The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-12-28
|GR()UND Breaking DAY.
Official Ground Breaking For the
St. Louis Worlds Fair a
Cool Proceeding.
EXERCISES At THE SITE WERE BRIEF,
The omciaIs, Speakers aud eacHts
Then Repaired ta the Coliseum,
Where the Programme Of
Speeches. Music, Etc. was Carr
rtcd out--saiute by battery 4.

Where the Programme Of
Speeches. Music, Etc. was Carr
ricd out--saiute by Battery \.
st. Louis, Dee. ao.-rhc breaking Of
ground at the Louisiana Purchase
exposition site WIS celebrated by the
board of directors, Who assembled at
the st, Louis club NJ 1890, and took
carriages for the site After the
ground-brcobing the party started
for the coliseum. Upon reaching the
armory the First regiment joined
them, acting as an escort the rest OF
the way At the coliseum the pro
gramme prepared for the grand stand
at the site was carried out without
change.
The decision not to carry ont the
programme originally drafted, pro.
siding for a procession, in which the
leading organizations of The city
were 10 have participated, was
reached Thursday. when those who
had many features Of the days work
in hand made trip TO the site TO
be sure that everything was IN readi-
ness. At that time the thermometer
registered three degrees below zero.
The impractieability Of holding an
open air ceremony was instantly per
eeiyed A report OF this fact was
made 10 the ceremonies committee,
resulting in meeting Of that body,
1T which the changes were decided
upon. Battery \, however, fired the
salute. ns originally arranged.
In addition 10 the board of di-
reetors who met at the st. Louis
club Gen. John e. Bates and his aid
de-camp, Lieut.. John McClintoclk,with
other members of his staif, Joined
them and made the trip to the site.
Dr. S. j. Nichols was also Of the
party Dir. Nieoolle said that, warm
or cold. an invocation should be pro
nouneed upon the beginning of the
big enterprise, and that he would per
form that duty, according to the re-
quest made of him.
Director of Works Isaac 5. Taylor
had big fires built over the eartl
where The ground-breaking was 10 oc
cur, so that the frost was removed
before the party arrived The ychi
Gle with It's four white horses 10 han
away the earth played Its designate'
part
At the coliseum President d. j
Francis made the opening speech, in
PRODUCING The orator Of the oeeasior
Congressman James A. Tawney, O
Minnesota. who spoke. in part as fol
lows;
a more propitious time for pro
foundly inpressing upon the worl
the Importance and glory of GU
achievements, more fayorably or
portunity for displaying the splendo
of our institutions, exhibiting tn
tangible evidences of the proaperit.
of our people, of our supremacy as
nation, and the vast extent Of on
commercial and territorial expansion
has never before been presented t.
| the American people. Here the ma
| Lions Of the world will exhibit, for mu
tnal pleasure and profit, some of th'
things they produce, those which vii
pest typify and illustrate the result.
| )f their civilization, their progress
aud material development in every
thing that can contribute or Is essen
tial to the betterment Of mankind
Thus viii the world profit ifnmeas
urably by this commemoration Of on'
of the greatest historical events II
the life Of one Of its youngest repub
lies.
"The Importance Of this exposition
as a means of educating ourselves ant
other nations in the knowledge o.
these things thnt make us the fore
most nation. Of the globe, can not b.
oyerestimated. II will be important
and beneficial, too, in that IL will Civ
to our social and industrial fabric }
moral and an intellectual Significance
that is the pride Of America and tn
envy OF the world. One Of its chic
values. however, will be ia the op
portunity for strengthening and cul
| tivating more intimate social and in
dustrial relations between the state
and between the United States ani
| foreign countries.
Another great object TO be accom-
plished, one that transcends all 9th
ers, Is in the fact that this exposi
tion Is intended and win commend
rate the first centennial OF the great
est international event in our histor
The one that marks the beginning Q
that national policy that has made n
a world power, without which on
present Industrial and political 81
premacy could never have bee
achieved"
National Commissioner John n. a
len made the closing speech, folloge
by'an invocation by Archbishop Kali
The Meridian (Miss.) military ban
rendered musical selections for III
occasion.
At the banquet given at the Soutl
ern hotel at night $50 guests ss
down.
|