The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-04-28
an HISTORIC PAGEANT.
Tribute to Grant the Greatest in the
Nations History.
FULLY A MILLION SPECTATORS

Refinement OF Napoleon When His
Body Was Returned to Paris.
New York, April 2S.-Never before in
The history of the world, and never
before IN the history of the United
States, has such tribute been paid
TO the noble dead as when yesterday,
with wondrous pageant by land and
sea. the nation dedicated the tomb
that now holds the body Of its hero,
Ulysses s. Grant.
1t was an occasion more Of triumph
Ant eulogy and national pride than Of
funeral rite. for In these l2 years since
flrst the nation mourned for Grant the
keenness of grief has worn away. and
n Its place there lives in the hearts
men that hero worship which
kauAd such tumultuous vent yesterday.
THE greatest Of our citizens, our SOL
Niers and our sailors stood side by
side with men of fame from almost
avery nation Of the earth and paid,
without regard to race or creed, or
party prejudice. the last and long de-
layed honor Of the living to the dead,
while the greatest throng that ever
hlled the city of New York added its
Hurging pean to the roar Of belching
guns In the tramp of marching SOL
4isrs And In that throng there was
:~Sho north and south. for since the SOL
dier-president had said Let US have
peace" the gray had blended with the
blys.
: Before the presidential party left
their hotel to take part In the dedica-
ton ceremonies the flag decked streets
were black with people, who cheered
vociferously as the great men drove
by
When the tomb was reached
strange sight met the eye. All around
the oval in the center of which stood
the gray monument to Grant were
what seemed to be black hiloclts. This
Bombre background was formed by the
thousands Of spectators who filed the
wooden stands, built up from the
ground on both sides of the tomb TO the
Jewel of the steps that lead to its mas
eive doors. To the south, where the
loop around the oval met the Riverside
drive, there were two solid lines Of
humanity. On all four sides of the
monument oval the stands were packed
to overlooking. while facing these
crowds was the great mass of eager
sightseers who had not been officially
provided for.
The solemn service of dedication
seemed to throw strange hush over
this vast throng. The president stood
bareheaded in the wind. When he
spoke Re was heard distinctly by the
1000 persons who stood directly in
front of him.
General Porter's grafton in honor of
the hero seemed to impress the crowd
less than the sight of the palefaced,
bareheaded president. standing beside
the widow of the dead general ex-
President Cleveland and the gray
headed statesmen and soldiers. 1t was
their presence rather than their words
that lent solemnity to the occasion.
And when it was all over, when
Mayor Strong had formally accepted
from the nation the trust of the tomb,
and when the president and his party
disappeared in the luncheon tent,
sigh of relief went up from the crowd,
for at last the hero lay in the tomb
bsf1tting his renown and fttingly dedi-
GATED by n grateful nation.
While the land parade was waited
for after the conclusion of the cere-
monies the sky became laden and the
wind increased until it almost hOWled
around the trees. The waters of the
Hudson reflected the ashen hue of the
Rky, and the great white ships that
ffoated on its bosom stood out in al
most onnous relief. The dusty road
bed of the drive was whipped up until
hapt hapOT1a brown nh
tators forsook their unshetered seats
for the protection of the tomb pillars.
Then suddenly, under the cloud Of
dust, from the south between the two
black lines Of people which seemed to
meet in the perspective, came the
noddng plumes Of the soldiers. On they
marched. an endless line of white and
red and blue and gray. First passing
on the west side Of the monument
oval and then returning on the north
road under the monumental arCh they
passed the president in review, and
then back again into the black back
ground of humanity and the white
clouds of dust.
Surrounded by his cabinet, his gen.
erals and his friends, President Me
Kinley stood and reviewed the grand
est military pageant ever seen in this
city. There were regular soldiers, reg
ular sailors, national guardsmen Of the
sea and land forces, Grand Army vet
erans. Confederate veterans and the
striplings who in the future may fight
as galantly as their fathers did
When the cheering was at its loudest.
and when the wind had somewhat died
away, a touching scene was enacted,
which was seen by few. Silently Mrs.
Grant stole away from the presidents
reviewing stand, where she had been
watching the gallant troops 60 by,
and. leaning on the arm of her son,
Colonel Grant, made her way to the
tomb, followed only by the members
Of TIE Grant family. The bronze
doors were opened and the widow Of
the hero passed from the noise of the
outside world into the dim quiet of
the tomb. For about ten minutes she
stayed there, and then, with her face
hidden in her hands, she left the scene
Soon after this President Mckinley
invent aboard the Dolphin, amid the
booming Of guns, and reviewed the
great warships that lay in the shadow
Of the tomb Tho dense crowds still
stayed In their seats and watched the
end of the land parade. Then, when
the last company had passed out of
sight of the white roadbed the hun
dreds Of thousands Of spectators sought !
their homes. All traffic was congested, |
and It was hours before the tide Of
travel fell to its normal condition.
AS O'clock the hour at which |
President Mckinley was to go on |
board the Dolphin approached, the
crowd on the pier where he was to
embark grew larger and larger, until |
several thousand had assembled. They
greeted the president and his party |
with a cheer which was re- echoed by
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