The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-08-05
TAFT HONORS Pill
. GR|MS' MEMORY
Joins Festivities at Pro
vincetown-Many Nota-
bleS Present.

corated with thousands of flags and
streamers of bunting and filed with
throng of visitors, this tip-end town
of the Cape Cod today witnessed the
most momentous went in the history
of it's people, the dedication of the
great monument to commemorate the
first landing of the pilgrims, with
President Taft as the guest of honor
and chief speaker.
Two thousand sailors and marines
from the ships of the North Atlantic
fleet anchored in Provincetown harbor
took part in the parade and acted as
police escort for the Presidential
party, who came over from Burgess
point on the Mayfower-the name OF
which vessel could not be more apprO-
pirate for the occasion. The presi-
dent was met at the end of the rail-
road dock by the chairman of the
Board of Selectmen, who delivered
cordial greeting. Shortly after the
arrival of President Taft came Gov
ernor Draper and his staff of ten,
together with a number of other not
ables who were to take part in the
exercises of the day.
During the early hours of the fore
noon an immense crowd of visitors
poured into the town. A score of
steamboats, and number of special
trains, two from Boston, two from
New Bedford, and several from the
upper cape, in addition to the regular
railroad and steamboat service, arriv-
e3 before nine o'clock and soon the
narrow, winding streets of pictures
que Provincetown were IhrOnged as
never before in it's history.
The president and other distin-
guished visitors, with the military
and naval escort, marched in process
sion to the site of the monument upon
Town Hill. The speakers stand at
the base of the monument, and the
president, other orators, and AS many
of the invited guests as it would hold
faced the crowd of $4,000 massed
on the hill.
The exercises were opened with the
reading of the Scriptures and an in
vocation by the Rev, James De Nor
mandie of Boston Captain j. Henry
Sears, president of the Pilgrim Memo
rial Association delivered a short ad-
dress, introducing Governor Draper,
who spoke briefly and introduced the
president.
President Taft spoke extempotane-
ously and paid glowing tribute to
the memory of the Pilgrams who
first landed on Cape Cod soil and,
while the stormtossed Mayflower rode
in temporary security in the harbOr
overlooked by the monument just
completed, signed their famous COM
pact, which has been justly called
1.-The forerunner of the declaration of
independence. The president was
frequently interrupted by applause.
In addition to President Taft the
speakers included former President
Charles w. Eliot of Harvard Univer
sity, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of
Massachusetts and Hon. James T. Nc
Cleary of Minnesota. Band music
and singing interspersed the program.
The sounding of a trumpet marked
the end of the formal part of the eX-
ercises, after which the guests of the
occasion adjourned to the town hall
where an informal reception was held
The president was the1 escorted back
to the wharf and embarked on the
for the return trip to Bev-
erly.
The monument dedicated today is
a most imposing structure. Situated
on the brow of Town HILL with Pro-
one long street and the
hGrbor at its foot, it towers $50 feet
into the air, more than $50 feet above
sea level. The tower is constructed
of Maine granite and stands upon
a solid concrete foundation. The de-
sign is copy of the tower of the
Palazzo della Republica, built in 1909
in Sienna, Italy.
The tower without the foundation
weighs 1858 tons. The distance to
tho tower platform is 20 feet, thence
to the top of the lantern tower is 20
feet. There is ? slight tapering of
the shaft, it being 27 feet at the
base and % feet at the lantern tower
platform.
The monument cost 100000, of
which the national government gave
$40, 900, the State of Massachusetts
$25. Provincetown $4,000, and in
dividuals the remainder. Lieut.. Col.
Edward Burr, Engineer Corps, U. 5.
A.. supervised the construction.
In the interior of the monument are
set 164 memorial stones from historic
places and organizations. Most inter-
esting among them are tablets from
churches in Leyden, Holland, the Pill
grims' tarrying place after they left
in Delft Haven, whence
they sailed for the new world, and
England, the home or