USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > Albany bi-centennial. Historical memoirs > Part 2
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"'A bateau, elegantly painted and decorated, on a carriage drawn by two gray horses, neatly capari- soned, loaded with goods proper for the Indian trade, navigated by a proper number of bateaumen, fur- nished with setting poles, paddles, etc., which were used with great skill during the procession, Mr. Gerardous Lansing, in the character of a trader and an Indian properly dressed and ornamented, sitting in the stern.' During the time of the repast, the ba- teau made a voyage toward the Mohawk country and returned with a full cargo of peltry. The Federal bower made an highly elegant appearance. It was erected on the most advantageous parts of the heights west of Fort Frederick, commanding the most ex- tended prospects of any situation near the city ; and when the flags of the respective divisions were dis- played on its battlements, that of the United States on the centre, that of the State on the right, and the farmers on the left, the coup d'œil was extremely pleasing. The edifice was one hundred and fifty-four feet in length and forty-four feet in breadth, and was raised upon four rows of pillars, fifteen feet in height, which were closely wreathed with foliage, and com- posed eleven arches in front. The company was ' marched off in regular divisions to the tables which were plentifully covered with substantial American cheer.' The tables were eleven in number placed across the colonnade parallel with the eleven arches. They were by no means sufficient for the company, which, in its extent, far exceeded the expectations of the warmest favorers of the procession. Yet, so lively was the pleasurable spirit of accommodation,
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so general was the wish of diffuse satisfaction, that no inconvenience was felt or complained of by any."
February 10, 1886. The Schubert Club tendered their services for the celebration. The Aldermen constituting the Committee of the Common Council on Public Celebrations were added to the Executive Committee.
February 18, 1886. James V. Viggers was ap- pointed as assistant to both secretaries at a salary of two hundred dollars. The Executive Committee reported the following recommendations: That six days be devoted to the celebration; that Sunday preceding the anniversary be observed in the various churches with all such exercises as might seem proper ; that Monday be devoted to the celebration of all the schools under the direction and manage- ment of the Board of Public Instruction, and that Tuesday be assigned as a day for the various nation - alities to have such celebration as they might decide upon. The report was unanimously accepted and further time granted the committee in which to per- fect their programme. It was also resolved : That a committee of three be appointed to consider the ad- visability of holding, previous to and during the Bi- centennial celebration, a loan exhibition of antiqui- ties and articles of historical and local interest.
At the meeting of March 4, 1886, the following communication was received :
ALBANY, N. Y., March 1, 1886.
PRESIDENT OF THE BI-CENTENNIAL COMMISSION :
DEAR SIR-A number of gentlemen, among whom are Messrs. J. Howard King, Robert C. Pruyn, Dudley Olcott,
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John G. Myers, J. Townsend Lansing, W. Bayard Van Rensselaer, John E. McElroy, John Boyd Thacher, W. O. Stillwell, James T. Gardiner, Henry Russell, George D. Fearey, Ledyard Cogswell, James B. Jermain, Geo. D. Miller and Frederick D. Mather, having joined together to form a Colonial Loan Commission for the purpose of hold- ing an exhibition of objects of colonial interest during the Bi-centennial celebration, and, desiring to get in conjunc- tion with the Bi-centennial Committee, have appointed Mr. George D. Fearey as a member of the Bi-centennial Advis ory Committee and would respectfully suggest the appoint- ment of three members of the Loan Commission.
The expenditure of moneys was directed to be made only by a vote of at least fifteen members of the committee. The Executive Committee submit- ted their detailed programme of the celebration as follows :
1686-BI-CENTENNIAL-1886.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
ALBANY, March 4, 1886. TO THE CITIZENS' COMMITTEE:
The Executive Committee who were directed to report and prepare a plan of the celebration of Al- bany's Bi-centennial, based upon a resolution that the celebration was to begin on Sunday and end on Friday night of the week in which the anniversary occurs, do report as follows: The report presenting nothing but the salient features, the details and par- ticular character of the matters proposed to be fur- ther considered and reported upon by the various sub-committees to be appointed.
Sunday, July 18.
To be a day of general religious observance, with special memorial and historical sermons and exer-
IS
cises, appropriate to the occasion in all the churches in the city, at such hours as best suits the conven- ience of each.
