The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-21
cITYS GATES OPEN WIDE.
PREPARATIONS FOR RECEPTION OF
VETERANS COMPLETED.


Decorations of Public Buildings and
Private Residences Testify the
Glad welcome Savannah Extends
to the Boys Who Wore the Gray.
Advance Guard of the Incoming
Veterans and other visitors
Reached the City Yesterday-One
Old Veteran walked Fifty Miles
Rather Than Miss the Reunion.
Executive Committee Met to Per-
feet Final Arrangem
The city is alive with preparations for
the Confederate reunion, and her guests
have already begun to arrive An ad-
vance guard of 200 or 300 came in on The
trains over the various roads yesterday,
and at least five times that number are
expected to-day. Tomorrow. though, viii
witness the great in1uex of the veterans,
the Sons and Daughters of the Confed-
eracy and their families and friends
Each incoming train viii bring the old
heroes to Savannah and each of them
win be met with a hearty enthusiasm that
VIII testify savannahs love From to-
1fOTIOW utiklA = Lludg AltGlE W III ~ ~ AltN
city 1000 or 5000 Of the soldiers of the
Confederacy, met 10 fight again the old
battles and TO live through, with song and
story and glorious Renaissance, the cam
paigns of the Army of Northern Virginia
and the Tennessees. Campfres shoulder
ing for more than a score of years, viii
be kindled again and deeds of herolsm and
chivalry, that have been half forgotten,
WIFI live again in comradely appreciation.
savannah's gates are open wide. Her
citizens are alive to their responsibilities
and their duties, which for the time chime
with their inclinations and their pleasure.
The business mans welcome is exemplihed
in the bunting and flags and streamers
that fly from his store, bidding glad
good morrow to every one of the voter
ans who seeks a pleasant visit within sa-
vannah's gates. Never before in the his
tory of the city has there been such elab-
crate displays, and never has Savannahs
proverbial hospitality been more thor
oughly in evidence. The displays now
made will be surpassed, though, before to-
morrow, when 1t Is expected that every
doorway will wave one flag of welcome,
at the very least.
Bull street Is to contain the browning
features of the city's decorations. Every
square on the street, from the Bay to the
Park, Will be a mass Of flags and bunting
and ablaze with lights. The monuments
in each of these squares will form the CEN
ter pieces and from them the decorations
viii extend to the sides. Every monument
Is to be draped with bunting in pleasing
designs, and at night every one OF them
will be alive with colored electric lights
t1Nn anti q
there win be an arch of bunting with
every loop pinned with an electric light.
Than this there will be no handsomer
display in the city. On both sides of the
square, both at Hull and Perry streets,
the arches win extend from one side of
the walk to the other, and bunting will be
freely used to make ID as handsome as is
possible. Especial pains win be taken
with the Gordon monument, in the center
of Wright Square. This is due to the
fact that the headquarters of the Execu-
tive Committee are Immediately opposite,
and il Is hoped to make the square a
gathering place for the veterans and other
visitors to the city. The monument lends
itself readily to decoration, its shape per-
hitting a scheme that is not possible of
execution in The cases of the others.
Around the four sides of the pedestal will
be the portraits of distinguished Confed-
crate generals, framed in electric lights.
Inc SicEDlnE quarters LOT tlOlBenl OOil-
federates at the Confederate Hall, Hiberi-
an Hall and Turner's Han have already
been established and some of the veterans
have already taken advantage of the COM
mittee's invitation to accept this hospi-
tally. Possibly a dozen of these came
In yesterday, and they were not only pro-
vided with a place to sleep but were given
tickets that entitled them to something TO
eat. These Inequalities win be extended
until the reunion is at an end The veter-
ans will be fed at Freds restaurant, in
the basement OF the market The tables
will be stretched along the corridors
which will be rooted with canvass, TO keep
out dust and noise and to present the com
forts and appearance of a tent.
The overflow from the sleeping quarters
already provided will be accommodated at
the knights of Pythias Hail. The Re-
union Committee on Quartermaster and
Commissary Supplies has secured from
the government all the cots that can pos
sibly be needed to accommodate this over
iow which are to be had at a moments
notice. Should the number of veterans
willing TO accept the hospitality
of the committee exceed mat an
ticipated and already provided for, the ex-
cess will be promptly accommodated at
Knights of Pythias Hall. There will be no
confusion and no delay. Chairman James
r. Sheldon has seen to Il all.
The enthusiasm displayed by some Of
the old veterans in their efforts to attend
the reunion found evidence last night in
the feat of one of them, who had walked
fifty miles in order to be on hand The
old fellow had not the money 10 pay even
the cheap fares on the railroads and had
accepted the disagreeable walk rather
than the other alternative of being left at
home. He was looked after by the COM
mittee as soon a he reached the city.