The Portland daily press., 1885-08-08

AN EXPENSIVE PAGEANT.
The Funeral of General Grant to Cost
ST 900, 900.

N. Y. commercial Advertiser.
Great pageants are very expensive, and
the funeral of General Grant will cost more
than sufficient to erect over his grave one of
the finest memorials that the world has ever
seen. From all sources money will be spent
in attesting the love of the community for
the dead soldier. The great expense of
military parade will have to be met either
by the government or the members of the
various organizations; the expenses of the
visiting soldiery will have to be paid by
some one; the invited personages will be
provided for in various ways; horses must
be driven for the long lines of carriages, and
drawn by men who regard the almighty dol
lar with exceeding affection. In fact so
many are the means afforded by great flu
neral such as General Grants will be, to
dispose of money, that the aggregate outlay
will be nearly 81, 100000.
The funeral car will cost about $50OO and
will be paid for by the city. The drapings
of the City Hall and buildings of the muni
cipal departments have already cost a like
amount The city will spend about $1,000 for
flowers, two or three of the designs being
especially elaborate, and will also pay for
the thirty horses that will draw the funeral
car, at cost of about $50. Grooms to lead
the horses will demand a like amount Car
riages for the heads of departments, the al
for out OF the city treasury to the extent of
$780, The additional ambulance service to
prevent deaths by sunstroke will add $500 to
the cityS bill, which, mentioning only few
o. Oh the ne more important items, will amount to
$4,000; As the city is extremely poor at
present, and money is to be had only with
difficulty to satisfy the demands of the de-
partments, this sum is an important one to
be drawn out of the treasury in a single day.
The members of the first division are some
what anxious in regard to the personal ex-
penseS they will be under in honoring the
dead General. The Governor has not or
dered them to parade, and in consequence the
| State treasury is not responsible. They will
therefore have to volunteer to parade at
the Generals burial, and whatever money
| is spent will be taken from their own purses
| This means that every member of the first
! division will have to pay about 50 for the
privilege OF reversing rifle in the line of
| procession. The contingents from Pennsyl-
yania, Connecticut and New Jersey will be
paid. by their representative States, as their
services have been rendered by their Govern
orS. The President is the only person, be-
sides the governors of the various States, au-
thorlZed to order the National Guard to duty,
and President Cleveland has thus far not
done so. Should he conclude to use his power
as Commander-in-chief the expenses of all
the military in the procession would be borne
by the government
The holding of the funeral in this city
means an absolute suspension of business
during the progress of the procession. This
of itself would mean loss of several million
dollars. The actual cost of the procession of
5000 men next Saturday, when added to
that of the million of yards of draperies now
displayed on the fronts of houses will be as
| follows:
Expenses of regular troops. ..........S 5000
Expenses of national guards. .......... 10000
| Expenses OF the city,. $4,000
Expenses of civic organizations. 100000
Expenses of draping. ...................., 100000
Total. .........................SS 72 900
The total cost OF the funeral of Gen. Grant
on Saturday, exclusive of the loss of time
and business, will not fall short of 81 ,0O0-
900.