The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-12-12
COMMITTED TO THE TOMB.
LAST WORDS SAID OVER THE BODY
OF VANDERBILT.
Certi aonies at the Mansion and at st.
Bartholomew's- - The Church Filled
with Relatives and Eriends-Pre-
cautions Against Ghouls,

| NEW YORK, Dec IA more beautiful
day for the funeral of the late millionaire
railroad king, William H Vanderbilt, could
| not be desired Since his death the weather,
as if in union with the sad event. has been
| gloomy and threatening, with now and then
periods of drizzlHg rain. Friday morning,
| however dawned clear and crisp and the
| sun came up bright and 'unobscured even by
the slightest speck of cloud. The Wander
bilt household was astir early preparing for
the last sad rites to him who was its
late honored head. Everything was
soon got in readiness and
after a light breakfast the family assembled
in the bedroom in which the dead lay to
await the arrival of the Rev DR. Samuel
Cook, pastor of st. Bartholonew's church,
Madison avenue and Forty fourth street
who was to conduct a simple and private
service at the request of the widow Of the
deceased. Sharply at O'Clock the rcver-
end gentleman arrived and was at cn.e
usheJei into the death chamber No one
was allowed to enter the room after tho
clergy IN n arrived. Mrs. Vanderbilt and
her SONS and daughter, with their families
had already assembled there i'll anticipation
Of the arrival of the Rev Dr. Cook
The private services consumed about
twenty minutes, and at their concluson the
?alnily came from the room and the under
The remains had already been placed in the
coffin and there was little else to be done
than to close down the cover and forever
shut out from sight all that remains of him
who is accredited with having been the
wealthiest man in the world. Before this
was done, however, the relatives and init
mate friends were allowed to take last
look. At signal from the undertaken these
filed quietly into the room This having
been gone through with the coffin was closed
and everything made ready for the removal
of the remains to the church.
At precisely $50 u hearse, heavily draped
and several carriages, drew up in front OF
the house, and shortly after the coffin was
carried out, the following gentlemen acting
as pall-bearers, walking OH either side:
Samuel |. Barger, Chauncey NJ Depew, j.
Pierrepont Morgan, &. c, Clarke, Charles
A Rapallo, John X. Brady, William Turn
bull, William l.. Scott, William Bliss, d. o.
Mills, George j. Magee and Stephen Cad
we'll
As early as 8 o'clock large crowds of peo-
pie had assembled along Fifth avenue
in front of the Vanderbilt mansion These
wero soon cleared away by the police and,
the block from Fifty third street to Fifty
second street was taken possession of by
police detachments under command of Capt |
Mount
Along the line of the proposed route of |
the funeral, down Fifth avenue to Forty |
fourth street, along Forty fourth to Madison
avenue, where St Bartholomew church is
dense crowds of people had assem-
bled early eager to witness the passage of
the cortege. Many private dwellings along
the route had flags displayed at half mast
out of respect to the memory of the dead
At 9:45 the hearse, followed by the pail
bearers and some sixty carriages was driven
slowly down Fifth avenue to Forty fourth
street and thence TO tho church on Madison
avenue. Arriving there the hearse drew up il
front of the main entrance and the caSket
was at once born up the aisle to IA low
lrapod bier at the foot of the altar. At the
door of the church the remains were met by
the Rev. DR.. Cook, the pastor, Rev Fred
nrick W, Clapp, of Grace church and the
Rev Fred Clampctt, the assistant rector.
AS the casket was borno up the aisle, fol
lowed by the pallbearcrs and immediate
relatives of the family, the organ pcal,d
forth Chopin's funeral march When the
coffin had be n deposited on the bier
two wreaths OF white flowers, simply lut
arranged wera deposited
thereon. These were the only flowers The
interior of the church was heavily draped,
ind the Vanderbilt pews We're also hung
NlLl Dlhck. "A SCORE Oh itWS on ule center
aisle, near the head, were reserved for the
the veStrymen of the church
md the faculty of the College of Physicians
md SURGEONS Nearly the whole of the
)ther side of the aisle was re-
erved for the family relatives and
connections and delegations representing
he various railroad directors. The general !
public was not admitted, the family deciding I
It the last moment to only admit the rela-
ives and friends,
The religious services We're impressive in {
he extreme 0lthough of the simplest char {
Icter, cons. Ang of the regular Episcopal :
ervice for the burial of the dead
Bishop Potter was at the altar, but took
10 part i'll the ceremonies. Musical Director
ieorge II. Pell was in charge of the choir, +
With Charles Walter at the organ, and the S
egular choir Of the church, which sang two e
Inthems and the hymn Nearer My God to '
'hee," The exercises occupied half an L
lour, When the body was again /
AIKEN To the hearse, and the procession f
'assed down the avenue tn Forty second +
treet whence it proceeded to the North b
liver, where the Staten Island ferryboat S
was in waiting. {
The ferry boat Southfield took the.remains
o Clifton, Staten island at 1890 The =
anily, pall-bearers and friends accompa-
led them. Fifty carriages, which had been
ont down by the $50 boat, were awaiting
hem, and the funeral cortege moved on to
he Morovian cemetery at New Dorp, ac-
ompanied by great cowd OF residents
he services were conducted Mr.. William
|. Noegler, assisted by Rev. DR. Cook, and
he remains We're placed in the receiving
ault at p. IN.
The casket i'll which Mr.. Vanderbilt't
ody was deposited was closely examined
thursday night by six finkerton men, who
ook putty molds of the ornaments and made
opious descriptive notes. Day and night
ntil the body is at last safely housed in
ne permanent tomb, two of Pinkerton's
len will take watches of eight hours at the
rave This precaution Was suggested by
hauncey NJ. Depew, who said he did no,
ltenl to have any repetitiDn of the Steyyar,