The sun., 1907-08-21
PROVINCETOWN'S GREAT DAY
Continued from First Page.

he thought his sailors ought to be allowed
TO play Sunday baseball to keep them out OF
devitry. but no stree, the Sslectmen told
Fighting Bob that he couldn't and he didn't,
b'gosh. This comes straight from Town
Crier George Washington Reedy. How
Admiral Bob did ouss for while.
0oUGED THE GENTLE STRANGER.
The trouble to-day was that Provincetown
hadn't really any idea how many people
would be coming along to see the President
and the cornerstone laying. By O'Clock
YOU could not get q ROOM even were you
first cousin Of a Nickerson. The little hotels
were crammed and every citizen who wanted
TO take a chance entertaining a stranger
had his house fun and his pockets too.
Provincetown doesn't get many chances
to pick up easy money, and last night they
put in the knife and twisted II around:
The cheapest price for rooms was sb. and
that was getting bargain. Even the street
car system. the buckbosrds. numbering
along Commercial street, boosted the price
of a single ride from five cents to ten cents,
There was a veritable food and milk
famine too You were downright lucky to
get a chance to pay a dollar for sandwich;
as for a glass OF beer or a highball that was
out OF the question. There isn't a rummery
in Provincetown and the nearest drink OF
whiskey was sixty miles away, which caused
some grumbling in the navy, not to speak
OF regret among palmer citizens.
1 Naturally with all this fuss and excite
ment the Provincetown police force was
pretty hard worked. Chief Tom Coffin,
Lieut.. Andy McGee and Sergt. Rube Kelly
there isn't an untitled cop. on the force>
were pretty busy, but they kicked when the
selectmen sent to Boston for twenty city
cops and big sergeant named Bannister.
They said IL looked like they didn't know
their business, b'gosh, after thirty wears
| service, too.
TOOK no CHANCES ON FIRE
Fire Chief Barnett requsitioned every
horse he could get hold OF in town and
held the animals ready for instant service
with the engine and water carts. He
said they couldn't afford to take a chance
unhitching Walt smiths wagon to get a
! horse il a fire should bust loose over in
the Town Hall, which cost 500 600 and is
something Of town hall all right, all right.
| The selectmen were busy half the night
| figuring out the ways and means OF making
Teddy have bangup good time" Doc
| Campbell wac there and so was Os Nick
| erson. not to speak OF Tom Thatcher and
| Hen Sears and j Henry Sears and Ed
Atwood and a whole lot OF others. Now
and then merry laugh from Portuguese
girl oauntering along arm in arm with a
| sailor came lightly through the Town Hall
windows and disturbed the meeting. But
after a panied look from Doc Campbell
to Hen Sears they would go right ahead
| with the business.
THOSE DowNY FEATHER BEDS.
Eventually Provincetown and the visi-
| tors, some Of them. went to bed to feather
| beds, where you sank foot in velvety
| softness and kept the cold Cape Cod air
out of your bones with quilt or coverlet
| worked. goodness knows how many years
ago. by some patient grandmother or
| aunt long since dead. After taking a
sleepy glance or two before settling to
snooze at grandfather's clock or a ven-
| cradle old secretary that had stood in
the same house and the same room for at
least 100 years. As likely IA not four or FIVE
| generations had been born and had died
| not so cheerful a thought. in the same good
old feather bed, and their pictures portraits
OF big, large faced. full whiskered old
fishermen and slender prim and precise
old ladies' hung along the wall in queer
| ancient oval frames.
This morning Commercial street was
packed from board sidewalk to board
sidewalk with Provincetowners. Boston
people and folks from Barnstable, Sand
| wich, Yarmouth, Harwich, Truro. Woll-
feet Brewster, Mashpee, Bourne and
towns all along the great hook OF Cape
Cod-names with a salty taste every one
Of them-so crowded you could hardly
move.
| There were the town bands. red coated
one from Salem. a daisy too. and a lot
down Boston way. just 10 keep their lips
tight they hit 1t up every once in a while
before the fun really started, and at one
end OF Commercial street you could get
| The Star Spangled Banner" and at the
| other Hail Columbia" without paying an
extra cent for 1t. not to speak Of other pieces
thrown In along the street.
| OF course the celebration didn't begin to
sizzle until George Washington Reedy and
walt Smith, the town criers. got on the
job. George Reedy has not worn his pants
| in his boots for thirty odd years until to-
| day. But he stuck them in and put on 4
blue shirt and a red necktie in honor of
the Presidents coming:
ringing their hand bells furiously and
calling out with proper sternness Hear
| We all. good people. and take notice Presi-
dent Roosevelt OF the United States of
America is about to visit the ancient town
| OF Provincetovn. Take notice. take no.
tice."
Uncle Joe Ellis, who is % and obipper as n
cabin boy and goes claiming every day,
believe 1t or not. came along pretty soon
ieaping on his gold headed cane presented
to him by President Grant in 1874.
Then along Commercial street ran the
news that the President had arrived on
the Mayfower. That the big white steel
Mayhower OF 1907 had dropped anchor
the little cranky old Msyfower Of 1920 came
! TO standstill. Then up the harbor came
| the roar OF saluting cannon. the navy A
greetin to its Commander-in-Chief
Pres tntly came company after com pany
! OF bluejackets and marines. There was
another banging Of guns in the harbor
which told that Rear Admiral Curtis Guild
OF the Massachusetts, navy had arrived
on his flagship Newport and was ready TO be
cheered
After that Provincetown waited ecstat-
| lcally, shifting from foot to foot and buzz-
| ing with eagerness, until a roar let every
body know that the President had landed
and was coming in a carriage. When tbav
saw him standing up in the carriage how
ing 20 the right and left and showing his
teeth in a most amiable grin, Provincstown
| Town Hall '''
Mrs. Roosevelt followed in another car-
rage. Miss Ethel and Quentin stav, ,
behind in the Mayfiower. va
/ -Four Secret Service men were ar tho
wheels of the Presidents carriage keenin q
q Keen eye for cranks. They nabbed ons
IN hurry. He was an elderly man. Rus
s,sn IN appearance, who made the mistake
o. carrying tin box under his Arm and
squeezing close to the carriage. McHugh