The Republican journal., 1885-08-13
The Last Sad Rites.

C1DENTS OF THE LAST RITES.
People loitered in City hall park, New York
city, all night to be first in the line that soon
past the remains of Gen. Grant, as they lay in
City hall. About 1000 people We're ready TO
fall in line at that hour. The hour from to I
O'Clock was employed by working men and
women aud boys and girls in viewing the re-
MAINS They were on their way to work. All
through the hour the formation of the line was
at point near the fountain, and the time of
waiting was not more than 10 minutes from
the point where the line was formed to the
place where the remains rested After 1 O'Clock
the line changed as o its personnel. There
were less women and girls. They had gone
through and We're at work when the line began
to lengthen. At o'clock there was another
change taking place in the complexion of the
visitors. The laborers had gone, and clerks
coming down town were stepping from the
elevated and surface cars into the line that was
moving at the rate of 10 and 100 per minute.
The police We're reinforced at O'Clock and The
people were being buried through at the rate
of $50 per minute. All through the forenoon II
steady stream passed in double lines. two
abreast. to view the remains. At II 80 the
| lines extended for more than half a mile from
the entrance of the building. As the throng
| passed by the remains they were hurried out of
The City hall building as rapidly as they had
/ been pushed into ii. Emerging on the steps
| upon the court house side the line broke. and
the people disappeared with the throngS that at
all paths and avenues We're breaking their way
| through the solid ranks that at II o'clock en-
| crcled City hall square. "See The hour and q
| half we have lost waiting here" remarked a
1 heated citizen who emerged upon the rear
steps of city hall a short time before IL o'clock.
/ At u O'Clock between $1,000 and 40 900 per-
| sons had passed the casket and looked toward
| the remains, though many coming rapidly in
from the bright sunlight were scarcely able to
Distinguish them in the sombre shadows of the
| black draped corridor.
/ A floral offering of the board of aldermen
was st up during the morning beneath the
rotunda dome where the light streamed down
/ upon il. central column rose 10 feet. and
was filnked by stands of colorS. while the base
was a bed of ferns and palms. among which
were placed huge rows of white bulbs. One
| incident of the forenoon. was occasioned by the
attempt Of an Old lady. who came up in line. to
kiss the face of the dead general. She was re-
minded hastily that such IA proceeding was in
bad taste and besides the two plates of glass
! prevented any demonstration of the kind.
Mayor Grace Thursday morning sent the fol-
lowing communication to the commissioner Of
public works Mr.. Rollin NJ. Squire:
''In difference to the expressed wish of some
of the friends and admirers of General Grant
you are hereby directed to remove from the
front of The City hall the verses inscribed there"
General Gordon, of Georgia, who at Spot
| syvanta Court House. Va, checked General
| Hancock's advance through the captured sa-
lient on the 18th of NAV, 1864, and who COM
manded Que wing of Lees army. and made the
last assault upon General Grants lines at
Appomai,oX. has been appointed aide To Cen
eral Hancock for the funeral ceremonies at the
burial of General Grant.
A large double horse truck, Of the kind that
is usually employed for hauling safes went to
| the Troy boat i'll the morning and. after great
deal OF trouble" took on the steel shell that is to
| enclose The ca>ket of General Grant. 1t had
| been shipped "Wednesday from the Franklin
| Iron Works OF Troy. The case or she'll as it is
| called, weighs $500 pounds. 1t is made of iron
half an inch thick rolled and riveted at the edges
and corners like a boiler 1t was made bv old
| boiler makers of the Franklin Iron Works. and
! Is guaranteed to stand pressure of 80 600
! pounds to the square inch. When the casket is
enclosed in the shell the whole will weigh over
| three tons. The steel incasement is absolutely
secure either from the pressure that will arise
! from the gas generated by he decomposition of
! the body. or from any attempt that burglars or
grave robbers might make To steal the remains
/ At the head Is plain white metal plate bearing
| the words ~. ). Grant. died July %. 1880. .
| While the steel shell was being unoa,ted and
/ moved large crowd OF people gathered around
! inspecting it with much curiosity. II remained
hours on exhibition, when il was taken to the
/ tomb in Riverside Park. After the funeral on
| Saturday The casket was enclosed in it, and
permanently closed with bot rivets under the
! supervision of EXPERT mechanics.