It is recommended that the sermons be based upon the history of the churches in which they are respect- ively delivered with special reference to their devel- opment and growth in Albany, and that by invitation the pulpits be thrown open to distinguished divines, either born in Albany, or who, at some time in their ministerial careers, officiated here.
The sermons to be printed in a memorial volume, if any such be published.
Monday, July 19-Educational Day.
The school children of Albany to assemble in some public place for exercises, singing, recitations and addresses. The programme to be reported by the committee appointed to act in the matter with the Board of Public Instruction.
Historic spots to be monumented and addresses, germane to the occasion, delivered at each place marked.
Tuesday, July 20-The Day of All Nations.
The day to be set apart for national sports, exer- cises and observances; the same to be under the di- rection and control of the German, Irish, English, Scotch, French, Italian, Holland and other national societies, in such manner and form as they may de- termine and in such places as they may select.
IN THE AFTERNOON : A regatta, amateur and pro- fessional, over the Island course subject to the action
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of the railroad, steamboat and Island authorities. A yacht race in front of the city.
IN THE NIGHT: A river parade of illuminated and decorated steamboats, with music and fire-work ac- companiments.
Wednesday, July 21-Civic Day.
SUNRISE: The day to be ushered in at sunrise by a national salute of thirty-eight guns.
IO A. M .: Grand parade of all civic bodies and fire- men's tournament. The national societies, Knights Templars, uniformed Odd Fellows, uniformed Knights of Pythias, singing societies, Albany's Fire Depart- ment, exempt firemen, visiting fire companies, etc.
AFTERNOON: Continuation of and second day of the regatta. Grand canoeing tournament in front of city.
AT NIGHT: A grand historical pageant, under calcium and electric light and colored fires, showing the contrasts of the past with the present-the growth of two centuries-and placing before the people, in living tableaux, the historical events and great men in Albany's romantic Colonial and Revolutionary history. The floats to be manned and provided, under the direction of the sub-committee, by the various national and fraternal societies or military companies ; or a grand torchlight procession with his- torical features of firemen, political and fraternal or- ganizations. After parading, to mass in State street, at 12 o'clock, midnight, when, amid the huzzas of the people, a shower of rockets, bombs and Roman candles, the ringing of the bells of all the churches, the blowing of whistles, and the singing of the Na-
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tional anthem by the people, to usher in the anniver- sary day.
It is recommended that the citizens decorate their houses and places of business for the week, and illu- minate them on Wednesday night.
Thursday, July 22- Bi-Centennial Day.
12 P. M. : As before.
SUNRISE : A Bi-centennial salute of two hundred guns to be fired, fifty guns at four different places in the city,
IN THE MORNING: A grand military procession, as escort to orator, poet, city guests, etc., to place of Bi-centennial exercises.
BI-CENTENNIAL EXERCISES : Music, invocation, singing, poems, orations, addresses, etc.
NIGHT: Fire-works, also municipal reception to distinguished guests, orators, poet, etc.
Friday , July 23-Trades and Manufactures.
A grand parade of all the Trades' Unions, Trades' Assemblies and Knights of Labor, manufacturing and business interests; Grocers' and Butchers' Associa- tion ; butchers, with decorated prize cattle ; brewers, with decorated hogsheads with Gambrinus astride ; printers, carpenters, tanners, cigarmakers, etc., at work on the floats, illustrating Albany's business and trade interests and development after two centuries.
AFTERNOON : Grand open-air concert.
NIGHT : Singing by Albany singing societies, in the Capitol Park, with a discharge of rockets, bombs, etc., as a grand finale.
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Your committee further recommend :
I. A loan exhibition of Albany's antiquities, heir- looms, historical mementoes and objects of art, for a nominal admission fee.
II. An appropriate Bi-centennial medal, to be struck off, as a memento of the occasion, in gold, silver and bronze, copies to be presented to dis- tinguished guests and others, to be sold to defray its cost.
III. The awarding of suitable money prizes to vis- iting fire companies for merit, best drilled company, handsomest uniform, oldest apparatus in line, finest modern apparatus in line, etc.
IV. An appropriation, in money, for prizes for the professional regatta, the purchase of suitable trophies for the amateur regatta and for the yacht and canoe races.
V. The donation by this committee of two medals, one for a boy and one for a girl scholar in Albany's school who will write, under the conditions to be prescribed, the best essay on "Albany's History and Growth in Two Centuries."
