Arizona republican., 1904-04-30
FINAL TOUCHES
Last Preparation for Open-
 ing the Worlds Fair
MEN WORKED ALL NIGHT
The Imposing Ceremonies of Today Ending With the Pressure in the White House of the Golden Key. Many Notables Already Present.

St. Louis. April 29.-St. Louis tonight is prepared for the greatest day in her history. Tomorrow at noon her great exposition will be thrown open to the world. All of today and all of tonight people have worked with desperate en- ergy to accomplish the thousand and one things that always remain to he done at the last moment. At the expo sition grounds men worked all d~v putting the final touches on grounds, buildings and sidewalks, cleaning buildings, removing scaffolds and ar- ranging exhibits. This work will con. tinue without cessation until dawn and it Is confidently expected that when the fair opens at noon tomorrow every thing possible will have been done to advance the work to the farthest lim- 1t of preparation. In the downtown streets and residence districts the de- | corations are profuse and beautiful. | The exercises tomorrow will be more ! serious than resplendent. There will be | comparatively little of the glitterinss pageant that marked the dedication | exercises a year ago, but the cere- monies preceding the formal opening will be none the less interesting.
 At o'clock in the morning all the high dignitaries of the exposition will meet at the administration building ! and headed by the band will march to the plaza of St. Louis in the center of the exposition grounds. Representa- : tives of foreign governments will meet ,j in the Hall of Congresses at the same hour and will time their parade to the nlaza SO as to arrive at the same mo- rnent the exposition officials march in from the opposite directions At the same time the representatives of state and territorial governments will enter the plaza from Third avenue. having previously formed at the United States building.
 After the gathering has been formal ly called to order by President Francis, Rev. Frank w. Gunsaulas, of Chicago, will deliver the invocation. At the con- clusion of the prayer, Director of Work Isaac s. Taylor will deliver the keys of the buildings to President Francis. who will in turn transfer the buildings 10 F. J. V. Skiff, of the directors of ex- hibits. The chorus Hymn of the West" words by Edmund Clarence Stedman and music by John Knowles Paine, will then be sung, followed by the opening address of Mayor Wells, of St. Louis.
 Those who will follow Mayor Wells are: Thomas H. Carter, president of the national commission; Senator H. E. Burnham, of New Hampshire, in be- half of the United States senate; Con- g1 essman James A. Tawney, of Mirne- sota, for the national house of repre- sentatives; General Alibino R. Nuncio, of Mexico, in behalf of the foreign commissioners. and P. H. Hartman, Of New York, for the exhibitors. The last speech of the day will be by Secretary of War Wm. H. Taft, and at its conclusion, a signal will be given to President Roosevelt, in the White House, the golden key will be pressed. the cascades will send down their floods, thousands of banners will he
 unfurled and the great Louisiana Pur- chase Exposition will be open to the world.
 It is expected that an enormous crowd will attend the exposition, as excursion trains are coming in by the score and tomorrow has been officially
 declared a legal hiiday by Mayor
 Wells. Among the distinguished visi-
 tors to arrive today were Secretary of War Taft, who represents the presi-
 dent and General A. R. Chaffee. They reached the city at o'clock tonight and were met by General Bates, Presi-
 dent Francis and other officials. A
 special congressional train, bearing 400 persons, including a committee from
 the house of representatives appointed to attend the opening exercises, also arrived tonight as did governors from a number of states and several nota ble
 foreign visitors.
 : During the day the United States l gunboat Nashville and the torpedo boat destroyer. Lawrence which will repre- sent the navy at the fair, arrived Tn St. Louis harbor. Although the boats
 arrived at an hour somewhat uneX-
 pected which caused a disarrangement
 of plans for a more elaborate demon . stration by the thousands who had planned to go down to the river to meet
 them, the greeting to the crafts was
 nevertheless fitting. AS the ships came D into the harbor they were greeted by a
 chorus of whistles and shouts of well
 come from crowds on the excursion
 steamers. Salutes were fired in answer
 after which a delegation of world s
 fair officials, including members of the q exposition reception committee left = their yachts and boarded the Nash . |, vile. Commander John Hubbard re-
 ceived the party and after coming
 ashore went to the city hall, where
 he was formally received by Mayor r Wells and the city worlds fair ofii- !. cials.
 Later Commander Hubbard was re- - ceived by President Francis.
 -i
 PERU AND CHILE.