, 1885-08-07
THE LAST LOOK.
Thousands of People View Gen.
Grants Face
While the Body Lies in State
at New York.
Arrangements for the Burial
Tomorrow.
Visiting the Remains of Gran

NEW YORK. Aug. People loitercI
into the city hall park all night. The,
We're the first IN line that soon after
o clock this morning began filing past tn
remains Of Gen. Grant. where they lay ii
the city hall. There were great throngi
awaiting admission. Those who waited
at 6 O'Clock were not more than l,OOC
persons. Inspector Steers was in charge.
He had ordered that 100 policemenshould
report to him at the city hall ut an early
hour this morning. At G o'clock, the
hour fixed for admitting the public, tho
inspectors officers were still filing into the
plaza. Two lines of policemen were
placed across the plaza from the CITY hall
entrance to the fountain. These two
lines formed a p~assageway through which
four men might walk abreast, and along
which all day visitors to the remains
should pass. Meanwhile the officers of
the Odd regiment, who had been on duty
through the early morning, were filing
out Of the city hall. They were
going home, and their places
were being taken by the officers
of the 18th regiment. Sergeant Riley
with twenty men pickcted the corridors
through the building so as to form a
channel through which the throng should
move to the exit on the court house side
Of the city hall. The Grant post had
mounted a detail at 8 O'Clock to serve
from that hour until S O'Clock. These
men were placed nearest the catafalque,
and two lines of visitors passed between
them and the casket on either side. All
within the gloomy corridors was in
readiness, the clocks pointed Goo O'Clock,
and at the inspectors orders the iron
gates were thrown open. Ten or twelve
hundred people had jammed up against
the officers who barred the channel at the
edge Of the fountain circle, but when the
gates swung open, the officers ceased to
hold the people in check, and the stream
began to flow past theremains and through
the building.
The firt person to view the remains
to-day was a spare, but SWEET faced little
woman, who led with each hand a little
boy. In the first minute only
eighty-four persons passed the cask-
CT. As this rate of passage would
never answer when the dense
crowd should be waiting outside, the
people were fastened. They were hur-
ried through at l0l a minute, then the
pressure was increased to lO4 a minute.
The procession was almost a lockstep and
the tramp was quick. The tide was easily
formed Of persons who came from the
cars and who, passing through the main
street, were drawn near by the desire to
see the dead.
The hour from 6 to : O'Clock was em-
ployed by the working men and women.
boys and girls in viewing the remains. All
through the hour the formation Of the line
was at a point near the fountain, and the
time of waiting was not more than ten
minutes from the point where the line
formed to the place where the remains
rested, After 7 O'Clock the line changed
as to its personnel. There were less
women and girls. The police were re in
forced at s O'Clock. Details under ser
geants and r%oundsmen had been arriving
and reporting to the inspector from :
O'Clock. At S o'clock there were 4s7 men
on duty. The guards at the casket were
fastening the people $50 per minute
were being hurried through. The hands
on the clock dials marked 9 o'clock, and
the fountain circle was no longer the point
of formation of the line. Every car and
train coming down town added its quota
TO those anxious to look upon the face of
the dead general. The crowd was fast
becoming a throng, and the line was being
hurried through the hall at the rate Of
l40 per minute, and for a little while the
pace was 10 per minute, which rate, il
maintained for an hour. would have passed
10, 200 persons.
At ii o'clock between 30, 900 and 81 200
persons had passed the cagket and looked
toward the remains, though many, com.
ing rapidly in from the bright sunlight,
were scarcely able to distinguish them in
the sombre shadows of the black drapec
corridor. The floral offering of the board o
aldermen was set up during the morning
beneath the rotunda dome, where tn,
light streamed down upon it. A centra
column rose ten feet aud was fanked b.
stands of colors. The white base was
bed of ferns and palms, among which
were placed huge rows Of white buds. Al
incident was occasioned by the attempt o
an old lady who came up in line TO stol
and kiss the face Of the dead general
She was reminded hastily that such
proceeding was in bad taste and beside
two plates Of glass prevented any demon
s%tration Of the kind. ,
Mayor Grace this morning sent the fol
lowing communication to the commissions
Of public works
RoHin W. Sqnre-In Difference to tn
expressed wish of some of the friends an
admirers of Gen. Grant, you are hereb
directed TO remove from the front of tn
city hall the verses inscribed thereon.
The Grant family spent a quiet day
the Fifth Avenue hotel. Gen. Sherma
called in the morning, but there were u
other visitors during the day. At Q !
m. the procession of people TO the ha
was mote dense than nj any time dnrin