The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-27

of Mind When Panic seixes surxfnr
 Crowd in Front of Grand Stand
 Takes Command of Situation by
 Quickly Jumping Upon . Table and
 Appealing to Men to Live up to Tra-
 ditiOns of Virginia ana stop tha
 Crowding, Which Threatened Lives
 of Women and Children.
 Norfolk, Va, April 26. --Presider,t Roosevelt, the diplomatic, naval and military representatives of thirty-sev- en of the nations of the world and the governors of score of states partfci- pated to-day in the opening exercises If the Jamestown ter-centennial exposi- tion. While the exposition, which is to ronain open until November 30 next is still far from complete, the unfinished condition of buildings and grounds wa not allowed to interfere in any way with to-day's celebration of the sOOth anniversary of the first English Bettle- ment in America. From the firing of sunrise salute of 300 guns by the United States army, through the pie turesque review of the international fleet of war vessels anchored in Hamp- ton Roads, through the ceremonies of dedication at which the president spoka and down to late hour tonight when the chief executive repaired aboard the naval yacht sylph to spend the night in the lower bay, the day was crowded with notable incidents.
 Not the least impressive of the days events was the quick action of the pres- ident in assuming command of the sit- uation in front of the crowded grand stand from which he spoke when panic seized the surging throngs Of spectators Pressed against the guard ropes by thousands of eager persons in the rear of the gathering who were forcing their way forward, the safety of lige and limb of those who had the more favored positions were endanger. i ed. President Roosevelt had Just been introduced by Harry St. deorge Tuck- er the head of the Jamsetown exposi- tion company when the disorder and unrest in the crowd reached it's heightl and the civil guards in front of the i grand stand seemed about to be swent from their posts. With the agility of .. school boy, the president jumped upon the table which had been placed i'm the speakers balcony and waving his arms, cried out to the men of Virginia 1 to live up to their traditions of gall llantry and cease the ppshing and crowding which was threatening the Hives of the women and children in the assemblage.
 The crowd needed the warning at first but when the president had settled down to his speech and the words were fairly blown from his mouth by the southeasterly gale which was sweeping the great parade those on the outside bega nto press forward again. The president was interrupted and mounted officers and United States cavalrymen were called to take charge They rode up and down in front of the crowd and gradually opened it up and relieved the pressure.
 A detachment of artillerymen on foot also was called and the crowd at last became a peaceful assemblage.
 Apparently oblivious to the unusual position he occupied on the top of somewhat shaky table, not more than two feet wide and four feet long, Presi- dent Roosevelt made his speech and did not allow the unsteady platform to in- terfere in the slightest with the char act-rislic 'istr of his deIiVrr., Some of his remarks-noticeabl when he touched upon the subject of the recent peace congress in New York-were ad- dressed to the representatives of the many nations of the world; others were emphasized to the soldiers and sailors who took such conspicuous part in the days program and other thoughts to which he gave utterance were di- rected toward the general public. There were constant outburts of applause and cheering Especially when refernce was made to the gallantry of the men who fought in the civil war-beneath the banners of the north or the cross barred flag of the confeQeracy--was the cheering and the applause unstinted.
 A fairer day has never been seen than that which attended the opening of probably the most notable exposition eyer held in the south. The heat at times during the afternoon was uncom- fortable, but it was always tempered by strong sea breeze. The military encamped about the exposition grounds began the days exercises with the fir ing of the three-century salute. Soon thereafter, from across the waters of Hampton Roads, came the boom of ship cannon signalling the beginning of the review by the president of the most formidable fleet of international battle- ships and cruisers the world has witt messed in many years.
 On board the tidy cruiser yacht May flower the president, with a few espe- cially invited guests, was greeted first by salute of twenty-one guns from each of the vessels, foreign and Amer ican. Then, as he steamed along the lane of the visiting men-of-war he was saluted individually and in turn by every 5attleship and cruiser at anchor in the Roads. The marine picture, viewed from shore by thousands and from the decks of excursion and pleas ure craft by almost as many more, was at once imposing and impressive
 When his yacht had anchored in the very midst of the naval vessels the
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