The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-08
THOUSANDS OF KNIGHTS.
The Most Gorgeous Parade Ever Held II
the National Capital.

The Most Gorgeous Parade Ever Held In
the National Capital.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 8, 1sS9.-The
day, to celebrate the official opening of
the Twenty-fourth Triennial Conclave of
Knights Templar of the United States,
with a grand parade, the magnificent
event of the week. The day is to be
given to pageantry and display, and
10000 Knights in panoply of war, amid
the symbols of the order with flying
banners, and with the step and bearing
OF knights militant, will present such q
Templar array as was never before wit
messed in the land.
The city has put on its best garments.
Preparations for the parade on the grand
est scale ever known are complete.
The day opened cloudy, but at nine
O'Clock clear, bright, beautiful weather
prevailed, and O demonstration and dis
play, unprecedented in magnificence, un-
rivalled in magnitude, is assured.
The city was astir early, and by eight
O'Clock martial airs could be heard in
every direction. While hundreds of
Templar organizations were marchiug to
their respective rendezvous, and streams
of people were pushing their way to the
line of march. Holiday was written on
the faces of all. The children were ex-
cused from school, the government de-
partments and stores were closed and
business for the greater part of the day is
to be suspended.
BY ten O'Clock, an hour before the pro-
cession was to move, it seemed as though
the population of the city had deserted its
homes and gathered along the route of the
procession; which, beginning at the Capt.
tol, extended up Pennsylvania avenue,
81 he
ton Circle, and then back through K
street to Ninth street, near the Masonic
Temple. where the Grand Encampment
is to open at the close of the parade.
The main body of the procession formed
in the streets about the Capitol by eleven
O'Clock, and awaited the arrival of the
officers of the Grand Encampment with
General Charles Roome, most eminent
grand master, and his personal staff in
carriages, under escort of the first divi-
sion.
The knightly escort, with Eminent Sir
Myron M. Parker, chief marshal; Sir
Knight Harrison Dingman, chief of the
staff, and a host of Sir Knights as aides
de camp leading, soon approached and
halted on the spacious plaza at the east
front of the Capitol. A few moments
later word from Chief Marshal Parker
put the head of the column OF the grand
parade and escort of the Grand Encamp-
ment in motion.
Around the columned porticos of the
Capital, down the concreted roadways of
the Capitol grounds, under the swaying,
ovefreachlng boughs Of the autumn
tinted trees, the grand procession swept
With the stately glide of gigantic and
many-colored serpent. 1t was flash of
color, q CLEAN of snowy plumes, glitter
of bright steel and rhythm of graceful
movement. Such sight in all its mag
N On Wa hnfnFn co
IN this city, famous for the number and
grandeur of its parades.
The wide plaza to the east of the great
white marble buildings was packed with
thousands of Knights, but as the process
sion moved they seemed to be no dimu-
milton in the number of those who stood
like statues waiting for the word of COM
mand that put them in motion.
Up the broad avenue the procession
moved like forest of black helmets and
snow white plumes, till reaching the
Treasury its head wheeled into Fifteenth
street, past the Exchequer, whose col
umned porches were packed with people,
and again up the broad avenue to the Ex-
ecutiye Mansion, where they passed in re-
view before the President.
Steadily, silently, the picturesque pro-
cession passed the reviewing stand. Every
hat lifted in honor of the Chief Magis-
trate, the white plumes nodding till look
ing down the line one involuntarily
thought of white lilies bowling before a
blast; then continuing westward up the
avenue to Twenty-th1rd street, Washing
ton Circle, and thence into the magniti-
cent boulevard of K street.
This broad street, straight as an arrow,
without break for more than three
miles, packed on each side and lined with
double row of trees. gave the knights a
superb welcome. 1t is the home of
wealth and fashion, and wealth and fash
ion poured out with heartiest enthusiasm
to greet the Knights.
especial escort of the Grand Encampment,
then escorted the grand master and mem
bers to Masonic Temple, where the first
session of the Triennial Conclaye was
onauod