VI. The hiring of bands of music, to be always at the disposal of this committee and to be used when and where required.
VII. The adoption of a Bi-centennial flag, the style of which to be kept secret until ready for distribution.
VIII. The hiring of rooms in various hotels for the guests of the city on the occasion in question.
IX. The procurement of an elegantly steel en- graved card of invitation, for general purposes, and a special one for guests, not transferable.
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X. The hiring of the rink for one week for all pur- poses required.
XI. Invitations, as guests, to be sent to the Presi- dent of the United States and his cabinet; the Gov- ernor and his staff; the Governors of the thirty-eight States; the Mayors of all the cities of this State; the ex-Mayors of Albany ; Generals Sherman, Sheridan, Terry, and others.
XII. The committee to decorate the public build- ings, erect triumphant arches, etc., wherever required, etc.
The committee recommend the adoption of the following resolution :
I. RESOLVED, That the Chairman appoint the fol- lowing sub-committees :
ON REGATTA. To have charge and the manage- ment of the regatta, and the river parade, canoe and yacht races.
ON CIVIC PARADE. To have charge and the man- agement of the civic parade and of the firemen's tour- nament.
ON MILITARY PARADE. To have charge of and the management of the military parade.
ON HISTORICAL PAGEANT. To have charge and the management of the parade on Wednesday night.
ON FIRE-WORKS. To have charge of same.
ON LOAN EXHIBITION. To have charge of same.
ON TRADE PARADE. To have charge of same.
ON DECORATIONS. To have charge of same and of monumenting the city if deemed advisable.
ON ALL NATIONS' DAY. To guide and direct same as far as deemed practicable.
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II. RESOLVED, That the Reception Committee have in charge the municipal reception and the per- sonal comfort and welcoming of the city's guests.
III. RESOLVED, That the Committee on Orator, etc., have in charge the Bi-centennial literary exer- cises of the Children's Day, on Monday, and the conditions on which medals shall be awarded for scholars' essay.
IV. RESOLVED, That the Chairman be directed to appoint on the various sub-committees mentioned in the first resolution, the members of the Advisory Committee in such numbers and in such manner as the best interests of the celebration will demand.
V. RESOLVED, That the sub-committees be di- rected to consider all the matters under their charge and report, with all convenient speed, the approxi- mate cost of all they intend to do.
VI. RESOLVED, That all contracts be in the name of the General Committee.
That no sub-committee be authorized to expend any money or incur any liability without the author- ity of the General Committee.
That no contract involving the expenditure of money be entered into without the approval of the Finance Committee.
VII. RESOLVED, That all matters not hereinbefore specifically delegated unless otherwise ordered, be in the charge of the Executive Committee.
VIII. RESOLVED, That all bills for any expendi- ture of money by the Bi-centennial Committee shall, before payment, be referred to the Finance Commit- tee for examination. The said Finance Committee,
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or a majority of them, shall make a written report on each bill so referred with their opinion as to the cor- rectness of said bill, before said bill shall be passed upon by the said Bi-centennial Committee. All such reports shall be entered in full upon the minutes of the said committee.
IX. RESOLVED, That the Treasurer of the Bi-cen- tennial Committee shall receive and hold all moneys which shall hereafter come into his hands, and shall pay out the same only on the order of the said com- mittee. All orders of the said committee upon the Treasurer, for the payment of money, shall specify the object for which the payment is to be made, and shall be signed by the Chairman, and countersigned by the Secretary of the said committee, but no ap- propriation of money shall be made by the said com- mittee, nor any resolution adopted, involving the expenditure of money for any purpose, unless first approved of by the Finance Committee, and then re- ceive a vote of fifteen members of the Bi-centennial Committee, which is understood to be composed of the twenty-five appointees of the Mayor, and the five members of the Aldermanic Committee on Public Celebrations.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
A. BLEECKER BANKS,
Mayor, and Chairman Executive Committee. ROBERT D. WILLIAMS, Secretary.
The Executive Committee were also directed to report as to the feasibility providing for the appro- priation and publication of a memorial volume of the Bi-centennial.
