Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-06
STREETS BEGAN TO FILL EARLY
Tens OF Thousands of Sightseers
Flock to the Business Center TO
See the Pagenntry.

This Is a story OF the folks who came
to see. In the early dusk the people began
to leave their homes. their hotels and their
boarding houses and wend their way
toward the heart of the city They sought
out points of vantage from which to view
the pageantry and chung to them with
everlasting persistency. First of all. the
stone steps and porticos of the old customs
building were pre-empted. The folks
packed them until not another foot. wheth-
er It was Chicago born or Kansas raised.
could find room aa'zaiGs { stss~-S :
waited vitSN -a.,r rus % for the.
the dream-stcry told by the floats. The
narrow strip of space at the Junction was
soon hlled with restless sort of humanity
that needed Eot the oft repeated mandates
of the cable watchman to vacate and give
prospective passengers a chance TO board
their trains As the evening advanced the
people. the murmur OF voices grew into q
sullen roar. RESTLESS humanity weayed in
and out, up and down. cable traffic was
impeded and it looked for a time almost
as though it would be stopped. Thou
SANDS OF men and women and children
passed along the streets past other thou
sands that stood or sat and tried to look
as comfortable as possible.
A 1fn young man who went out
to see the people wriggled his way down
TO Ninth and Walnut streets He
tried to go with the crowd, as he had
heard In the days of his youth that the
wise man goes with the crowd but in this
case It seemed that the crowd went with
him. He trod on the toes of people he
had never seen before and strange young
women 1ostled him without pausins to say
by your permission"
Wake up there, young fellow" the
cable watchman shouted in his ears as a
train came creeping down the Ninth street
Look out there. lady" shouted the sams
voice. Wake up Wake up"
Arms reached out to grab needless men
and women who rushed recklessly in front
OF the trains. Women gave scared little
screams when they discovered their dan.
ger. while the men looked dispIeased that
any one should think they were foolS
enough to be run down by common cable
II such an anomaly exist There the crowd
was the thickest, the noise the loudest ths
restlessness the greatest and the jammins
young man traversed a devious path in
getting to and through this portion of ths
Ely fhs.y .S now Nv. - fad a man who seemed larger
him, and when the thin man demonstrated
with him by saying:
7 say. old fellow. give a person breath-
sponded in a thick voice:
Shertingly, frien,, hep yo'sh'f-"
misguided but daring bicycle riders tried
to pass down Main street. Some of them
succeeded. but 1t was like arduous toll and
men who sat badly upon their horses were
to be seen on Walnut street. They were
good-natursdly, chafted by the people on
view and finally they gave 1t up and with
drew to the Uliet Of q side street to wait
for the parade.
The streets fntersectipg Main and wal.
nut we're not long In clogging up Tenth
vas first Mled. then Eleventh and last
men and women planked themselves down
in the street needless of the dirt and
The streets were as light as day. The
hung suspended Like stars above the thor
oughfares, the brilliant illuminations on the
business houses. added to the arc lights
combined to make the streets radiant with
light; The electric lettering Of the Colunl-
worthy. The Hall building, the Sheidley
building, the stores Of Emery, Bird. Thayer
shone resplendent with light. BY all odds
the illuminationS this year eclipsed any
thing ever attempted in Kansas City in this
line. The people appreciated the iilumna-
tions. as was demonstrated by the fearfui-
ly packed streets which were the lightest-
budnf !ns 6s @ N sS eop
for the music Of the bands. The thin young
Walnut Wal street, He tried % to shove ei his Mas ss
north along Walnut street, but the peopl5
scowled and refused to he showed out ce
the way. The crowd closed about him
and pressed from all sides.
"Try not to pass" a wise man said and
the thin person decided that excelsior
was not for him, so he stood as though
held by a wise and waited first on cns
foot and then on another: The time passed
fast enough, but nevertheless it seemed
hours before the breeze brought the strains
Of music. the wavering lights Of torches.
finally the parade When the majestic float