! LIE SOLDIERS LAST MARCH 10 RIVERSIDE
Chief of Police Murray al | O'Clock SATURDAY,
| morning was in command of men and affairs at
/ the City hall in New York city, At that hour
/ The 1ron gates were about to be closed when he
observed that there We're 800 or 1000 people vet
waiting at the foot of the steps and across the
| balcony. LET them come in" commands the
superintendent to The officers who at the COM
| mand had shut off the people. The last person
had at last crossed the well worn Threshold
ana the iron gates were shut The public had
| taken It's leave of the dead general. Officers of
the list regiment We're on duty. and The usual
| detail OF Grant Post was present as the inne-
| dlate body guard, while the Loyal Legion was
! represented by one of its members who stood
at the head OF the casket. One of Wheeler post
of Saratoga, which first mounted guard detail
about the mountain cottage on the day of
! General Grants death, was also present The
| last OF the people who had come to pav their
last respects to the dead. had passed through
| The black draped corridors and out of the build
! ing. The hour was LIS a. m. None but police
and guards and all night reporters were present
when the undertakers took charge of the re-
mains.
At l.l9 the remains of General Grant were
| forever closed from view. When all the citi-
| Zens had left the City hail. and the policemen
4 had taken look into the bier. the members of
the Grand Army of the Republic, with solemn
| steps, formed i'll line and passed by the caSket.
As daylight approached the strains of IA dirge
| crept upon the morning air. AT first they
I Were distant, but they drew nearer and nearer.
! The red deepened in the east as the strains of
! music, slow and sad, grew more distinct. Then
! the blue-coated veterans of Meade Post of
| Philadelphia, 800 strong, came Il amping to the
! drge music of trumpet>. As the veterans
entered the Plaza heavy gun doomed out
/ toward the sea, the chimes of Old Trinity pealed
mournful notes, and the sound of mutiied
| drums grew fainter and died out
| 1t was sunrise. Day was born, the last dav
| for t ne dead upon earth before the tomb should
have opened to shelter him. Six O'Clock and
| Wilson Post OF Baltimore marched by. with Il
Chicago Organization. The corridors had been
| plckcted by - policemen, while outside 125
more men Were at rest under command of two
serSeants. Seven O'Clock, strains of music
floated in at the grated iron doors from many
directions. Eight O'clock quiet nature was
! putting forth signals of an intensely warm day
The crowds grew denoer and denser around
the Plaza. Muffled drums and dirgefu trum-
pets marched in at one side and took positions
at the east end. The PLAYERS constituted David's
Island military band.
AT $50, General Hancock and staff stepped
into the Plaza from Broadway and presented
front to City ball, then moving to the end of the
Plaza in Broadway. where they rested on the
Plaza. AT this time 1000 members of the Lied
erkranZ society fired up to the steps of the CITY
hall and, led by four Instruments, sang with
impressive effect Schuber's Chorus of the
Spirits from over the Water" and the chorus
Of The Pilgrims from Tannhauser"
The honor guard OF regulars filed into the
open space at 8 O'Clock. The companies and
the guard OF regulars were under command of
Colonel Beck. The regulars took position be-
meath the trees opposite the City hall and stood
/ at rest. Then came the original guard of honor
that was on duty at Mount MeGregor. Filing
into the corridors of City hall, these took their
places beside the remains
AT $50. the imposing funeral car, drawn by
a Jet black horses in black trappings, was halt
ed on the Plaza directly in front of the CITY hail
steps. Inside the corridor Commander johnson
was waiting, Column in position, right and
left was his command The veteran guard of
! honor stood at attention. Lift the remains"
was the next command. The twelve men stoop-
ed and took the silver rails with goved hands.
The order march" was given, and they moved
out upon the porticO, bearing the remains down
the steps with measured tread across the open
space to the steps of the black and waiting car.
The burial case and its honored burden was
carried and placed upon the dias on the mounted
catafalque. with the veterans returned down
the steps. The honor guard moved to the hearse
on either side and took the same relative posi-
tons that they had maintained to the remains
While being borne to the hearse. The Steps
were drawn away from the hearse. Command-
er johnson, commanding the honor guard, took
place in the centre and Immediately behind the
funeral ear.
The clergy and physicians had paid respect to
the remains by aghting from their carriages