River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-08-13
TIE DAWN NEW YORK.

There had been some misgivingS lest
the weather bureaus prophecy of local
rains should prove true and thus inter
fere with the pageant But when day
broke and the first rays of a midsum-
mer sun began to gild the skies, all
doubts were removed, and the last pre-
parations for the ceremony were as
sured. The sun shone steadily through
stand in the sun unprotected, with its
rays beating down upon them, the heat
was oppressive, and not a few sue
combed to it; but stiff breeze blew up
at times in the shady hooks here ana
there along the line and made the long
waits less tiresome and trying. The
hospital corps, which did its work in
an admirable manner, had its hands
full, however, in caring for those who
were overcome by the heat, and the
police regulations were simply
perfect When the daybrcak came
it seemed as if New York did
not 90 to b ed at all last night. The
same big. pushing crowd, that packed
the streets and jammed the hotels when
darkness had come, was still there,
and passed along the sidewalk in the
same slow manner, gazing eagerly at
the decorations and other sights. Big
trucks, lined with benches and chairs
and labeled ''Seats to LET" ratified
along the uptown streets to occupy
some point of vantage, and the army
of carpenters hammering away at the
hastily constructed booths in the shop
windows and on the street corners.
Many men were sitting on vacant
benches and in advantageous points
along the line, and had evidently
passed the night there so as to estab-
lish their right in the eyes of the po-
lice.
A steady stream of people kept pour
ing into Broadway and lower Fifth
| avenue from the lower side streets, and
once on those thoroughfares they
turned their steps up town. The
trains and boats brought thousands
to the early morning hours, and kept
pouring in a multitude of people
until after the procession had started.
/ They made the streets leading from the
ferries crowded with perspirng mass
of sunburnt sight seers who rushed to
the line of march with gripsacks, canes
and umbrellas in their hands in their
! eagerness to capture favorable place
| to witness the parade. 1t seemed as if
the surrounding country had emptied
| its inhabitants into the city, and that
| they were all here to participate in
great national holiday Young and
old alike. clad in holiday attire, pushed
| their way through the crowd and
marched in the order of the flying line
to the upper part of the city. The hum
of the factories on the East side and
! the noise and confusion of the busy
! world of trade were hushed in the tide
1 of this army of spectators. Young
girls tripped lightly along in twos and
( threes amidst the throng, and seemed
intent to put up with all sorts of dis
| comforts, and women with babies in
/ their arms and other young ones strag-
/ Cling at their heels, hurried on
I 10 find vacant bench or chance.
/ BY 9 clock. when the signal for
( the start came. the nine miles of streets
( over which the procession was to move
/ were a perfect mass OF people ON either
| sidewalk. In some places, especially
along upper Fifth avenue, the Specta-
tors were standing five or six rows
deep The windows. stoops and bal
comics along the line were sea of
faces. Some dropping with big beads
of perspiration, and all redeemed by
the hot rays of the sun. People climb
ed over the sign boards aid win
dow sills of the front of he big bust
ness houses on Broadway like so many
ants, and sat for hours in the full glare
of the burning sun. The trucks that
blocked up the cross streets were hid
den from sight BY their human freights.
and men and women hung for hours
to their sides.
Up town. however. the throng was
greatest, especially around the large
hotels. The Fifth Avenue hotel.
Delmonico's, the Victoria. and
the Windsor were packed; and even
the Brunswick, which has been closed