The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-09-29
New York City and Bay Most
GeOrgeonsIy Decorated.
HISTORIC SCENE ON OLYMPIA
Admiral Baird Presents Admiral
Dewey With First AdmlSa,s
Flag Of the Navy.

NEW YORK. Sept. 2s.-New York
was decked brilliantly today In honor
Of the gallant sailor who is waiting at
her gate. Had an ocean OF color swept
the city. its ebblng tide could not have
stained the streets more brilliantly.
Hundreds Of miles OF red. white and
blue bunting cover the noble facades OF
Broadway and Fifth avenue and a mil
lion flags hutter over the town. Not
even the churches have escaped the
universal decorations. The doors and
gothic windows OF old Trinity, on lower
Broadway, are gracefully draped with
the national colors and In the ancient
Trinity graveyard the tomb Of that gal
liant sailor. who. dying. issued the COM
mand not to give up the ship, lies
shrouded In sllken folds OF the flag for
which he died.
A million visitors are here to partlci-
pate In the glorious celebration. GaIly
apparaled soldiers Of many states. who
are TO take part In the land parade
Saturday began trooping in today and
there was no hour when uniformed
men we're not moving in some quarter
OF the city to the sound OF the fife and
drum. Arrangements for the two days
celebration are completed. The great
arch at Madison square, modelled after
the triumphal arch OF Titus and upon
which the most famous sculptors OF
America have lavished their genius, is
ractically finished and stands a superb
tribute to the nations hero, 1t is more
beautiful than the arch in Rome.
Today the fiotilla lay quietly at an
chor on Tompkinsville. a towering spec
tacle Of naval might and power to the
tens OF thousands who sailed down in
tugs. in yachts and steamers to see
the ships. The crush to get aboard the
Olympia never abated for a minute,
and as great indulgence was shown by
Admiral Dewey. a goodly portion Of
those who besleged the gangways got
aboard. These crowds and official Wis
its the admiral received scarcely gave
him and his officers time to breathe,
The jaclIies today got medals which
congress voted them, and proudly dis
played them to the visitors until JEFF
freys, the pugilist, came aboard. Jack.
loves a fighter, and while the big slug
ger was aboard the tars were oblivious
TO all else.
The municipal authorities are some
what piqued because Governor Roose-
Welt extended a formal welcome of the
state to the admiral today before the
mayor had an opportunity to offer his
official greeting on behalf of the city:
This ceremony will occur tomorrow.
r,h, ,,,,,,,,, ,,o,ala ,pIacs a. &c mar
red by bad weather which the local
forcaster unfortunately predicts, is ex-
pected to eclipse all previous water
pageants on this side of the world. It
is expected the line will be nine miles
long, and that half a million people will
be ahoat.
Tonight there was preliminary IL
Of rare beauty. All the
buildings on the water front were light
ed up. On the Brooklyn bridge, in
letters of living fire, 80 feet high,
flashed the words. "welcome Dewey"
while simultaneously from the shores
of the East and North rivers, Staten
and Governors islands, red fire glowed
and sputtered, sending up fantastic
clouds of smoke, turning the color Of
the water into a sea of lurid flame
and Transforming the craft in the har-
Dor into red spectres.