The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-05-10


there as centennial In themselves. Here
and there, but not often, might be seen a
daily visitor with a jag on" as the lat
est New York slang has it; but he was
always like an eager candidate, Sin the
hands Of his friends" Indeed the dread
Of being robbed, with preliminary
Struggling" which Is always prevalent
among rural visitors to the great city In
crowding times, proved q very whole
some fear indeed; the most reckless
youth from the village took care to keep
his wits about him and did not Gin
dulge," unless perfectly certain Of hav-
ing sober friends about him.
OF the many methods Of witnessing
the parades, columns might be written.
The long rows of seats rising one above
another In all the vacant places were Of
course filed early. Housetops were In
demand, and convenient windows COM
manded almost fabulous prices. Every
commanding point was covered, and the
owners of trucks who could locate them
well reaped rich harvest. Indeed, Q
stout truck gave just about the right ell
ovation, and to visitors who did not mind
standing "on strain" for few hours 1t
was q fine point Of view. Despite all
these contrivances, II must be admitted
that very many failed to get view Of
the professions; for the three cities turned
out at least million and half of spec
tators, and certainly over half million
more came from elsewhere.
The number Of troops in the great
march Of April 80 may be set In round
numbers at 10000. The cadets from
West Point and Annapolis, the regular
army and navy (all those under the
direct command Of Maj. Gen. John N.
SchoAeld, chief marshal Of the day., the
militia sent by each state, ranged In the
order In which the states ratified the
constitution or were admitted to the
Union, the military order Of the Loyal
Legion and many posts Of the Grand
Army of the Republic. Now, as this
army began its march up Broadway
from the junction of Wall street just as
the literary exercises at the south end of
the sub-treasury (the site Of old Federal
halD began, there occurred the first hitch
In the proceedings. The president and
all his official retainers, the orator Of the
day, Hon. Chauncey Depew, and per-
haps q hundred others, had to finish
their work there and then make the race
through the back streets to get to the re-
viewing stand at Madison square by the
time the head Of the column reached it.
This they did through the immense
crowds that thronged the eastern part
of the city.
And as to the literary exercises, the
great event of the day, the Grafton Of
Depew, the invocation Of ST. IRIS, the
bencdiction of Archbishop Corrigan and
the short address of the president, it is
not easy now to find any who wit
messed them. The streets contiguous to
the place would hold, perhaps, one in
fifty of the sightseers then in the city,
and the people preferred to take their
chance Of seeing the great procession
anyhow. Its route was up Broadway to
Waverley place, through Waverley place
to Fifth avenue, and up that to Fifty
seventh street, the grand reviewing
stand being on the east side of Fifth
avenue, on Madison square.
Equally interesting TO all the people,
and far more so to the student of history,
was the great industrial and civic parade
on Wednesday under command OF Maj.