The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-21
WITH MUCH CEREMONY
GROUND BROKEN % THE ST. LOUIS
WORLDS FAIR BUILDINGS.
Shovel Welded by WeII-IInOwn Men
-Speechmaking Later at the
Coliseum i'm the City.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. a.-The first public
celebration in connection with the worlds
fair to be opened in st. Louis in 1903, In
commemorative of the one-hundredth ami
versary of the Louisiana purchase, was
held to-day, when ground was broken in
the site Of Forest Park. This day was Sc
lected for the event because it is an ami
versary of the formal transfer of the Loui-
siana Territory to the United States. The
day was a holiday in st. Louis and through
out Missouri, as well as in most of the
purchase States, whose Governors issued
proclamations asking for a general observ-
ance Of it as Louisiana purchase flag
day"
Great preparations for the event had
been made by officials Of the worlds fair,
but owing to the unusual severity of the
weather 1T was decided to abandon the
parade and some of the most striking fea-
lures. In addition to that the open-air
ceremonies attending the ground-breaking
We're transferred to the Coliseum.
AT the appointed time directors and Of
fcers of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Company, Gen. John G.. Bates, Major Hen
ry Hunter, of the Fifteenth United States
cavalry, and other army officers, Cover
nors of States and guests assembled at the
st. Louis Club. Carriages were taken and
the party was driven TO Forest Park. where
~ - Va bA10hAAAE SAOhlAd noS al
rled out. a huge fire had been built on the
structural site of the Educational building
to soften the ground. Arriving at the site,
the party at the place indicated
and welded the shovel in this order: Pres
ident David Francis, Treasurer w. H.
Thompson, Secretary Walter b. Stevens,
General Counsel Blair, Director of Exhibits
Skiff, Director of Works Taylor, Chief of
the Department of Education Rogers and
the architect Of the Educational building,
vice presidents of the exposition company,
members of the executive HOmmitRP rRnrP-
sentatives of the worlds fair national COM
mittee and the board of lady managers and
chairmen Of each of the standing commit
tees of the company.
AS this part of the ceremony was being
carried out Battery a of the Missouri Ma
tional Guard fired sixty guns. The sixty
guns were divided into nine groups, with
three minutes interval between each, as
follows. Twenty-Five for the thirteen orig
inal States and those created from them;
fourteen for Louisiana purchase States;
one for Florida; one for Texas three for
the Territories discovered and settled sub
sequent to 1916; five for the States coded
by Mexico in 1915; nine for the insular pos
sessions; one for Alaska, and one for the
District OF Columbia.
At the conclusion of this part of the cere-
mony the carriages were re-entered by the
party and were driven downtown. Stop
ping at the armOry of the First Infantry,
Missouri National Guard, Colonel Sinclair
commanding, the party was received with
military hOnorS and escorted to the Col
iseum, where the remainder of the pro-
gramme was carried out. The immense
hall of the Coliseum was crowded with
thousands Of persons, among them being
many children, the public schools having
been closed for the day. On the platform,
at one side Of the Coliseum, decorated with
United States flags and banners of bunting
Of red, white and blue, and yellow, the Of
fetal colors of the Louisiana Purchase EX-
position Company, were seated officers of
the worlds fair, municipal officials, Con-
gresham James A. Tawney and Worlds
Fair National Commissioner John Nj.
Allen, the orators of the day. Governor
Van SAINT Of Minnesota, Governor Savage
of Nebraska, Governor Davis of Arkansas,
Governor DOckery of Missouri, Col. John
Oglesby, representing Governor Yates of
Illinois, who sent regrets, and members of
the worlds fair commission.
David X. Francis, of the Louisiana Pur-
chase Exposition Company, called the
Coliseum gathering together. Hon. James
f. Tawney, chairman of the House COM
mittee on eXpositions, spoke, ad was fol-
lowed by Worlds Fair Commissioner John
NJ. Allen, of Mississippi, who delivered an
eloquent address.
The days celebration was concluded this
evening at the Southern Hotel, where two
hundred officers and directors of the Louis
lana Purchase Exposition Company and
their guests sat down to an elaborate BAN
| pupt