Ohio Valley Hist. Ass'n, Fifth Annual
Meeting. 35
nized the cheering by standing upon his
automobile and waving
his hat. Grant street, Fifth avenue and
Wood street were lined
with thousands.
The moment the automobile bearing the
President appeared
in Water street, it was the signal for
the beginning of one of
the greatest ovations ever extended a
nation's chief executive
in this day. Every boat tooted whistles,
as did locomotives and
factories. The spectators cheered. People on the surrounding
hillsides took up the cry. Factory
whistles for miles along the
rivers were blown.
When Mr. Taft stepped from his
automobile to board the
Virginia the cheering was renewed. Again, when he stepped
aboard the New Orleans, it was
taken up with renewed vigor.
The cheering and the blowing of whistles
lasted for fully 17
minutes.
As the ovation subsided somewhat, Mrs.
Longworth christ-
ened the unique vessel and the cheering
was again taken up.
Finally Mayor William A. Magee walked to the front of the
New Orleans and introduced Mr. Taft. While only a small por-
tion of the large crowd could hear him,
those who could not
maintained silence.
President Taft's remarks on the
"New Orleans."
We are met to celebrate the opening of
steamboat commerce upon
the Ohio River; not only that commerce
of 100 years past, but also of
that greater commerce soon to come in
which Pittsburgh is to enjoy the
greater part. In order to justify the
expenditure of public moneys in
river improvement there ought to be
enough of traffic to warrant the
expenditure. In reference to the
improvement of the Ohio there is ample
commerce to satisfy this requirement,
and the tonnage justifies the appro-
priations made and forthcoming to make the
river more suitable. Con-
gress has designated $63,000,000, and
intimated that it will authorize
the expenditure at the rate of
$12,000,000 a year for that purpose.
But the interest of this great gathering
in the improvement and
throughout the country suggests to me
that it is most fitting that the
name of Roosevelt will ever be
associated with the beginning of this
new commerce as it was connected with
the start of the old and figured
prominently. It was the broad action of
a Roosevelt which made the
Panama Canal possible. It is not
possible for me to talk and be heard
by a square mile of people, and hence I
will not detain you in positions