The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-08-08
The DAY BEFORE.
FINAL PREPARATIONS

New YORK, Aug. s-The throng of pso
pie in line at the city hall at , p. m Thurs
day cont nuei TO grow longer as the day
wore on and at 5 p. m. it took an hour and
quarter for any one to reach the city hall
steps The line was half mile long at
o'clock and night brought no diminution of
the numbers and by Il O'clock p. II. the line
was making the lock-,tep for a distance
Of nearly two miles. The march was
kept up until a. m. Friday when the gates
were closed on hundreds who were in line.
There was some disappointment, because
there seemed no reason why the doors should
not have been left open all night The cas-
ket wa, then close l, the quart remaining
by it until morning
Members Of the Grand Army in this city
had estimated the crowd at from 1884, 900 to
1906 persons At tims- during the even
ing it required from two hours and half to
three hours to pass from the formation of
the line to the casSet.
THE EMBALMER'S INSPECTION.
When the city hal, gates were shut at
o'clock Friday morning. and when the
shuttle / foot steps had ceased. the under
takers AID embalmers cana The fac OF
=
the double p:atss of glass Thu the under
taker observed that dust had settled
upon the lower plate of glass, and
he removed tie tp plate that the
other might be cleaned Surprise was ex-
pressed that such an accumulation of dust
SHOULD have been possible through the fine
closing joints made by the surface plates
The glass was cleared and polished anew.
the topplate replaced and the lids fastened
down. The royal purple velvet that covers
the casket had become dusty with the
rising particles frnn all the shuf-
fling Of the thousands of feet
through the day. Carefully it was brushed
and cleaned Of dust Many hands during
the day bad touched TIE silver rails and
moist palms had felt the mountings, caus-
ing many stain. These were removed, the
metal furnishings polished brightly and the
uniertakers and others went away. The
body had not been teen touched by them.
AGAIN THE THRoNG TREADs BY.
As early as 4 o'clock Inspector Steers had
line of officers placed along the route of
procession, from the city hall gates to the
fountain circle At that hour there we're
some thousands jammed hack by the
$50 men that the inspector had on
duty. A sergeant AMI thirty officers
filed into the corridors and took
positions convenient tor hu ting the visitors
who passed. Between and Q clock the
/ crowl had become q throng, and its line
reached from the fountain along Park Row
TO Center street Every train on the bridge
brought recruits who scurrsi across Chat
ham and Center streets to the point where
the loose crowd was being mslted into a
solid procession. Even at the hour of 5
| O'Clock there was noticeable different conf
plexion in the crowd from that which
| characterized it at the same hour
| Thursday. Tue workmen in their business
clothing were there as Thursday, and the
army of young shop girls and women were
| present as at the early hour on that DAYS
though in greater numbers; but there were
thousands more Of the middle classes of peo-
pie who did not give compiler ion to the pro-
cession until after { O'Clock Thursday morn
| ing. At the same relative hours there were
THOUSANDS MORE IN THE STREAM,
and the fact was due to the telief and ex.
perien CO that the early ones Thursday had
least time to wait. So it was that the early
down town cars between 5 and o'clock
brought hundreds of ladies and gentlemen
who had thought TO be in advance of the
| great crowds. Those, however, who came
down on the Broadway cars as late as in
the morning checked the car and alightesl
above Reads street The shutting throng il
line had at that early hour even, backed
through Chambers street and up Broad way
to the point stated
The clock in the cup la of the city hall in
Dictated $3.50 o'clock when JUROR Vice Com
mander Cranston, OF the U S. Grant post
lifted the covers from the casket, passed q
handkerchief over the glass plate, and then
assumed his place at head Of his detail OF
Grand Army men St PauIs was toliing
at 6 o'clock when
THE IRON GATES WERE THROWN OPEN
The first to pass through were, ss Thur.
day, women. A solid stream hal again
commenced flowing across the plaza to toe
entrance. Within fifteen minutes after the
opening o. the gate, the line IA / extsnsd Il
Duane street.
At p. m it was estimated that fully IS
900 persons had viewed the body of Gen
Grant since 8 a. m At a. m. Saturday
when the coffin is closed, the total, at thi
rate for the dsy, would be 1913 500
About 10000 people viewed the BODY
Thursday end Wednesday night wheI
that number added to Fridays number
would make grand total of more than I
quarter Of a million men, women AND
shildren who have seen the dead body o.
Gen. Grant