The Portland daily press., 1897-08-26

people.
The sidewalks on each side of Main
street as far as the eye could reach were
filed with solid masses. From every win
dow facessbeamed out by the half dozen or
more and the roofs had a stirring popula-
tion.
The path OF the parade stretched out,
long white ribbon of asphalt.
Into the gulf of countrymen the head of
the procession plunged for two miles
march. Up Main street it advanced,
passing Seneca street and Swan street, on
each side of which the people stood in
crowds stretching their necks to get a
glimpse of the face of President McKin-
ley and to see the tops of the hats of the
comrades as they passed down the line.
In the great square in front of the Erie
County bank, and at a great improvised
grand stand, the immensity of the crowd
was seen for the first time to be fully
appreciated.
The arch of welcome was in the form
| of letter "A' with the 'ttG'' and "R'
standing out to the right and left like
great wings of red and blue. In stand
| formed by the cross piece of the ga
was stationed a band which played "Hail
to the Chiet," as the President of the
| United States and the commander-in.
passed through the monster portals.
President Mckinley F'Comrade Nc
| Kinley," and "The Grand Army" could
be heard above the roaring tumuit.
| Again the column plunged in between
the congested sidewalks and the walls OF
populous windows, and again the deafen
| ing applause roared back from wall te
wall.
BY THE TIME PRESIDENT
| M'KINLEY
and Generally Clarkson had passed te
meath the triumphal arch, which spans
Main street at the junction of East and
West Genessee and Huron streets, fully
three-quarters of mile had been covered.
All along the route the President &C.
knowledged the sa1utes of the crowds.
Once clear from the portals of this arch
the President saw before him the greai
living shield and caught the music of two
| thousand young voices, lifted in national
anthems. As the columns approached
the shield the human sympathic feeling
which had been pent up for an hou1
broke out in one tumultuouS climax q
enthusiasm.
As the bands President Mckinley an6
themarching men came closer, the chill
dreng Of the shield sang and the men anG
women, young and old, rose and waved
and cheered for the Grand Army of the
Republic and Comrade William McKin
4 ley, sJr. II 5
| The business centers of the city had
now been passed by the right of line ant
Delaware avenue, famed as one of the
great residence streets of the country, lay
before the advancing pageant.
Flags, bunting and draperies huttered
from the palatial mansions of the rich
/ Out before the steadily moving columns
there came a vision as beautiful as
poets dreams. 1t was bevy of fail
young girls, gowned in the colors of the
flags and weighted down with the finest
flowers that the gardens OF Buffalo could
| produce Handful after handful, basket
full after basketful they scattered their
garlands under the feet of the old soldiers
For the first time President Mckinley
face showed the emotions that it's usua
| immobility conceals. For a moment he
looked to one side, then the calm face
turned once more to the 'front.' and &
warm, kind smile Illuminated it as the
flowers dropped from the dainty hands
that tossed them.
/ At North street the, last wheel In the
/ triumphal march was made.
AS soon as the department of Illinois,
from it's place of formation on lower
Main street had taken up the march, the
department. of Wisconsin fell in and
| brought up the rear or the urSt dlV1SlOn.s
The second division was composed of th'
great department. of Pennsylvania, while
the third division was composed of th
department. of Ohio. The fourth division
composed of the departments of Connecti
1eut, which formed on Exchange street
and the department Of Massachusetts
which formed on Washington street, fol
lowed.
The departments of New Jersey, Maine
California, Nevada, Rhode Island, Ne1
Hampshire, Vermont, Potomac, Virgin
la, North Carolina, Maryland and Ne
Il braska, in the order named, formed tn
fifth division.
The department Of Michigan, Iowa an
Indiana, in the order named, formed o
J Washington and Swan streets and CON
posed the sixth division.
1t was g. As when the last post of tt
} ninth or last division moved and f.;
when they passed the reviewing stand an
J the Presidential party left the stand an
took their carriages for their homes.
is estimated that over As, 900 veteran
} were in line.