Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-06-09
Centennial Of Lewis and Clark
Formally Observed.
GREAT THRONG. ATTEND OPENING
Military Pageant, Addresses by Ma
tion's Dignitaries and Festivities
lnaugurate the Exposition.

OIdIk OOuIcuuldl scApOSlblOu 1S open
Portland is playing host to the world
Yesterday, the opening day, will find
a bright place in the history of the ma
tion, marking as it does, the starting
point of an enterprise that means the
greater upbuilding of the West and
Northwest; new, trade relations with
the Orient; closer trade relationship
between the Pacific coast and the At
lantic seaboard, and the hundreds OF
attendant and incidental benefits that
will accrue to the country.
The opening ceremonies and demon
stratlons were on scale commensurate
with the greatness of the day. They
were carried through without hitch
of any consequence. Old exposition
attaches, who have attended the i'm
portant worlds fairs of the past de-
cade, declared they had never before
beheld SO pretty or SO effective an
opening.
The attendance passed even beyond
the most sanguine official expectations.
Crowds, such as have never before lined
the streets of Portland, saw the great
military pageant that preceded the
opening exercises. Standing room on
the three miles of streets was at a pre-
mium. And when the parade was at
an end this ocean of humanity turned
its tide on the exposition grounds.
Across Guilds lake on the peninsula
a section of artillery tolled off the pres
idential salute of 81 guns, the dark
blue smoke from the cannonading lift
ing slowly above the governments pal
ace and adding enchantment to the
peaceful grandeur of the inspiring
landscape to the north.
This salute brought on the opening
exercises. All of the speakers were en-
Enthusiastically received. Especially
cordial was the reception accorded the
nations representatives. The exercises
were marred by no unpleasant incident.
So orderly was everything that the
heavy detachment of policemen and
guardsmen were not put to the neces-
sity of issuing single admonition.
1t was exactly IL o'clock to the dot
when President II. w. Goode, of the
exposition, called for order. It was
hardly 2 o'clock when President Roose-
welt was informed by wire that all was
ready. The president was in waiting
for the message at the White house.
The great crowd leaned forward in
state of high nervous tension waiting
for the first peals of the government
chimes, which were to have been Presi-
dent Roosevelt's first response. But,
lucklessly, the chimes failed to work,
and after full minute of breathless
waiting, the assemblage was informed
by Mr.. Goode that the president had
sent his greeting. At the same time
ihe declared the exposition formally
opened and extended greeting to all
the world. President Roosevelt's con-
gratulatory telegram was then read
and received with tremendous ap-
,plause.
There was apparently almost as many
people at the fair grounds last night as
were present at the opening exercises.
Although the exhibits buildings were
closed, the exposition by night seemed
in every particular as great an attrac-
tion as during the open hours of the
day.
When darkness fell upon the heights
that raise beyond the fairy city the
reason was plain.
AS feast for the eye the spectacle
was incomparably beautiful. The
fireworks which were feature of the
evening, were beautiful in the extreme,
but they paled before the splendor of
the electricity.