The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-12-17
New Orleans Has Gen.
tenniaI Anniversary.
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
The Program Begins Tomorrow Eve
ning-French and Spanish Bat
tleships There.

NEW ORLEANS, La, Dec. 1.-THE
presence of the warships Of three ma
tions and the attendance of scores of
prominent visitors from various parts
of the country give promise that the
celebration of the Louisiana Purchase
centennial, which begins tomorrow
and continues three days, will Surpass
in scope and brilliance the most SAN
guine expectations of its promoters.
Visitors are already arriving in large
numbers and the crowded streets and
public places resemble the Mardi Gras
thrOngS.
New Orleans is particularly pleased
over the presence of the Spanish
man-of-war Rio de la Plata, which is
the first Spanish war vessel to visit
this country since the Spanish -Amerf-
can war. The new French man-of-
war Graviere is also here, while the
United States navy is represented by
the cruiser Minneapolis and several
smaller vessels.
During the three days of the cele-
bration there will be civic. military
and religious ceremonies, a colonial
ball. a colonial exhibit and a naval
parade. Though there will be several
parades and rother spectacular features
the program In It's entirety has been
so arranged as to appeal more to the
student Of history than to the ordinary
sightseer. Conditions are favorable
to this arrangement, as all the Old
buildings connected with the transfer
are still standing in very much the
same condition as they wer century
ago.
Thus the main ceremonies will take
place in the CabildO. the government
house under the Spanish and French
regimes, now the supreme court build
ing 1t has been furnished exactly as
it was on the day of the transfer. The
exercises will include the reading of
the original transfer, and Loussat,
Claiborne. Wilkinson and other COM
missioners will be represented by
prominent citizens in the costume OF
the times.
The religious ceremonies in the st.
Louis cathedral will be identical with
those of a hundred years ago, and the
salute will be fired from Jackson Square
formerly the Place o'Armes) and from
cannon a century old.
The colonial exhibit will remain open
a month in the archiepiscopal palace.
formerly the Ursuline convent, the old
est public building in the Mississippi
valley. The exhibit will include
large number of interesting relics
which have been preserved by the
Creole families of New Orleans.
The program as finally completed
iYC wi
a reception and ball in the Cabildo.
The celebra ted beauties of New Or
leans will dance the minuet in cos
tunes duplicating those Of colonial
days. and an old fashioned New Or
leans supper will interrupt the dancing
at midnight. This event is in charge
of the ladies Of the Historical sacfety.
it's patronesses representing the best
and oldest families Of New Orleans
Saturday morning commemorative
exercises will be held in the Cabildo
at which there will be addresses by
Governor Heard and the French and
Spanish ambassadors followed by
military parade and a naval review be-
fore the city. In the evening the
guests of the city will attend a speclal
gala performance at the French opera
house.
Sunday, which will be the real CEN
tenary of the transfer, the day VIII
begin with high mass and TIE Deum
in the old cathedral, after which, at
the hour when the actual transfer took
place, there will be an Grafton from the
balcony of the Cabildo and the nation
al colors will be raised amid the BOOM
ing of cannon in Jackson square,