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March 11, 1886. The Chairman reported that he had several times conferred with the projectors of the Loan Exhibition, and that they were anxious to join with the committee, with a view of making the dis- play a memorable one and in every way worthy of the sight; and it was thereupon resolved, that the Chairman be and he hereby is authorized to appoint a committee of twenty, of which ten shall be mem- bers of this Bi-centennial Committee and ten of citi- zens outside of the committee, to organize and carry on, subject to the approval of the Bi-centennial Com- mittee, a loan exhibition in connection with the Bi- centennial celebration, and said committee to be known as the " Citizens' Bi-centennial Loan Exhibi- tion Committee." At this meeting, the Executive Committee also recommended the final action on the programme be deferred until after a meeting of the Advisory Committee which was called for March 14, 1886. Several amendments to the programme as reported were also submitted by the members. Sub- committees were also ordered to be appointed by the Chair, as follows: For military parade, on fire-works, on dress parade, on civic parade, on historical pa- geant, on Loan Exhibition, on decorations, on All Nations' Day. Mr. Robert Lenox Banks, from the Washington Park Commissioners, reported that they would grant the use of Washington Park for fire- works or parade.
March 18, 1886. The Chairman named the fol- lowing as members of the Bi-centennial Loan Com- mission : J. Howard King, Chairman; Robert C. Pruyn, J. Townsend Lansing, Lewis Boss, Douw H.
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Fonda, John Zimmerman, Samuel B. Towner, Wm. B. Van Rensselaer, Hon. John C. Nott, John L. Van Valkenburgh, Robert D. Williams, of the Bi-centen- nial Committee, and John Boyd Thacher, Charles Tracy, Robert S. Oliver, Henry J. Ten Eyck, W. O. Stillwell, Selden E. Marvin, John T. Gardiner, Geo. D. Miller and Chas. V. Winne on behalf of the citi- zens. It was also resolved that the matter of the feasibility and expense of the historical pageant be referred to the Executive Committee, and that they be authorized, if it is deemed expedient, to invite Mr. De Leon to visit Albany and confer with the Citi- zens' Committee, and that two hundred dollars be appropriated or as much thereof as may be necessary for that purpose.
On March 25, 1886, the joint meeting of the Citi- zens' Bi-centennial and the Advisory Committees was held in the Common Council chamber, at which sev- enteen members of the Bi-centennial and thirteen members of the Advisory Committees convened. The matter discussed was the proposed programme as reported by the Executive Committee.
April 1, 1886. The committee considered various suggestions previously made at the joint meeting and adopted, among others, one, that the National Asso- ciation of Amateur Oarsmen should be invited to hold their regatta here during the Bi-centennial week, and $1,850 was appropriated to cover the expenses, as a substitute for the professional regatta first pro- posed.
April 8, 1886. The Chairman announced the Committee on Regatta : Anthony N. Brady, Patrick
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McCann, Henry W. Garfield, Simon W. Rosendale, Charles E. Jones, Joseph H. Girvin, Charles Piepen- brink. Subscriptions towards the expense of the regatta, by Mr. Hickey, of $750, by Mr. George Marks, of $350, were reported. Col. T. C. De Leon, pursuant to a former invitation, appeared before the committee and explained at length the matter of the historical pageant. He was tendered a vote of thanks, and a sub-committee of five, consisting of Professor Lewis Boss, W. B. Van Rensselaer, Walter Dickson, James H. Manning and John L. Van Valkenburgh, were appointed to confer with him and report a plan and an estimate of probable cost. A committee of the Board of Public Instruction communicated a pro- posed plan of exercises for Educational Day, as fol- lows: The school children shall gather at the sev- eral school buildings in the morning and march to the building or inclosure provided for large gather- ings, and there take part in literary and musical exercises. The programme of the literary exercises should be made to illustrate important incidents of the settlement and progress of the city, and the sub- ject-matter to be rendered and the costuming of the members shall be typical of the epoch illustrated ; the musical parts shall be rendered by the chorus of from six to eight hundred voices, specially trained for the occasion, aided by an ample orchestra and supported in the patriotic and familiar choruses by the entire body of pupils. The presentation of two prizes offered for the best essays on " Albany's His- tory and Growth in Two Centuries," to the success- ful competitors, by the Mayor on behalf of the city,
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shall be made a prominent feature in the programme. Aside from this presentation and the reading of the awards, all the parts on the programme shall be sustained by the school children, and all the school children in the city shall be invited to participate. The following were conditions of competition for the two prizes offered by the Citizens' Committee, one for a boy, and one for a girl scholar in any school in the city of Albany, who will write the best essay on "Albany's History and Growth in Two Centuries : "
I. Each competitor must be a resident of the city.
2. He must be an attendant of a regular organized school.
3. The essay must not exceed thirty-five hundred words in length.
4. It must be written on one side only of letter paper.
5. It must be signed by a fictitious name, and a sealed envelope endorsed with the fictitious name and inclosing the card having the real name and school of the competitor, must accompany the essay.
