The evening times., 1901-05-07
THE PRESIDENTS JOURNEY.

SAN ANTONIO. Tex..-aay Although
the Presidential train is now over half
way across Texas. the visit to New Or
leans Is still a topic Of discussion. and
1t Is doubtful if there viii he anything
more interesting during the trip than the
inspection of and entertainment in the
Crescent City
We are thirty-five minutes late. said
the division superintendent Of the Iii-
nois Central Railroad. as the Presidential
train was about to pull out of Jackson,
Miss The superintendent was mach dis
tuTbed. and his manner indicated his un-
easiness. for punctuaIity is one of the
essentials of safety to the Presidents $
special
III guarantee. nevertheless. that We
go into New Orleans on schedule time. "
replied the engineer Of No. 2I1- And he
kept his word. During the last half Of
the run of 1S3 miles. the train made fifty
eight miles in fifty-five minutes through
the rich lowlands Of the southern Mis-
sissippi and Yazoo Valleys. The spread
ing palmettOs and the great expresses
with the long strands of Spanish moss
sweeping from limb to limb and from
tree to tree seemed to wave a welcome
which was only an advance indication
of what was to be encountered in the
Crescent City. 1t was the first time that
President of the United States, while
/ holding the reins of office had ever Wis
tied this metropolis Of the South, and it
l is little wonder, therefore, that there
were committees and bands, soldiers and
sailors. patriotic societies and cadets. and
/ tens of thousands of citizens waiting to
| greet Mr. Mckinley and to do him honor
| The city was in its holiday dress At
! first it was thought well to display the
| decorations of the merry monarch OF the
Mardi Gras. But the most prominent
| feature of these ornamentations was the
| crown, and, IL view of the prevalent dis
| cussion of imperialism, it was decided
| that such ostentation would be unwise.
| Nevertheless. there were flags and bunt-
/ ing, banners and color everywhere
| 1t was not alone in these, however, OF
/ the enthusiasm manifested. that the Pres
| ident was interested, but also, perhaps
more so. in this picturesque city Itself, It's
| antiquity and its novelty. its quaint Gus
I toms, and peculiar manners. and vet,
/ withaI, its bustling activity and progress
| siveness-
| In New Orleans he saw city which
| enjoys the distinction of being unlike any
! other American municipality. Its charac-
! teTistics, have made it famous 1t pre-
| sents at once the hustle and thrift of a
/ modern metropolis and the somnolent,
.easy-going Iefsurely methods of two cen
! turtles ago. Between old and new New
/ Orleans. divided by Canal Street. the
main thoroughfare, as wide as Peansyl-
vania Avenue and traversed by four
street railway tracks, there IS marked
difference
During all his long trip to the Pacific
/ Coast and return the President viii prob
ably be no more interested in anything
/ than he was in the strange sights witness
/ ed in New Orleans He saw d COsmOpoli-
/ tan city, some French, Spanish. Italian.
/ Creole. AngIo-SaXOn, but all intensely
! American. He drove up broad St Charles
/ Avenue paved with asphalt and shaded
/ with the tropical trees. and saw the impOs-
/ ing residences. the handsome homes of
! the wealthy. surrounded by spacious
/ green lawns, studded with blooming rose
/ bushes. beautiful flower beds, waving ba-
! mana trees. sweet maEnoiiaS, and state
I " palms. ike gardens of paradise Men,
women. and children in their light sum
meT attire lined either side Of the street
( and gave him q royal cheer.