New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-01
STANDS AND THEIR LOADS.
WHERE MULT1TUDEs SPENT THE DAY

A RICH HARVEST FOR THE PRoPR1EroRs-MANY
DIscoMroRTs, But LITTLE GRUMBLING
Tho grand stand IS characterised ally nineteenth
century institution. 1t Is recorded that the ROMAN
citizens climbed their houseops to see Pompey pass
but It Is not recorded that any citizen or any syndicate
of citizens built grand stands along the route and SOLO
choice seats at two esterces apiece. But now the
grand stand Is necessity to every kind OF show from
ball game to a cen tennial and IL one were to Judge
by external appearances, the grand stand Is the most
important feature in the present celebration. From
tho battery to the Park there arc grand stands and
grand stands, little and big, high and low and yeser-
day every square inch OF every one OF them had It's
occupant
1t was estimated that half a million people sat on
the soft side of pine boards the greater part Of yes
to-day. Their eyes wore the glitterIng stream OF
waving plumes and polished steel that passed oetore
them, their were ringing with the Doom OF
thousand drums their backs were against the knees
Of the people in tho next row. and their dollars were
In the pockets Of tho ticket specuNfors. And yet
they were happy and they sat the show ont TO the
end. There not cross or uninfercsed lace any
where In that vast island OF spectators about which
the current Of the swrled at Union square,
or in the long valley OF bright eyes through which
the soldier boys marched their prettiest at Madison
SQUARE, or in any OF the hundreds OF cataracts OF
humanity that seemingly pouring down every
stoop and every balcony along each one OF the
weary miles Of st rect and avenue.
From 10 I'm the morning till at night these stands
filed with laughing, shouting cheering crowds
After they had UNTIL like the rustic walhower
at the village ball. they had almost took root and
sitting had become WEAKNESS to the flesh, the whole
con1 egaton would rise and put It's weary limbs into
all sorts Of positions In tho effort to straighten them
out again. These spontaneous uprsngs OF laughing
multitude had most startling effect on the observer
at first. Thoughts OF falling stands riots and all
Of horrid possibilities ran through his mnd but
no discovered that II vas nothing out general
effort to straighten things out
The grand stand Is species Of architectural para
site 1t clIngs to any thing that has the necessary
solldlty. 1t spreads over an open space Ike city
square, clings tcnaciously TO balcony or baywin'
dow fourlshes In cramped front yard with equal
readiness. In whatever position 1t Is planted the
grand stand thrivcs and yields many shckcls to Its
proprietor, II the weather is as favorable as IL was
yesterday. On sunshlny day Q stand, with Its sea
Of upturned fares and bobbIng hats. Is a thing OF
beauty and Joy for every bcholder; but on rainy
day. like the 4th OF March, 1t Is wet. dcsolate and
sloppy waste.
These monster stands and monster professions that
keep the ticket holders In p'ae nearly all day have
created a new field for the fair. or huckster Men
went into the stands wherever they could get through
the police lines yesterday, and sold everything rom
a Centennial programme to glass OF water sand;
by crowds who were willing to pay cents for even
glass Of wafer II Is pleasing e, spnWaSr and nd
massIng OF large numbers Of people In these nasty
stric lures yesterday few accidents ana no hsnts 10
| suited.
LIVELY TINES IN WASHINGTON SQUARE.
EARLY THRoNGs AT THE sTAND-CoLLIsloNs
RETwEEN THE CROWDS AND THE POLICE.
AT 7 O'Clock yesterday morning the Immediate
nctshborhood " the Washington Square stand on the
| wavcrlcy Place side, showed signs OF active Ife
Several hundreds Of spectators had mounted the hae
wooden seats, and a score Of policemen were Kept
busy even at that early hour answering questions
and keeping the evcr-inc rcAsing crowd fOm being
run over by the carriages and saddle horse& which
were taken downtown by way Of the parade route
Tho decorations in Washington Square were eScep
tIonalIy fine Mr.. Rhincandcr's house. at Fifth
and the S.luarc, surrounded ON all SIDES py ter
rae ed seats and tho private stands thus arranged tor
were almost hidden In bunting. The owner OF mo
house entertained 600 guests. Immediately Opposite
| =. Mayor Cooper's house deliberately adorned
and the seats under the canopes accommodated looo
| persons All Of wayerley Place between broadway
and tho square was occupied inside the sooplines By
| private stands, sumptuously adorned
Tho police protcctio was afforded by captain
| schultz sergcants Kelly and Barry. and forty five
men from the Thirteenth Precinct captain Copeland
sergeants Burns and Granger and seventy men rom
tho Ninth Precinct; Captain Brogan, sergeah's
| THOMPSON and Douglas, and sixtyhVc men from the
| Fifteenth Precinct and Captain Beatty. sergeant
Ferris and sixty two patrolmcn Of the PARK poii.
| Tho stand Itself was In charge OF T. r.. HAM, "
| by Henry Tillnghast and Joseph Potter
FIth ave- coaches brought down thousands OF peope
| In the morning. and the persons who were iorceu o
| OF broadway fairly swarmed into the squa" anu W..
again driven BY the police through the u1umphA' u,
| I'm Fifth ave-, Immediately above the suua'o'
| croy,i were TANNED into small space anu mo po
uer, continually busy keeping the moUJ assei',n ,
| from rIlIng the street and stormipS the s'".u,
| uoI,ce lines at University Place were estaoiSheo
a,,t 40 o'clock and after that there was an a'n'oo'
continual struggle between the officers anu tne pP
Half a dozen men were dubbed ana nshlS o''
| every few minutes. There seemed W NC oa"N ~,
riot but fortunately the Grand Army oesah n"l'n'1
dnwntown through the square at about U ococh' anu
| Ion, IN continually for an hour and han. ~
10 80 tho head the parade column appro aysr ia
sIsna t S mouptxi police At University Place they
hal lied BY the p"ss quarts srn S S and
isand nsople rushed down toward Fifth ave TO es
cane the hoois OF the mounted patrol several psopl9
were knocked down, but luckily no ONO was '"''''"
his limo the stand was crowded to Its utmost
W.. sn hailed With cheers Of The spects
Tors went Wild over tho President and cheers dCf
mSSSs OF The Es psTy Which gained
the crowd especially during the gay pbsdelpSa tie
| Michigan Military Academy Cadets ana the fo.eran
zouaves The Fcncibles were bOmbaded win oranges
ptpsred with the remains of those offerings which tho
soldier boys did not succeed In capturing
ADMIRING THE DISPLAY OF FIREWORKS.
LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE AT THE BATTERY
| AND THE VARIOUS SQUARES,
Tho pyrotechnic display at Central Park Plaza,
rry ninth st. and Eighth-avc., wHa not exceeded In
briliancy by that In any part OF tho city, The long
nes OF people which hronged tbs square early In the
ovsnnp in eager anticipation Of the show amply
rewarded for ther patience and discomfort Tho repre-
sentaon Of the figure Of Washington in Jets Of gas
ssme formed . magnificent spectacle and merited the
prolonged applause which It received. During an
hour and q half tho square was as light as day.
Hundreds Of dollars worth of rockets went streaming
through the air. People fingered about the plaza
nm 10 O'Clock In tho vain hope that the display would