6. The essays and the accompanying envelopes must be left at the office of the Superintendent of Schools in the High School, on or before Friday, the 25th day of June, 1886.
April 15, 1886. A communication was received accepting the invitation extended the National As- sociation of Amateur Oarsmen to hold the annual regatta during Bi-centennial week. Professor Boss, from the sub-committee on historical pageant, pre- sented the following report :
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Report of the sub-committee appointed to confer with Mr. T. C. De Leon in the matter of the histori- cal pageant :
TO THE CITIZENS' BI-CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE:
The resolution, under which your committee was appointed, directed us to confer with Mr. T. C. De Leon, of Mobile, in the matter of the proposed his- torical pageant, and to report the results of our inves- tigation to the General Committee. These terms of our commission were rather vague and general, and we have given them a broad construction, realizing, as we now do, that if affirmative action is to be taken in regard to the historical pageant that the saving of time is very important.
Your committee, with a full attendance, has held daily meetings upon the subject referred to it, and has devoted a great deal of time, both individually and as a committee, to the examination of all ques- tions upon which it was deemed that information is desirable, in order that the General Committee, to which this report is made, may act intelligently thereupon.
I.
In our investigation and in this report, it has ap- peared to us that the first question is as to the advis- ability of the proposed historical pageant, irrespective of matters relating to ways and means or to obstacles tending to make its production difficult or impos- sible.
On this point, we are strongly of the opinion that some such feature in our Bi-centennial celebration is
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desirable. Our conferences with Mr. De Leon have convinced us that the history of Albany, with the events that led up to the founding of this city, afford ample material for the formation of a pageant which shall be not only instructive to our own people and to those who may visit us, but also attractive in appearance, as well as thoroughly appropriate and interesting as an entertainment apart from the senti- ment involved.
Members of the committee submitted to Mr. De Leon subjects and incidents relating to our history, with a request to him to make a written report to us, showing whether the topics could be advantageously illustrated on so-called floats in the manner custom- ary in Mobile, New Orleans, Baltimore and other cities in their well-known mystic pageants. On this point, the report of Mr. De Leon was in a high degree satisfactory to us. From the matter sub- mitted to him, Mr. De Leon sketched descriptions of twenty-one floats, from which a choice may be made that will not be lacking either in interest or in the facility for brilliant treatment and dazzling effects. This portion of our report we desire to hold con- fidentially, to be submitted to the sub-committee having charge of the proposed pageant, should the pageant itself be authorized and such committee be appointed. The reasons for this request will be more fully stated in another communication from us.
The number of floats which appears most suitable is sixteen, including the first or title float. They can be made of various dimensions. The sizes, demon- strated by experience to be most suitable and man-
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ageable, are from eight by sixteen to ten by twenty feet.
Floats of this size and of approved construction require two horses for hauling, and experience has shown that it is desirable to use as few horses as possible. The floats should succeed each other in the parade at intervals of from sixty to one hundred feet and be carried along as slowly as possible with constant movement. We estimate that a parade, con- sisting of sixteen floats, headed by a band, would be quarter of an hour in passing a given point. Each float would be preceded by a transparency show- ing, in plain lettering, the subject-matter of the float which follows it; and the bearers of these trans- parencies, together with all other employees in the mechanical service of the parade, would be made as inconspicuous as possible.
We assume that the general character of the floats themselves, is already sufficiently understood by this committee. They consist of a box construction fit- ting over the wheels, as a base; and on this is placed the scenery or other erections required in the rep- resentations proposed. The floats are lighted by " lamp men" from the two sides, and further illu- minated by red and other colored fires furnished by the " firemen " accompanying the parade. A num- ber of experts accompany the parade for its mechan- ical management and to be serviceable in case of accident.
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