The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-30
30,00o MEN HARD AT WORK
Every Effort to Have All In
 Readiness.
Secretary of War Taft on Hand to Represent the President-Enor-
 nous Crowd will be in Attendance.

St. Louis. April 29.-St Louis tonight Is prepared for the greatest day in her his- toray.
 Tomorrow at noon her great exposition. upon which the city has lavished mill Hons of money, to which the people have devoted years of their best endeavors and for which they have labored with in- finite patience and persistency. will be thrown open to the world. The time for promises and pledged has gone, the day of fulfiilment is at hand. and never has any city put forth greater efforts to keep the spirit and letter of her pledge than has St. Louis.
 All of today and all of tonight the people have worked with desperate energy to accomplish the thousand and one things that always remained to be done at the last moment. At the exposi- ton grounds thirty thousand men had worked all day putting the final touches upon the grounds, grading sidewalks. clearing buildings. removing scaffolds and arranging exhibits. This work will continue without cessation until dawn. and 1t is confidently expected that when the fair opens at noon tomorrow every thing humanly possible will have been done to advance the work to the farthest limit of preparation. In the down town streets and in the residence districts the decorations are profuse and beautiful. The exercises tomorrow will be more serious than resplendent.
 No Giittering Pageant.
 There will be comparatively little of the giittering pageant that marked the dedi- cation exercises a year ago, but the scene acconnpanying the formal opening will De none the less interesting. At 9 o'clock in the morning an the high dignataries . of the exposition will meet at the ad- Ministration building and headed by a band. will march to the Plaza, of st Louis in the center of the exposition sycvnds. Representatives. ae foreigN sov- ernrnents will meet at sfe Hal scE SCous eresses at the same hour and wlll time their parade to the plaza DO as to arrive at the same moment the expedition of- flcfais naroh if from the opposite direc-. ton. At the same time representatives of state and territorial governments will enter the plaza from a third avenue. hay ing previously formed at the United States building.
 After the gathering has been formally called to order by President Francis. Rev. Frank W. Gunsaulus of Chicago, will deliver the invocation. At the conclusion of the prayer, Direc- Cor of Works Isaac s. Taylor will de- liver the keys of the buildings to PreSt- dent Francis, who will in turn transfer the buildings to Frederick J. V. Skin. the Director of Exhibits. The chorus. 'fIymn of the Vest the words by Ed- mund Clarence Stedman and music by John Knowles Payne, will then be sung. and addresses will be made by the fol- lowing:
 Mayor Wells of St Louis, Hon. Thomas T. Carter. President of the National Commission; Senator Henry E. Burnham of New Hampshire, in behalf of the Uni ted States Senate; Congressman James ATawney of Minnesota, for the Ma tional House of Representatives.; Con- missioner General Albino R. Nuncio of Mexico, in behalf of the foreign commits Bioners; E. H. Hartman of New York Cor the Exhibitors.
 @ Secretary Taft to Speak. j The last speech of the day will be by at it's conclusion the signal will be given to President Roosevelt In the Whi'e House, the golden key will be pressed. the cascades will send down their floods. the thousands of banners will be unfurl- cd and the great Louisiana Purchase Ex- position will be open to the world.
 IL is expected that an enormous crowd win attend the exposition opening. as excursion trains are coming in by the
 
 Geclared legal holiday by Mayor Wells. Among the distinguished visitors to ar- rive today were Secretary of War Will liam H. Taft. who represents the Presl- dent. and General A. R. Chaffee. They reached the city at 8 o'clock tonight and were met by General Bates, President Francis and other officials. The special congressional train bearing 4O0 persons Including the committee from the House of Representatives, appointed to attend the opening exercises, also arrived to- night as did Governors from a number of States and several notable foreign wis., tors. 1
 During tho day the United States EIn- boat Nashville and the torpedo bolt de- gtroyer Lawrence, which will represent the navy at the fair. arrived in St. Louis harbor. As the ships came into the har- bor, they were greeted by a chorus of whistles and shouts of welcome from crowds on each river steamer. Salutes were fired in answer. after which a dele gation of worlds fair officials, including members of the Exposition Reception Committees left their yachts and board cd the Nashville