The Portland daily press., 1886-07-06
TnE PROFESSIONS.
Three Miles In Length and an Hour
and a Half In Passing.

the PROCESSION.
Three Miles in Length and an Hour
and a Half in Passing
The people waited until after breakfast
yesterday morning before going out to see
the great procession, but the boys were ready
for it long before daylight, and opened the
days celebration with the discharge OF
crackers and firearms. At sunrise salute
of one hundred guns was fired from the East
ern Promenade BY eight o'clock the streets
presented holiday aspect. The handsome
decorations in place on Sunday had been In
creased in number until bright colored flags
and bunting greeted the eye in all directions
The streets were filed with an immense
throng of people seeking the best places to
view the great parade. The ubiquitous ven
der of lemonade Of all colors and candy
equally varied in hue was driving lively
trade. Men with toy balloons and men with
all sorts of notions were moving about and
offering their wares. The crowd was con-
stantly increased by fresh numbers arriving
from the surrounding country and points up
on the railroads. In some places walking on
the sidewalks was an impossibility People
accordingly filed the roadways, and in the
central part of the city moved rapidly back
and forth to the eyer-changing points of in
terest as the troops commenced to arrive and
take positions. The police in their full
dress uniforms were busily engaged keeping
clear those places reserved for guests and
the different divisions in the parade.
1t was about half past nine O'Clock when
the naval brigade from the North Atlantic
squadron landed and moved in long column
of marines, blue jackets and artillery, up
Exchange street to Chestnut street. where
they formed in line to await the starting OF
the procession. By this time there were
signs of preparation on every street IN the
central part of the city. The historical tab
leaux were numbering out from behind busi-
ness blocks and taking in their occupants
men in cooked hats, knee breeches and re-
markable wigs, women in great bonnets and
antiquated gowns, girls in white robes, and
boys in every fashion of garb Mounted
officers dashed hither and thither in the
dense crowds that lined the whole length OF
Congress street from the corner of Washing
ton to the cross streets far up town.
ADOub I6u u ClOCh tlO oSl4OOl NAAiANANiA
marched into position at Lincoln Park and
formed ia line which extended the whole
lengh of the Park on Congress street. They
stood arrayed in their best clothes and whit
est collars for full half an hour, waiting for
the van of the procession. The commercial
travellers in white stove pipes and linen
busters crowded on to the grand stand be-
hind the school boys, and joined the urchins
in cheering the naval brigade, the Governor,
the venerable fathers of the city, and other
people or objects of interest when the pro-
cession was starting. The Hebdomodal In
dians, with great futtering of feathers and
scalp locks, moved to their positions just be-
| fore the procession was ready to start. They
were much admired by the line of school
boys, and the drummers answered their war
| whoops with cheers. No barter was at
| tempted, however.
! At 10 o'clock the streets were closed to
| teams when the booming Of cannon an
| nounced the formation of the procession, and
| carriages were hurried into side streets.
| AS the hour for the line to move ap-
| preached, steps Of the houses and buildings
| were taken possession of by the crowd. The
boys were equal to the occasion and every
| fence and post had its occupants. While
waiting for the parade to appear on the diff
| ferent streets, there was plenty to attract
the attention of the people. In Lincoln
| Park the great balloon was slowly assuming
| shape, as the gas flowed into it, and on evr
| cry hand there was something of interest.
At the instant the signal guns were fired
| at 1890 o'clock the van Of the procession
| started down Congress street, picking up the
| various detachments as it moved. Nearly
| every cross street added its contingent tC
| the line, and after the naval brigade hat
| been marching in the van for an hour and 6
| half the rear of the line had not started. L
| was not until the bells of the city were ring
| ing for noon, and the warships in the har
Dor were firing the noon salute, that the firt
companies began moving from their place o.
| formation on Federal street to take theil
places in the rear of the long line. Behint
the fire department, was the stree
department. and it was past nooi
when tue steam road machine began to rum
BILE along, the last and by no means thu
least remarkable object in the long caravan
By this time the van had passed from Con
1
Cumberland and had been on the march TO
over an hour and half.
At few minutes after half past twelve
while the last division was swinging int
line down on Ineia street, the people in Lin
coin Park heard the music of the leadin
band as the head of the column reached tn
City Hall having nearly completed tn
march. Immediately after members OF tn
staff of the Chief Marshal dashed up t
the Congress street entrance to the Park es
corting the Governor and his staff, the naya
and military officers, and other guests VIII
had ridden in barouches in the procession
The occupants of the carriages alighted an
assembled the steps to the long reviewln
stand which had been built behind the lrol
pailings:of the park. Governor Robie an
his staff occupied seats about midway be
tween the entrance and Franklin stree
Next came the officers from the squadro
and the military officers with members {