The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-12-20
WORLDS FAIR EXCAVATIONS WAS FORMALLY
sTARTED TODAY.
EXPOSITION WILL ENCOMPASS THE WHOLE WORLD
Making Still utifulMany Of the Noted
Of the Nation Participated in the Exercises
(By Associated Press.)

(By Associated Press)
st. Louis, Dec. 20-The first Ablic cell
ebration in connection with the Worlds
Fair to be opened in St. Louis in 1908, in
commemoration of the Tooth anniversary
of the Louisiana purchase, was held to-
day when ground was broken on the site
dn Forest park.
This day was selected for the lmpor-
tant event because it is the anniversary
of the formal transfer of Louisiana ter
ritory to the United States. The day
was a holiday in st. Louis and through
out Missouri, as we'll as in most of the
purchase states, whose governors issued
proclamations asking for a general OBJ
servance of 1t as Louisiana day.
Great preparations for the event had
been made by the officials of the Worlds
Fair, but owing to the unusual severity
Of the weather it was decided to abandon
some Of the most striking features. in
cluding the parade, and substitute Others
The open air exercises attending the
ground breaking were transferred to the
Coliseum.
At the appointed time directors and
officers of the Louisiana Purchase Expo
sition company. Gen. John G. Bates,
commander Of the department of Mis-
souri,; Maj. Henry X. Hunter. Fifteenth
United States cavalry, and other army
officers, governors of states and guests.
assembled at the st. Louis club.
Carriages were taken and the party
was driven to Forest park, where the
ceremony Of breaking ground was car
yied out A huge fire had been built on
the structural site of the educational
h,,f16iur fO soften tine ground.
Twenty-Five States Represented.
Arriving at the site. the party welded
the shovel in this order: President Da-
vid r. Francis, Treasurer w. H. Thomp-
son, Secretary Walter B. Stevens, Chief
Of the Department Of Education Rogers
and the architect of the educational
building. vice presidents of the exposition
company, members of the executive COM
mittee. representatives Of the worlds fair
national commission and the board OF
lady managers and the chairman of each
Of the standing committees of the COM
pany. AS this part of the ceremony was
being carried out, Battery A, Missouri
National Guard, fired a salute of 60 guns,
diveded into nine groups, with three
minute intervals, as follows:
Twenty-Five for the Is original states
and those created from them; IA for
louisiana purchase states; one for Flor
ida: one for Texas; three for the terri
tories discovered and settled subsequent
iy to 1864; five for the states ceded by
Mexico; nine for the insular possessions;
one for Alaska. and one for the District
Of Columbia.
At the conclusion of this part of the
ceremony the party were driven down
town. Stopping at the armory OF the
First infantry, Missouri national guard.
Colonel Sinclair commanding, the party
was received with military honors and
escorted to the Coliseum, where the re-
mainder of the program was carried out.
The immense hall of the Coliseum was
crowded with thousands Of persons
among whom were many children, the
public schools having been closed for
the day. On the platform were seated
officers Of the Worlds Fair; municipal
officers, Congressman James A. Tawney
and Worlds Fair National Commissioner
John M. Allen, the orators of the day.
governors Of states, national commits
sioners, members of the board Of lady
managers, General Bates ana STAN, Gov
ernor Van SAINT Of Minnesota, Governor
Savage of Nebraska. Governor Davis of
Arkansas, Governor Dockery Of Missouri,
Colonel John Oslesby, representing Gov
ernor Yates of Illinois, who sent regrets,
and members Of the Illinois Worlds Fair
commission and other invited guests.
Tawney Makes First Address.
President D. r. Francis Of the Louisi-
ana Purchase Exposition company,
called the Coliseum meeting to order,
and Rev. DR.. Samuel ]. Nicolls Of West
minister Presbyterian church pronounced
the invocation.
Hon. James A. Tawney Of Minnesota,
chairman Of the house committee on
expositions. made the first address. He
said in part:
1.-THE Importance Of this exposition as
q means Of educating ourselves and other
nations in the knowledge Of these things
that make us the foremost nation Of the
globe, cannot be over-estimated. 1t will
be important and beneficial, too, in that
It will give to our social and industrial
fabric a moral and an intellectual signi-
hcance that Is the pride Of America and
the envy Of the world.
zone of its chief values. however, will
be in the opportunity for strengthening
and cultivating more intimate social and
industrial relations between the states
and between the United States and for
eign countries.
Another great object to be accom-
plished. one that transcends all others,
Is in the fact that this exposition is in
tended and will commemorate the first
centennial Of the greatest International
event in our history. the one that marks
the beginning of that national policy
that has made US a world power, with
out which our present Industrial and
political supremacy could never have
been achieved"
Congressman Tawney was followed by
Worlds Fair Commissioner John N.
AVen of Mississippi. who delivered an
eloquent address. A band of 60 pieces
rendered a selection Of patriotic music
The exposition will be held in ceieb-a-
tion Of the centennial Of what Is known
In history as the Louisiana purchase"
By this transaction tht United States
government In 1903 secured from France