Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-21
OVER 10000 VETERANS.
Adjutant General PhI.terer's Estimate of
the Parade.

the Parade.
After the FRAY it Is always in order to compile
statistics. After Yesterdays monstrous pageant
on Pennsylvania avenue everybody is inter
ested in knowing just about how many old sol
diers trod the famous thoroughfare, the inter
vtning two miles between the Peace monumen,
and Washington Circle. Everybody expected
o. course, TO see an immense procession, but
when the hours rolled by eyes that were grad
ually growing bigger with enthusiasm at the
size Of the tunhout had reached the limit OF
their previous observation estimates, and, like
the mule of revered memory, who couldn't
reach the haystack, gave it up" That is.
they gave up the idea Of trying to render ac-
curate opinions. and confined all expressions
upon the number in parade TO wild indefinite
ness ranging anywhere from go. 600 TO e5. 900.
OF one thing thew were very certain. ard for
that there the authority of old soldiers. who
had reached tho terminus of the march and
then came back along the line to see their com
rades stepping proudly along the same path.
They had been to previous encampments and
wears ago saw armies molten. we're quail
fed to form a reasonably fair judgment of the
days ceremony. Some tried the ratio method
of estimating, but many more made actual fig
ures their basis.
Adi.. Gen Phisterer has had enough exper-
fence i'll handling big bodies Of marching men
20 know whereof he speaks. and, placing the
lowest possible estimate. he says there could
have been no less than so, 600 old soldiers in
line exclusive Of bands and drum corps Being
with the commander-in-chief the adjuta.nt
general reached the reviewing stand at 10 As
and remained with his superior officer until the
last veteran had passed westward along the
avenue. II long after 5 O'Clock in
the evening whom the Potomsc Department.
holding the extreme left Of the line a cour tesy
4. - l.
march from the Peace monument. So, accord
ing 10 Col. Phisierers timepiece. it was exactly
seven hours and forty-three minutes after Gen.
Palmer reached the reviewing stand that the
last Potomac veteran saluted, and the biggest
re lew OF three decades had come to an end.
Col. Phisterer figures that the veterans passed
at the rate Of 10, 900 per hour, making allow
ance for extras in the bands and ike organiza-
tons. At this conservative estimate there
must have been Il, 500 men in line. and nearly
20 coo more than at any previous encampment,
the largest beng. Col. Phisterer says, the 1888
gathering at Columbus, Ohio. when about co.
900 veterans parnded the streets Of the buckeye
capital. The adj 'ant general is, however, in
clined TO believe his estimate some thousands
short. since his basis Of TO- 900 per hour is given
for the slowest kind Of march step. and any
observer could note the difference in time made
by various departments to cover u given space.
AZ liberal figure, Gen. Palmers staff officer
lDlnht OUU an DOuE WOllu not De an uDtcabOHa-
bic addition 10 make. and this would bring the
totals to about 81. 900.
And these estimates correspond well with
figures compiled by the STAR reporters. BY
interviewing the assistant adjutant generals of
departments. 1t was a omparstivelv easy mat
ter to secure the number Of marching men re-
ported before the parade nj each headquarters.
These totals reached 81 500 in round numbers,
Pennsylvania and New York together contrib
utlng u, 600 an aggregate.
A crowd of clerks who were block
AIDED in the Richmond and Danville
railroad Offices while the Parade was in pro-
gress took revenge because they couldn't go to
luncheon by appointing committee who
amused the crowd in counting the number Of
plstOons and bands and drum corps throughout
the whole procession. Their figures for the
day we're $4,000. and other organizations 236.
OF these latter l43 were full-fedged bands with
stento-ian voices and lungs, and the remainder
did the fife and drum act.
Placing all these estimates in column, and
coming so closely in unison rs thew do, it il
a fair suppOsition that SO, 900 old soldiers took
part in the review, which was intended to be a
OF the great procession at the close
OF the rebellion. ANYWAY there IL no doubt tina:
the twenty-si1th encampment is the standard
bearer of them all. and the ante-encampment
who claimed big things for Wash
ington, has had his judgment indicated.