Workingmen's Day dawned bright at the Pan-American Exposition this morning in honor of the carnival of sports celebrating the completion of the Stadium. In the early morning, a smoky haze hung over the grounds, obscuring the buildings from observation a half-mile away. Within that radius as one approached, the buildings broke through the smoky swaddling clothes, white and ghastly at first, but eventually in their full beauty as one entered the gates.

It was an ideal day, and the workingmen of the Stadium regarded it as a special dispensation in their honor. "What is so rare as a decent day in May" has been the byword recently. The men were astir at an early hour putting the finishing touches on the Stadium. The track was rolled and rerolled with a heavy steam roller until, from the consistency of a newly seeded oat field, it was a firm and springy as could be desired. The scaffolding was thrown down from the tribune and two rings for pugilistic events were erected in the midst of the arena. Decorator Allen had his men out at sun-up decorating the tribune in the colors of all nations and rolling 200 flags upon flag poles upon the bays and towers ready for the grand breaking out at 1:30 o'clock. Other men gathered palms, bay trees and box trees and lugged them into the Stadium to tone down the white glare with their cool green.

At the end of their labor, 11:30 o'clock, the coliseum was a noble looking structure. The seats, with accommodations for 12,000 spectators, rose tier upon tier, all of a dazzling white color, relieved only by the flag-rolls upon the outer bays. On the south side, between the two arched entrances, was a space marked off for the representatives of the press. The quarter-mile track was the chief feature of the arena. It lay stretched out, an oval ribbon of steel gray cinders. The only other things inside the amphitheater were the two rings and a mast 100 feet high, from which a dive was to be made into a pool beneath.

Throngs of visitors kept coming through the gates all the morning, generally friends or the families of the workmen. Each man employed upon the Stadium was given three admission tickets which passed his family or friends through the gates into the grounds. The admission to the Stadium was free. The visitors wandered about the grounds uttering exclamations of delight at the magnificence of landscape and architecture, but at noon they wended their way to the Amphitheater. Most of them carried lunches and basket picnics and improvised upon the sunny seats. The workingmen resorted thither also when the noon whistle blew and organized dinner pail receptions. These were reinforced toward the opening hour by thousands of persons from the Exposition offices and departments, exhibitors, superintendents, commissioners, and almost every person upon the grounds that could get away.

The Tribune, dressed in brilliant colors, presented a bright picture with the costumes of the fair sex that predominated among the spectators there. The most prominent Exposition officials, heads of departments, representatives from foreign countries and persons of note who were especially invited, were seated there. To the majority, the scene before them reminded them of scenes described in Greek and Roman histories.

The analogy was carried further when promptly at 1 o'clock the gate at the eastern end of the Stadium was thrown open and two heralds, mounted upon white horses, rode into the arena proclaiming upon silver trumpets the approach of Caesar. Behind these rode Major Charles J. Wolf of the 74th Regiment, Grand Marshal. He was followed by the 65th Regiment Band, playing "See the Conquering Hero Comes". After, rode two in cuirasses and helmets as the Caesar's generals and, then, The Caesar.
The Caesar was Ricardus Estelle, Imperator. He was borne upon a dais supported upon the shoulders of eight stalwart slaves from the Province of the Hawaiian Village. He was clad in a white toga bordered with purple and his imperial brow was wreathed with laurel. He was a very august Caesar, for about him walked a bevy of female dancers from Hispania and the Orient, who made merry play beside his dais and fanned him with long palm leaves.

The retinue of Caesar was Byzantine in gorgeousness and unparalleled in its cosmopolitan variety of races represented. In the procession were rough riders from the Indian Congress, Indian Tribes from the Far West in all their savage splendor, led by Fred Cummins of the Indian Congress. Mexican vaqueros and Rough Riders came next, head by H. McGarvie of the Streets of Mexico. With them were Senoritas in carriages. Following came tribes of the Orient from the Streets of Cairo, innumerable tribes in strange but picturesque garbs. With them were beautiful dark-eyed women from the clime of the sun. The Orientals were led by Gaston Akoun. Then came a medley of Hawaiians from the Hawaiian Village, Filipinos and Eskimos, and the last division included the athletes who were to take part in the contests in the arena.

After making a circuit of the Amphitheater Caesar Estelle made proclamation before the tribune that the games were opened. Thereupon 20 signal bombs were set off by Mr. Broderick, the chairman of all the committees. Simultaneously E.P. Allen caused all the flags on the building to be broken out. Coincidentally five balloons were sent up, each with the name of an Exposition official. While these preliminaries were going on the paraders were swarming to seats in the amphitheater, whereupon all was ready for the games. These were in charge of E.P. Allen: ringmasters Fred Clark and Joseph Eastman, Jr.