Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-28


ton of the signing of the treaty.
Three Tables Hold Pacts
Last minute changes were made
in the program to expedite the sign
ing of the Treaty. Two additional
tables were placed beside the one
within the historic Hall of Mirrors
on which the Peace Treaty was laid.
One of the new tables held the
Rhine convention and the other the
protocol containing changes in and
interpretations of the Treaty.
All these documents had to be
| signed by each plenipotentiary, and
the arrangements of the tables thus
enabled three persons to he en-
gagged smultaneously in affixing
their signatures. Because of the size
of the Treaty and the fragile seals
ii bore, the plan to present it for
signing to Premier Clemenceau,
President Wilson and Premier Lloyd
George could not be carried out
the new plan being. for. the three
conference leaders to step to
table to affiX their signatures.
A few minutes before o'clock
fifteen enlisted men from the Amer
lean, British and French armies en-
tered the Hall of Mirrors amid
decorous cheers, The Chinese dele
gates. shortly before the hour set
for the signing of the Treaty, re-
iterated their intention not to sign.
President Wilson entered the Hall
| of Mirrors at $50 o'clock. All the
| delegates then were seated except
| the Chinese who did not attend.
| The Germans entered the hall at ex-
| actly 8 o'clock. Premier Clemen-
ceau called the session to order at
$40 o'clock.
Endless Stream of Autos
Hnnrc hnfnra "a far thn
ceremony an endless stream of auto
mobiles began moving up the can
non-lined hill of the Champs Ely
sees. past are Arc de Triumphe and
out through the shady Bois de Bo-
logne. carrying the plenipotentiar-
les, officials and guests to the cere-
mony. The thoroughfare was kept
clear by pickets, dragons and
gendarmes.
In the meantime thousands of
Parisians were packing the regular
and special trains upon the lines
ieadlng to Versailles and contending
with the residents of the town itself
for places on the park where the
play of the famed fountains of Ver-
sallles would mark the end of the
ceremony.
The automobiles bearing dele
gates and secretaries had reserved
~ tiitii use llle avenue uu
the broad boulevard leading direct
to the Chateau's Court of Honor,
french soldiers being ranged along
the highway on both sides. At the
} end OF the court a guard of honor
was drawn up to present arms as
the leading plenipotentiaries passed,
this guard comprising a company of
republican guards in brilliant uni
, form.
Enter by Marble Stairway
The entrance for the delegates
was by the markle stairway to the
queens apartments" and the Hall
! of Peace, giving access thence to
the Hall of Mirrors. The walls of
these apartments were hung with
unique Gobelin tapestries.
The route to the Peace Congress
for the plenipotentiaries was through
a space reserved for some 400 privi-
! legged guests who were instructed to
be in their seats we'll in advance of
the entry of the delegates. 1t had
been arranged that the delegates, in
stead of struggling in without order,
as when the original terms of peace
, were communicated to the Ger
mans, should enter by groups,
each one being formally announced
by ushers from the French foreign
, office.
NO HOnorS For Germans
! This formality was not prescribed
for the Germans, who were given a
separate route of entry, coming
through the park and gaining the
marble stairway through the ground
moor. Thus was avoided occasion
for the guard of honor to render
? them military honors, these being
: reserved for the Allied representa-
l tlVes. The dismounted guardsmen
: on the marble staircase and in the
: queens apartments, however. were
, instructed to remain in their places
, for the entry of the Germans.
Within the Hall of Mirrors, where
t the historical furnishings and paint
ings gave tone of impressive state
L which would otherwise be rather
r lacking in the assemblage of soberly
. attired delegates, seventy-tw chairs
r FOR the plenipotentiaries were drawn
up around three sides of the table,
( which formed an open rectangle
fully eighty feet in length on its
: longer side.
r A chair for M. Clemenceau, pres
ident of the Peace Conference, was
placed in the center of the long table
: facing the windows, with those for
, President Wilson and Premier Lloyd
| George on the right and left hand,
| respectively. The German delegates
: were assigned seats at the side of the
: table nearest the entrance, which
: they could take after all the others
: had been seated.
) This arrangement was made to
, permit the Germans to leave after
the signature of the treaty before
: the Allied delegations, not waiting
for the semistate procession of AL
lied delegates to the terrace from
: which to witness the playing of the
Versailles fountains before return
! ing to Paris
The World War came to a formal
) end five years after the assassina
: ton of Archduke Francis Ferdinand
and two years and two days after the
first American troops landed in
r France. The Austrian heir-apparent
: was killed at Sarajevo on June 2S.
3 1914. The first American contingent
, disembarked in France on June 26
1917.
On July 2S. 1914, one month after
! the death of Francis Ferdinand
Austria declared war on Serbia
r marking the beginning of hostilities
On August /, Germany declared war
on Russia and invaded Luxemburg
Germany sent her ultimatum on An
gust 2 and declared war on France
on August 8. The next day Great
Britain declared war on GERMANY.
June 2S also is the anniversa ~
: of the renewal Of tho Tr;nIa A,.