Evening star., 1897-08-25
TRAMP OF VETERANS
Streets Of Buffalo Echo the Tread of
Marching Thousands.
OVATION TO PRESIDENT M'KINIEY
Weather is Propitious for the Days
Demonstration.
SOCIETIES ELECT OFFICERS

va oooiheu its salute Tor the new day this
morning the sun was obscured by banks
oi neecy clouds at the east, when darkened
ih'o pIackness at the west. A heavy mist
rose from Lake Erie, and lowered over
camp Jewett, and was carried back city,
"aro py fresh breeze from the west
But the sun soon broke through the clouds
and gave promise of brilliant day.
Drums beating the reveiIle brought the
comrades from their tents. Aids-de-camp
In the gold lace of the National Guard of
New York were dashng about the streets
on the rearing horses, looking with anxious
care to the divisions to which they had
been assigned. Men and women and even
chlloren began to post themselves behind
the long wire screens that had been spun
out along the line of march during the
night like an immense spider web Every
moment the space along the front of the
SIDEWALKS grew less, and soon those who
had secured first place against the wires
from behind, which squeezed them and
neid them prisoners for the hours that the
parade would take in passing
Procession Under Way.
Gen. Clarkson and his staff rode from the
iroquo1S Hotel to the Hotel Niagara as
soon as the staff had assembled on Eagle
street. In front of the Niagara the staff
drew up in line and Gen. Clarkson waited
upon President Mckinley to escort him to
the head of the column. At 10 o'clock the
president left the Niagara, accompanied by
the escort. Along the way to the point of
formation the President was cheered to
TIE ec1o- Arriving at the corner of Main
street and the Upper terrace his carriage
took position at the head of the column. di-
rectly behind the citiZ.ns' committee, the
members of which were mounted.
oil h.
was given and the procession moved
To the roll of innumerable drums, the
blare of trumpets, the clash of cymbals and
the screeching of flies, the Grand Army of
the Republic. headed by the President of
the United States, took its triumphal wav
through sea of cheering humanity.
Against the strong wires stretched along
the route of march the people crowded each
other until the wires buged beneath the
pressure. The sidewalks en- each side of
Main street as far as the eye could reach
were filled with a solid mass of people
packed in so tightly that to move was al
most out of the question. From every win
dow faces beamed out by the half dozen
and more, and the roofs had population
equal II not greater than that of the win
dows.
At the Chiefs Headquarters.
In the corridors of the Iroquois Hotel
spurs were jingling and sabers changing. as
the officers of General Clarkson's staff hur-
ried TO the headquarters of the COM
nander-in-chief to report to Col ]. Corey
Winans, chief Of staff.
From east and north there came at inter-
walls the rattle of drums and the clear not,
of the bugle. The posts of the Denart
n1ent of Illinois and some of the DEPART
ment of Wisconsin were early on the
march. The music and the tramp of the
marching feet brought cheering crowds to
the little detachments as they passed and
nj
of excitement the time for the moving
OF the procession grew nearer.
Excursion trains on every one of the
many lines leading into Buffalo began to
pour thousands of recruits into the al
ready congested thoroughfares, and the
railroad stations took on the appearance
Of human bee hives from which a swarm
was flying.
The street cars, as they pushed slowly
down to the center of the city, by tenn
rorary side street routes, were filed to
the point of distress.
Excursion boats were screeching their
whistles in the harbor in an endeavor to
get to dock with their quota Of spectators.
Cheers for the President
At great improvised grand stand the
immensity &c the crowd was seen for the
first time in the partial open formed by
the triangular junction of Niagara and
several other streets. a band played Hail
commander-in-chief of the Grand Army
passed under the arch.
The people on the grand stand gave a
mighty cheer, which was taken up and
echoed back by the hundreds in the plot
to the west. president Mckinley" Com
rade Mckinley 1.-The Grand Army" could
be heard in the roaring tumut of voices.
Again the column plunged in between
ccngested sidewalks and again the deaf
ening applause roared back from wall to
wall.
By the time President Mckinley and Gen.
Clarkson had passed beneath the white
portals of the imposing triumphal arch
which spans Main street at the junction of
fully three-quarters of a mile had been
covered by the marching men, and the
throng of spectators were coming to un-
derstand what the massing of the Grand
Army signified.
Illinois Gets an Ovation.
The imposing department Of Illinois on
the right Of the line received an ovation
as it passed along. Columbia Post of Chi
cago was wildly applauded, but the white
haired veterans of the humber posts from
remote corners of the state we're not for
gotten by the generous crowd.
AS the veteran color guard, the old bat
tie flag battalion, passed heads were un-
covered and eyes dried. There were thirty
battle worn, shot torn flags, carried in the
parade by Camp !, Buffalo Sons of Vete-
rams, in company with the Meade Post of
Philadelphia. The old color guard was
under command of Captain Morgan and
Edward Curtiss.
On came the procession. post after post,
in columns Of platoons eight files 'front.' at
half distance, while the head of pageant
wheeled into Chippewa street, and passed
under the gaily decorated arch erected by
the colored people Of Buffalo.
Once clear from this arch, the Presi-
dent saw before him a great living shield
and caught the music of two thousand
voices. lifted up in the national anthem.
AS the columns moved on nearer and rearer
to the shield, the first p!atoons wheeling
up Delaware avenue, the human sympathy
that had been-pent up for an hour # wait
ing broke out In one tumultuoas climax of
enthusiasm. ~.
Societies Elect Omcers.
The Ladies' Association OF. Naval Vet
Grams have elected officers as follows: Mrs.
Jennie Laird, Providence, r. /, captain
commanding; Mrs. Mary E. Baker. Boston,
commander; Mrs. Abbie e. Dickey, Salem
lieutenant commander: Mrs. Rathbone, New
ln1frn lforrf