Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-05-05
GREAT ARMY OF MEN ARRANG.
ING EXHIBITS AND CLEAN
ING UP.
OPENING EXERCISES SIMPLE
PRESIDENT WILL TOUCH GOLDEN
KEY SETTING WHEELS IN
MOTION.

~. 11odiG, May l.. ~ 1Loulo 10
prepared for the greatest day in her
history. To-day at noon her great ex-
position upon which the city has law
ished millions of money, to which her
people have devoted years of their
best endeavor, and for which they
have labored with infinite patience
and persistence, will be thrown ope
to the world. The time for promise
and pledges has gone, the day of full.
fillment is at hand; and never has any
city put forth greater effort to keep
the spirit and letter Of her pledge
than has St. Louis.
All of yesterday and all of last night
the people worked with desperate en-.
ergy to accomplish the thousand and
one things that always remain to be
done at the last moment
Putting on Final Touches.
At the exposition grounds 10000
men worked all day putting the final
touches upon the grounds, building
sidewalks, cleaning buildings, remov-
ing scaffolds and arranging exhibits.
This work will continue without ces,
sation until dawn, and it is confidently
expected that when the fair opens al
noon to-day everything humanity pos
sible will have been done to advance
the work to the farthest limit of prep.
aration. In the downtown streets ar
in the residence districts the decora
tons are profuse and beautiful. The
exercises to-day will be more serious
than resplendant. There will be com
paratively little of the glitterine
pageant that marked the dedication
exercises a year ago, but the cere
monies preceding
The Formal Opening
will be none the less interesting. AT
9 o'clock in the morning all the high
dignitaries of the exposition, the rep
resentatives of foreign governments
and the representatives of state and
territorial governments will march tc
the Plaza of st. Louis in the exposition
grounds.
After the gathering has been formal
the Rev. Frank w. Gunsaulus of Chi
cago will deliver the invocation. Al
the conclusion of the prayer Director
of Works Isaac S. Taylor will deliver
the keys of the buildings to President
Francis, who will in turn transfer the
buildings to Frederick ]. V. Skiff. the
director of exhibits. The chorus
Hymn of the West" the words by Ed
mund Clarence Stedman and music BY
John Knowles Paine, will then be sung
and addresses be made by the follow
ing gentlemen:
Mayor Wells OF ST. Louis; Hon
Thomas II. Carter, president of the
national commission; Senator Henry
E. Burnham of New Hampshire, in be
half of the United States senate
| Congressman James A. Tawney O
Minnesota, for the national house O.
representatives; Commissioner Gen
eral Albino R. Nuncio of Mexico, il
behalf of the foreign commissioners
E. H. Hartman of New York, for the
| exhibitors.
President Will Touch the Key.
The last speech of the day will bt
by Secretary of War William H. Tar
and at it's conclusion the signal will
given to President Roosevelt in tn,
White House, the golden key will BIZ
pressed, the cascades will send dow1
their floods, and the thousands of ban
ners will be unfurled, and the grea
Louisiana Purchase exposition will bt
open to the world.
1t is expected that an enormous
crowd will attend the exposition as ex
cursion trains are coming in by tn,
score, and to-day has been officiall.
declared a legal holiday by Mayo
! Wells.