The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-30
@IHE GOLDEN KEY"
 OWNED IN THIS CITY
TO HE USED TO OPEN ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION BF THE PRESIDENT

Has Been Used to OmeialIy Announce
 the Opening of All the Big Ex-
 hibitions Since the Chicago Pair
 Has Been Used by Presidents CIeye-
 land and Mckinley and VIII he Used
 by President Roosevelt To-day
 Owned by President General Greeley
 of the sons of American Revolution.
 A matter of considerable interest in this city is the fact that the key which President Roosevelt will touch to-day in Washington and which will be the off, eial announcement of the commence ment of the St. Louis Worlds fair. is owned and was manufactured under the direction of President General Edwin Is. Greeley of the Sons of the American Revolution, and who resides in this city. The key is known as The Victor Gold Key,' and it has 8 most interesting history. The key is a telegraph trans hitter of special design and was manu- factured at General Greeley's electric supply house in New York city in 1892. It is nearly wholly made of solid gold, except the handles, which are of pearl, and some of the connections, over which the current passes, which are brass, gold plated. The key was manufac- tured for the Chicago Worlds fair. When President Cleveland touched the key at Chicago it set all the mechanism of the great fair in motion and was the official announcement to the world that the fair was opened.
 At the great electrical exhibit in New York in 1896 President Clevland used the same key for the same prpose of announcing the opening of the affair. On the evening of that day Chauncey De- pew sent two messages of 68 words each by this key around the world announce Ii ing the opening of the exhibit, and in 21 minutes after they had been sent Senator Depew received his messages back again in typewriter form. They had both encircled the globe in the meantime.
 In 1898 there vas another national electrical exhibition in New York city
 and as President Mckinley was unable to be present to officially open the ex- nibit, the key was sent to Washington and at the proper moment the key was touched by President Mckinley ana the exhibit was on.
 This key will be used by President Roosevelt to-day to open the St. Louis exposition and he will make the third president of the United States who has used the key for similar purpose
 President Roosevelt will beunable to be l in St. Louis to-day to officially open the fair, so the key was sent to Wash
 readiness for the president to use. 1 Everything has been perfectly arrang- ed At the conclusion of Secretary 1 Taft's opening speech at the exposition l to-day he will touch button at the speakers stand and this will notify the President at Washington that all is ready. He will then topch the golden key, which will be connected with ev- cry bit of the electrical apparatus on the fair grounds. and everything will be
 set in motion by the touch. All the H.
 luminations will be started, and the salutes will be set off. It will be the signal for the musicians and everything else pertaining to the opening.
 1 The key is handsomely Tnourted on a magnificent base, or a series ot
 bases each one of which is suitably l inscribed and bears the date of each event at which the key has been used. General Greeley prizes the key very much owing to the associations connect ed with it, and it was at the special re- quest of, the exposition officials that he
 sent the key to Washington. General
 Greeley keeps the key at his home al Is Trumbul street, this city. and as
 soon as it has been used it will be re- turned to this city.