22.-Kansas City's
great public auditorium convention hall, the
second largest of it's kind in the United
| States, was formally dedicated today. John
| Philip Sousa, whose band dscoursed music
for the occasion, declared that with the ex-
ception of the 900 people before whom he
played at Chicago, at the dedication of the
| Worlds Fair buildings, today's audiences
We're the greatest he had eve s--s1sr.. =. !,
concerts were held, one at O'Clock IN the
afternoon, the other at in the evening, a
| grand ball following The ball was probably
| the most brilliant social function ever held
| in the southwest
Just as Sousa began to play the last num-
! Der on the afternoon program some one in
the top gallery shouted for Pryor" one OF
| the soloists. The audience thinking fire
was shouted arose and looked around for
| smoke. panic was imminent, but Sousa
|
waved has baton and the band struck up
Yankee Doodle" Three times the band
played it before the crowd was seated again
| in quietnesS.
Convention hall is situated at the corner
of Thirteenth and Central streets and occu-
pies piece of ground 314X200 feet in extent.
1t is two stories in height and is built of
native stone, cream brick and terra Gotta.
| The first story is of the renaissance style
Of architecture and the second story in
peristyle form with groups of columns. The
building is of bridge construction, being
! built without inside columns, immense steel
trusses supporting the roof. On the first
| floor is the arena surrounded by thirty
boxes above these the arena balcony, the
colonnade and spacious roof garden. The
building has no stairways, the points above
the arena being reached 10y inclined planes.
The total seating capacity is $1,000 and with
standing room is capable of accommodating
more than 10000 people at one time. The
building can be cmptied in three minutes,
so perfect is the system of exits
The building is adaptable and will be
used for stock and horse shows, grand con-
certs, public balls and banquets and con-
ventions. The first national convention TO
occupy it will be the annual gathering OF
the Modern Woodmen OF America, when
over $4,000 people are expected to visit Kan
sas City. The building cost s225,0O0, which
was raised by stock subscriptions. The en-
terprise was started by the Commercial
club, composed of the leading citizens OF
Kansas City, and ground was broken in
| Nav 1895