The record-union., 1899-09-10
DEWEYS RECEPTION.
HOW NEW YORK WILL RE
CEIVE HIM.

Enthusiasm Will Run Wild and
There Will Be More Fire
works Than in July.
Whether considered from a patriotic
or commercial standpoint or both, the
coming Dewey celebration will be the
greatest event of the kind in this city,
if not in the country. Before it even
the great triumphal home coming of
of the Roman conquerors of historic
times Will pale into insignificAnce
While Seipio and Caesar and Augustus
and the rest of that group dazzled their
countrymen on their return from vic
torious wars with long retinues of hos
tages, slaves and captured leaders of
the so-called barbarians whose colors
they had lowered, and Rome held
games and feasts in honor of their
proud achievements, yet the old timers
had little conception of the splendor
and brilliance which mark in modern
times the ovations a great nation gives
its heroes. In the case of Admiral
Dewey, judging from the elaborate
preparations now being rushed to COM
pletion in this city especially even the
great Washington centennial inaugura-
ton celebration of a decade ago will
be in point of brilliance and splendor
as the fiickering light of candle to
the dazzling effulgence of incandescent
lamps.
The Washington centennial, which
has hitherto held the palm for cele-
brations of this kind, was estimated to
have cost about S2,000,000 in round
numbers. decorator who has been
actively engaged in business in this city
for a quarter of a century said yester-
day that, in his opinion, the expendi-
lures in this city alone for decorations
by day, illuminations by night and fes-
tlvities in general in honor of the hero
of Manila Bay will easily be three times
as much or $6,000,00O
ENTHUSIASM RUN WILD.
mo such enthusiasm in this respect
he said, has ever been aroused. The
$500 that the city will spend Off
cially is a mere bit in comparison with
the aggregate that private citizens and
corporations will lay out in honor of
the Admiral. Every decorating estab-
lishment in this city is simply over
whelmed with orders for work for the
occasion.
The unusual feature this year is that
the decorations. of private houses, office
buildings, hotels, clubs and even
churches will be practically unlimited
Hitherto it has been customary to dec
crate only such dwellings and places
Of business as were on the line of par
Il
this year. and not only will buildings
be decorated all over the city proper,
but all the boroughs are making pre-
parations that would have been the
case if each of them, and not Manhat-
tan, was to be the special theater of
the great event.
Orders for decorating stores, Offices
and dwellings, moreover, are being
given with unheard of prodigality The
prosperity which everybody seems to be
enjoying is apparently great factor
in the patriotic desires of the people
generally to show their pride in the
achievements of Dewey and his men
and ships. 1t looks to US in the busi-
ness of decorating as if the event will
create a high water mark that will
stand for many generations
DECORATING BUILDINGS.
The largest sums will probably be
spent by the big insurance companies.
hotels and clubs. Some of these viii
expend $4,000 for dressing their build
ings from roof to basement in such gala
garb as they have never before worn.
The range will extend down to prob
ably about S25 for decorating doorways
but the great bulk of the sc, ,0OO. 900
estimate will undoubtedly be spent in
even smaller sums for draping in the
national colors and others ornamental
ton of private dwellings,
Such a great demand has had a strik-
ing effect already on the prices of ma
terials used for decorative purposes.
Bunting and turkey red and blue. for
instance, have already gone up about
20 per cent, and are advancing daily.
until, it is expected the present prices
will perhaps be doubled. AS vet the
price of flags, small, medium and large,
has not risen quite so fast, but the
demand has not yet set in except on
the part of the fore-sighted, who, how
ever, are always the smallest portion
of the great body of citizens. The ma
jority will wait until the last few weeks
to supply themlseves and the rush will
then be SO great that makers of en-
blems will have to keep their factories
running day and night, paying double
wages for overtime labor, and thus
being compelled to advance their prices
accordingly.
As to bunting and turkey red and
blue, which are the materials most
largely used among woven or other tex
tile goods, it is estimated that at least
twenty million yards will be used, at
an average cost of twenty cents a yard
the total valuation therefore reaching
the startling amount of S4,000,O00
Dealers, of course, have already stocked
up largely, but the bunting houses in
the dry goods district are still rushed
with orders, many storekeepers in va
rious parts of the greater city having
decided, for the time being at least, to
add these wares to their stock.
MILLS RUNNING OVERTIME.
Orders are now being placed for these
goods in rolls and pieces by stores that
never before handled them grocery,
crockery. hardware. toy and other such
retail establishments in Staten Island
Brooklyn, the Bronx Westchester. Jer-
sey City, Hoboken. Newark and Long
Island, not to mention Manhattan.
Thus, the mills down East are being
kept unusually busy, every loom being
at work.
Forty yard rolls of eighteenth inch