The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-19
ROY HUDSON WRITES
Letter From a Mankato Boy on the
Pacific Coast.
San Francisco Oct. 6, 1900.


has just recently completed her cele'
bration of the fftieth anniversary OF
the admission of California to the
union. And it was one of which any
city might we'll be proud The cele-
bration was in charge of the Native
Sons of the Golden West. For the
purpose of the celebration they collect,
ed the sum of fifty thousand dollars.
The money was well spent and San
Francisco was triumph of the decor
ators and electricians art. One am
bilious journalist called it grand
exemplifcation of the fairy pageant. "
The program included four days OF
festivities, beginning with the morn
ing of Saturday, Sept. 8, and closing
with the evening of Tuesday, the 18th,
and as heard young man from tn e
country express it, ''it kept fellow
damned busy to see everything. Fol
several days visitors had been pour
ing into the city and conservative
estimate places their number at one
hundred and twenty-five thousand.
The celebration was ushered in Satur-
day morning by the launching of the
monitor, Wyoming, at the Union Iron
works. My uncle and myself were so
fortunate as to secure tickets for the
press tug and so viewed the launching
from a point of vantage. The shore
was covered with people and the
neighboring roofs were black with
spectators. Steamers, tugs and
launches filled all the available water
space. The huge affair of iron and
steel rested in the ways, All the
blocks but one had been knocked away.
Just at the appointed time the cry
went up, "She's off. " One of Wyom-
ing S fairest daughters had pressed the
tiny electric button and the massive
mold of iron and steel had been re-
leased The ponderous thing seemed
to culver for a moment and then, like
a young colt given its first freedom,
the mighty dog of war started, moved
slowly for an instant and then like a
flash shot defantly down the steep in
cline into the caressing waters of a
tranquil sea- The American navy's
newest terror, the monitor Wyoming,
had taken her maiden dip into the
bosom of the mighty ocean whose sur
face she is destined to keep clear of a
hostile foe And as she sped along,
leaving lane of snowy white foam
in her wake, twenty thousand people
cheered Justify and the weird and
nerve-straining shrieks of countless
steamers, tugs and launches added to
the indescribable din. The launching
was a scene at once thrilling and in
spring One which many had beheld
before but which held them with the
same interest again. 1t was scene
to inspire every patriotic heart and
one that should inspire the young with
the true significance of a nation S de-
tense. AS she finally rested in the
water, at bow and stern the glorious
stars and stripes waving majestically
and forming a striking contrast to the
grim and grimy surroundings, there
came like staggering blow the
thought that, while we were witness
ing the launching of the mighty en-
CINE destined to guard the spotless
honors of our starry banner, in another
part of the same fair land man
claiming to be a patriotic citizen,
was preaching his doctrine of Ameri
can dishonor and despair and clamor-
ing with blatant voice for the lower
ing of this same emblem of the red,
white and blue. And then as the
bands struck up the ''Star Spangled
Banner" and the "Red White and
Blue" and 1 saw men young in years
and those whose temples were whit
ened with the silvery locks of age, all
with hats off and cheering for the
old flag, 1 thought that it was good
omen and l know that our country and
our flag is safe.
Saturday evening the streets were
illuminated for the first time. Our
main business throughfare, Market
street, for the space of fifteen blocks
from the great Ferry building to the
city hall was lighted with upwards of
thirteen thousand multi-colored in
candescent lamps. Red and white and
blue and yellow scattered and inter
mingled in gorgeous profusion.
Long lines of lights, like luminous
serpents stretched away on either side.
Across the street at intervals of sew
enty-five feet were stretched graceful
festoons and strings of lights. Along
the curbing were erected great flag
tipped columns, covered with bunting
in our national colors and connected
one with the other, by means of great
swinging chains of redwood boughs.
1t gave Market street the appearance
of great hall of columns. In addi-
tion to all this was the great star sus.
pended at a height of two hundred
and forty feet above the pavement,
cleaning, glowing and glistening like
a great sun suddenly dropped from iti
stellar home to shed its light on ou1
scene of glory. The business houses al
We'd with one another in their at
tempts to gain the prizes which was
offered for the best decorated build
ings. If an enchanter of old had waved
his magic wand over the prosait
streets and dingy buildings, transform.
ing them at q single stroke. the