The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-12-27
PORTLAND STREET FILLED WITH A
MERRY PAGEANT.

climate. The skies were glorious blue, the
sun shone brightly, the air was soft and almost
balmy, and, If the sidewalks we're a little wet
people didn't mind 80 long as their feet were
well shod. But If the day was one that made
outdoor life luxury, what must it have been
to the thousands of children full of life and
spirits. Dinner was hastily swallowed by them,
and we venture to say that never before, on
Christmas, did that holiday meal meet with
such disrespectful treatment. Long before the
appointed hour they repaired to the various
places where teams were to be found to convey
them in the procession, and so general was the
desire to ride that, notwithstanding the num-
Der of conveyances provided, several hundred
had to be left behind.
Fourth of July, and probably no other event
except perhaps Burnuns circus, has ever
drawn SO many people to the streets through
which the procession passed. 1t was almost
impossible to make ones way along, so dense
was the crowd as early as p. M The princi-
pal streets were filled with compound that
resembed meal, through which pedestrians
plunged half knee deep, and into which sleiehs
runners sank nearly to the body of the vehicle
But everybody was jolly, and shouted out
"Merry Christmas" while the continuous
Jingle of the sleigh bells formed pleasant
semi-tone accompaniment to the silvery voices
that rang out such gleesome laughter on the
wintry air. The curbstone boys were out in
full force and their comments were. in many
Cases, the point and svitty.-9he windows
were packed with beads, the steps with men,
women and children. There was every de-
scription of sled, or sleigh, known to this quar-
ter of the world, all on the way to take place
in the respective divisions. A noticeable feat
ure of the afternoon was the fact that every
sleigh was packed. NOBODY was left at home
by those heads of families who owned sleghs.
Crowds OF visitors came in from the country
aud all the neighborIng towns were we'll rep
resented.
How Chief Marshal Head and his aids ever
managed to get that great mass of material I'M
der their direction into shape and start the pro-
cesson would puzzle corps commander. But
they were fully equal 10 the occasion, and,
shortly after O'Clock, the long cavalcade left
Grove street and proceeded over the route
The place to see the pageant Was on State
state. There it was in It's freshness, no outside
the column had began to countermach the spec
tator could almost believe himself witnessing
Mardi-Gras spectacle. The wide avenue,
with its snow-white carpet, contrasted sharply
with the cerulean blue of the sky; the gay
teams of every description with the beautiful
ly caparisoned horses; the great truck seds,
bakers wagons, furniture wagons, boat-sleighs,
and the great boat itself, all trimmed with
evergreen, and some bearing Christmas trees;
the thousands of neatly dressed children wav-
ing their flags, singing their songs, and cheer
ing Justify; the banners and flags waving from
the dwellings; the spirited music of the
bands, and the caroling of hundreds of canary
birds, hanging at tie open windows, and stir
ed by the many sounds; the buttifully dressed
ladies and children at the easements, the black
coated throng that lined the pave nents, made
scene long to linger in the memory. Thirty
five minutes were occupied by the procession in
were counted in the column.
TIL re were many odd features of the pa
rade. lhe Oldest sleigh present came from
Yarmouth, was marked 1892, and was really
$50 years old. 1t was owned by Mr.. Humph-
rey of that town, and fifty years ago he had it
modernized. 1t was then put up in the barn
on NOW and forgotten until Christmas when
it was resuscitated. There were old high back
ed sleighs painted red, yellow and green, go
deep in the back that the top Of mans head
was just on line with the upper rail There
was the'modern cutter, as delicate and light as
it could possibly be made. Some of the rSd-
aet kinds of taanns yuera innrovicad for fba m
casion; runners with boards placed across them
and when the sled went over a "thank-you-
marm," the occupants would shout aud the
driver give his nag an extra cut with the whip.
There were Canadian sledges, and one Russian
droschsky. The Continental baud struck up
military music from the top of ''tally-ho."
and the Mexican war veterans helped to the
extent of their ability. The Eastern Argus
had quaint old team, driven by Rip Van
Wrinkle and labelled 1908, while just behind it
came an elegant double team. with the edito-
factory proprietor's team bore the motto, eve
give away box of our best cigars every ten
miles," and an immense crowd followed it
waiting for the cigars, but unfortunately the
route wasn't long enough to secure a box. L.
A. Goudys bake cart was beautifully arranged.
Mr.. Cloudy himself with white hat garlanded
led the division in a cutter drawn by
spirited ANIMAL and following came
his cart decorated with flags evergreens and
two superb Chri tmas trees, hung with all
kinds of products of the bakery, with chill
dren gaily attired, sitting around, as if await
ing distribution of articles. The other bake
i I'll
and among the grocery teams present were
those of Wilson, Shaw, Milett, LON bard, Low
eli, sullivan & Osgood, Leighton, Merrill, Ben
nett, Green, Adams, Dillingham;, Comedian
Bros, Weeks, Norton, Hutchinson Ross, Hall,
Taylor, Cooling, and Hodgdon Bros. The hat
ters and shoemakers followed, and there were
Merry's great gold hat, Goes great trunk, and
Browns big gold boot, and also grand display
of Best's dressed beef
The antiques and fantasies made, as was to
be expected, strong feature of the day. There
was the Nine. Rentz two horse and brass band,
the Indian quartette, with their banner the
jumping jacks strung on wires, and bowling
and courtesying to each other, the Indian band
with the mock drum major, the old hand cart
man, the Adam and Eve, and Noah's teams,
the well known fat boy, the lad who sails the
ocean blue, Harlequin and Merry Andrew,
and all the rest of the funny tribe.
Take it, sll in all, the carnival was an i'm
mense success, and one noteworthy fact not
before mentioned, was this, that we doubt if
any city in the Union could show eight hun
dred to thousand horses of better style, OF
better groomed, from the trotter who makes
his mile in 235 to the splendid heavy dray
horses of the truck teams. The affair was
right fitting observance of Christmas, and the
managers have reason to congratulate them
selves on the affair, and we hope will make il
| permanent institution.
After the parade the fast teams speeded on
the track beyond Grove street, and much fur
was enjoyed.