Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-28
A NATIONS TESTIMONIAL The Grand MausoIeum Wherein
 Lie the Remains I OF ULYSSES s. GRANT Dedicated With Imposing Parades by Land
 and Sea. PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AND GEN. PORTER Pay Fitting Tribute in Words of Burning and
 Patriotic EIoquence Worthy the
 Dead Hero.
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY AND GEN. PORTER
The Blue and Gray Join in Honoring the Soldier-P r-President-The Nations of Earth Send Ships and Men
 to Represent Them at
 the Dedication.

New York, April 27.-Never but once in the history of the world and never before in the history of the United States has such a tributa been paid to the noble dead as when today with wondrous pa- geant by land and sea the nation dedicat- ed the tomb that now holds the body of it's hero, Ulysses s. Grant.
 It was. an occasion more of triumphant eulogy and national pride than of funeral rite, for in these twelve years since first the nation mourned for Grant, the keen ness of grief has worn away and in its place there lives in the hearts of men that 'hero-worship which found such tu- multous vent today. The greatest of our citizens, our soldiers and our sailors, to- day stood side by side with men of fame from almost every nation of the earth and paid without r:gard to race or creed, or party prejudices, the last and long de- layed honor of living to the dead, while the greatest throng that ever filled the city of New York add d its surglng pean to the roar of belching guns and the tramp of marching soldiers. And in that throng there was no north and no south, for since the soldier-president had said: Let us have peace,'' th@ grey has blend ed with the blue.
 Before the presidential party left the city to take part in the dedication cere- monies the flag-decked streets were black with people who cheered vociferously as th= great man drove by. When the tomb was reached a strange sight met the eyes, All around the oval, in the center of which stood the gray monument to Grant were what seemed to be black hillocks This somber background was formed by the thousands of spectators who filled the wood stands built up from 41,. Il 5,,, nf the level of the steps that lead to its massive doors. To the south. where the loop around the oval met the Riverside drive, tlier= were two solid lines or hu- manity.' On all four sides of the monu- ment oval the stands were packed 10 overflowing while facing these .eIoMus was the great mass of eager sightseers who had not been officially provided for. And when it was all over, when Mayor Strong had formally accepted the general trust of the tomb and when ths pTesi- dent and his party disappeared In the luncheon tent a sigh of rellef went up from the crowd, for at last the nero lay in a tomb befitting his renown and b=- fittingly dedicated by grateful nation.
 CWlhlle the lard parade was W'aatio TOT, after the corclui:lctl- Of the cerelnoit teS' the sky became leaden and the Wlni III creased until 1t almlost howled around the trees. The water of he Hudson reflected the as,hen hue of the sky and the great wh,ite ships that flo1ted on it's bosom stood out in almost omlnous relief Ihe dusty rOadbed of the drive was NCllppeu up until the black coats became brown and spectators forsook their unsneltered seats for the tection of the tomb pull lars. Then suddenly uElder the c3cud of dust from the south between the two black Mnes of people which seemsd to meet in the perspec i've came the nodddng plumes of the soldiers. On they marched in an endfs ss line of white and red, and blue and gray. First passing on the west side of the monument overland, re'tuIn- ing on the north road under .he monu- mental arch, they passed the president in review and then back again Into the black background of humanity and the white clouds of dust.
 Surrounded by his cabinet. his generals and his friends, President Mckinley stood and reviewed the grandest military purada ever seen in this city. There were regular soldiers, regular sailors, na- tional guardEmen of the sea and and forces, Grand Army veterans, Confed- crate veterans and the s,riplmgs who in the future might fight as gaI,anay as their fathers did.
 When the cheering was at its 1oudest and when the wind had somewhat died away, touching scene was enacted. which was seen by few. Silently Mrs. Grant stole away from the presidents re-
 
 wai.ching the gallant troops go by, anld,- leaning on the arm of her son, Col. Grant, made her way to the tomb, followed only by the members of the Grant family. The bronze doors were opened and the widow of the hero passed from the out side world into The quiet of the. tomb. For about ten minutes she stayed there and them with her face hidden in her hands she lsft the scene.-
 Soon after this President Mckinley wen, aboard the Dolphin, amid the boom- ing of gums, and revived the great war ships that lay in the shadow of the tomb The dense crowds still stayed in their seats and watched the end of the long parade. When the last company had passed out of sight on the white road bed, the hundreds of thousands of spec tators sough. their homes. All traffic was cclngested, and it was hours before the tide of travel f5ll to its normal ccn- dition.
 With military promptitude and perfect discipline the land parade started from Twenty fourth street and Madison ave- nue on the minute-at 1030 o'clock. Mai Gen. Greenville M. Dodge, followed by a staff of celebrated soldiers led the cels umn, the military band from Governors Island first i., | ys{s
 The Sonsof Confederate Veterans, who were to arrive at the tomb at 9:30 o'clock and place floral wreath with crossed swords on the sarcophagus, were an hour late in reaching the scene. They were headed by James R. Branch, command er-in-chief- of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The tokens were reverently laid on the sarcophagus by Gen. J. B. Gordon, while hs comrades stood by with uncovered heads. # #
 The vast crowd listenedewith keen at- tention to the president'S words and at intervals broke into cheers when some incident in the dead soldiers career was alluded to by the distinguished speaker