The sun., 1907-08-21
PROVINCETOWN'S GREAT DAY
NOT SINCE PILGRIMS CAME HAVE
THERE BEEN SUCH DOINGS.

Plymouth and the Rock Ecltpsod by the Pill
grim Monument C0rnerstone, Laying
Thousands Thronx Marrow streets
Gay with Bunting and BIare of Bands.
PRovNcETowN. Mass. August 2o.-Prm
and sedate Provincetown received President
Roosevelt to-day like an old maid decked in
ribbons all afiutter and giggling.
1t was the biggest day in the whole his
tory of Cape Cod. and that history goes
hack some; to the time in fact when Viking
named Thorwald something or other ran
his queer craft into the harbor. took one
look at the sandy waste and sailed away
for Newport. where the first families were
even then collecting.
IL is perfectly safe to say that the Presi-
dents visit stirred up moro commotion and
more real excitement than Bart Gosnold
or Capt. John Smith OF Virginia or even the
husky Miles stsndish.
Last night, walking along quaint old
Commercial street, the Broadway Of Prov
incetown. which ia walled in by frame houses
that were built most Of them before Amer
ica broke loose from King George, one got
the impression that Provincetown was cele-
brating over the laying OF the cornerstone
Of the Pilgrim monument and getting ready
10 make old Plymouth bite its nails with
jealousy, but this morning when the guns
begsn to bang aboard the battleships in
the harbor and old George Washington
Reedy. the Town Crier. walked up and
down ringing his bell Of Office and advising
the townsmen in his quavery voice to be-
have themselves in front Of the President.
one got a quite different idea.
THE EXCUSE FOR IT ALL.
An hour or two later still, when narrow
Connecticut street was lined with sturdy
bluejackets and marines and battleship
hand was blsring on every corner and
everybody was yelling Hip. hip, hooray
for the PRESIDENT you began to see very
clearly that every important incident in
Cape Gods history for the last 800 years or
so was merely the design Of a careful Provi-
denoe to pave the way for the coming OF
President Roosevelt to Provincetown.
The real old families, though, like the
Nickersons. the Crowells, the Dearborns.
the Ellises. the Adamses and some others.
whose people have been digging CLAIMS and
fishing for cod and raising cranberries and
selling things in queer little shops around
here for at least 200 years and who will
frown when they talk to you about the way
the -Portygees" have overrun the Cape
took little different view Of the big day.
1t meant something 70 them very di-
iectly They talked about 1t on the porch
of the new Central Hotel OF in Seleotman
George Aliens front yard and explained
the whole thing 90 that you could get the
continent and the real feel of IL Just AZ II
YOU were Nioixerson or an Adams yourself.
Now the main thing waa that Plymouth
across tho bay has beon very pigg!sn In
taking all the credit for receiving the
Pilgrims first. In Plymouth II you hint
that maybe the Maynower did drop anchor
first In Provfnoetown harbor and that
Miles Standish and other sncsstors did put
foot On land nrss on Cape Cod you wul ges
cold plying look and be regarded ~ one
who ID shameflIly ignorant Of the funds-
m entail fAots Of history.
EvIpMm rKxx oryRs.
The rock viii bs shown to you. and IL
that Is not enough thsy viii take you to
the museum. where there are % many
things that you got tired looking at thau.
FEOVluooSOWup EoSAAAB etAO1 Va eA"st eo-
cded some years ago to take its proper
place In history and 10 Let tho world know
with a glad shout that 10 was really the
crsdls Of Mberty. 30 they decided TO put
up 4 Pilxrin. monument on Town Hill.
tall sand heap where. ID is said. Standish
and his fellow adventurers got their frst
look at Plymouth and promptly made
for 10.
The tcwnsnen raised $4,000. Massa-
chusetts put $4,000 moro into the pot
and then Congress added SeS.o00 to the
fund. sinoe thsa subscriptions have been
coming in pretty well. New England
towns where descendants Of the Piigrirns
are living sent blocks Of granite inscribed
With the names OF their towns They've
been long ttme about II, but to-day they
werc ready to lay tho cornerstone.
Tho celebration really shartsd yesterday
afternoon whsn ths Cranberry Railroad.
tho single track lne which the New York.
Now Haven and artford usss for two trains
day. brought The nyss crowd Of city people
md the Boston steamer landed lot more.
BY nightfall many Of the old inhabitants.
Ike Capt Simeon West and Capt Joe West.
had TO blink thsir eyes and admit right
cut that they could NOT havs believed 10
possible for PrUvinosoown 70 getso gay.
uD AyTn D1DTrm.
Pretty old CoumsoiOus street, marrow -
I'm alley. laughed and sang until fully II
o'clock. Usually I'll Provincetown 10
safely tucked away In the feathers by 9
o'clock. beoauss the last train would be gone
and Jim Thomas had olosed up his -sody
water fountain, but lsst night they just
took the lid Oh and lot hor rip.
Out In the dark harbor. where the battle
ships Kentucky ,Kesrsargs. Illinois. Georgia.
Alabama. Virginia and Rhode Island were
at anchor. searohlighes stabbed the air
and wheslsd around In great arcs a. they
followed the hooked outline OF the cape.
The ships sparkled with lights. flashing
red. green and white on deck ard aloft.
and the many colored lights Of Province
towns fishing feet, trim and useful cod
schooners and sloops. twinkled back at
them in a friendly sort OF way.