The Centennial! Arrangements for its Celebration

Year
1883
Month
5
Day
17
Article Title
The Centennial! Arrangements for its Celebration
Author
-----
Page Number
2
Article Type
Language
Article Contents
The Centennial! Arrangements for its Celebration The streets last evening presented an unusual scene of bustle and activity. Visitors had begun to arrive, many of the stores were open; preparations were in progress on all sides for the celebration to-morrow. To-day, on all the streets decorations are quickly going up. First on the programme is the meeting in the Centenary church, this evening, at 10 o’clock, under the auspices of the N. B. Historical Society. Addresses will be delivered by Lieut. Governor Wilmot, who arrived in town last evening, and is the guest of Mayor Jones; Chief Justice Allen, J. W. Lawrence, Esq., and at the conclusion of the proceedings, midnight, a salute will be fired by a battery of artillery at the old burial ground, ushering in the second century of St. John’s existence. This most interesting feature of the celebration has been planned by Mr. Lawrence, who has done so much to bring the early history of the city before the people, and he has been energetically assisted by Rev. Mr. Currie and the trustees of the church. It will be the [italics on the] historic gathering of the centennial. At 6 o’clock on Friday morning Capt. Kane’s battery of artillery will fire a salute of 50 guns, followed by a similar salute to be fired by Capt. Ring’s battery. The Calithumpians and the Polymorphians will meet at Haymarket square at 6 a. m. A number of the Calithumpians will be taken down to Partridge Island, and will come back in the schooner “St. George,” to represent the loyalists, in whose style they will be dressed. Rather inconsistently, however, the schooner will be towed up by the steam tug “Norman.” While the schooner is coming up the harbour the Calithumpians and Polymorphians will be marching to the market slip, where the landing will take place. The route will be from Haymarket Square, up City Road, through Paradise Row, up Mill street, down Dock street to the top of Market Square. After the landing has taken place (8 a. m.) the procession will re-form, with the addition of those who have disembarked from the vessel, and will proceed along Prince William to St. James, through St. James to Sydney, up Sydney to Princess; down Princess to Germain, along Germain to King; up King to Charlotte, out Charlotte to Union, down Union to Brussels, and from thence to the Haymarket Square, where they will disband. The societies have made elaborate preparations, and the display is expected to be very fine. At 9 o’clock a special centennial celebration service will be held in Trinity Church, which the Mayor and Common council will attend. The firemen and visiting firemen will assemble on King Street East about 9 o’clock. They will march from there down Wentworth to Princess, down Princess to Charlotte, down Charlotte to St. James, along St. James to Prince William to King street, where the procession will halt. An address of welcome will be delivered by His Worship the Mayor. His Worship and the members of the Common Council and the Mayor and members of the Portland Town Council in barouches, will join the procession, which will then march up King street to Charlotte, along to Union, down Union to Mill, along Mill to Main street, Portland, up Main street to Indiantown. On the arrival of the procession at Indiantown, the Kennedy memorial fountain will be unveiled probably by Mayor Holly. The procession will then return down Main street to Paradise row, up Paradise row, along City road to Haymarket square, up Brussels street to Union, along Union to Sydney to King street, east, where they will disband. In the event of an alarm of fire being given during the progress of the procession, No. 3 engine will at once proceed to the scene of the fire. In the afternoon the firemen will march to the Barrack Square, where a good programme of sports will be carried out. At 2.45 the Mayor, Common council and the city’s guests will meet in the Directors’ room of the Mechanics’ Institute. The building will be thrown open to the public at 2.30 p. m. And from that hour until 3 o’clock the City Cornet Band will discourse music to the audience. The proceedings at the Institute will commence with a short historic address by Mr. Lawrence, after which Judge Wedderburn will deliver the Centennial oration. A slight deviation from this programme may take place by the Globe’s Centennial Ode being recited either Mr. Lawrence’s address and Judge Wedderburn’s oration, or at the end of the proceedings. At the termination of the proceedings at the Institute the official programme will be concluded. On leaving the Institute, the City Cornet Band will play on King Square until six o’clock. In the evening there will be a grand torchlight procession, followed by a display of fireworks on King Square, the latter to begin at 9 o’clock. The torchlight procession will march through the following streets, viz., from King to Sydney, along the North side of King Square to Charlotte, thence to Union, up Union to Germain, down Germain to Duke, up Duke to Charlotte, down to St. James, along St. James to Wentworth, up to Mecklenburg to Sydney, up Sydney to Union, down Union to Brussels, along Brussels to City Road, up City Road to Stanley, along Stanley to Winter, thence to Paradise Row, along Paradise Row to Main, up Maine to Engine House, counter-march and back down Main to Mill, up Mill, down Dock to King, up King along South side of King Square to place of starting, where the procession will dismiss.