"Perhaps a hundred thousand came from outside the city: by train, by boat, by wagon from the country. "The streets leading to the river were packed solid with people. ... Every available rooftop and window was filled and along the river front there was scarcely a place left to stand." Ships and boats gathered in the river in "a great, elongated flotilla"; the North Atlantic Squadron of five warships had been called in for the occasion."
"All the major hotels sold out by midday. President Chester A. Arthur was in attendance, along with then-governor Grover Cleveland, the mayor, and other officials. Many schools let out, federal courts were closed, most businesses were empty, and the floors of several exchanges were closed at noon. They were not celebrating a war hero, a centennial, or a political inauguration. They were celebrating the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge."
Hundreds of thousands gathered along the East River in late May 1883 to celebrate the Brooklyn Bridge opening. Large numbers of visitors arrived from outside the city by train, boat, and wagon, and the river hosted a vast flotilla of ships. Major hotels sold out and public institutions paused: schools dismissed, federal courts closed, businesses emptied, and exchange floors halted at noon. President Chester A. Arthur and Governor Grover Cleveland attended alongside civic officials. Streets and buildings were lavishly decorated with flags, streamers, and bunting, vendors sold commemorative items, and Washington Roebling's house was prominently adorned.
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