The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-06

the building was formally Inspected last
night by hundreds If citizens and every
one CT them came away delighted with it,
In fact 1t is destined 10 become one of
the nost popular public buildings in
Portland. as it is one Of the best.
But there WIS another attraction last
night which drew an immence numb
af people to the rev ErmorJ, and this
was nothing less than battalion dress
parade and a revisw of the battalion By
Mayor james 2. Ea1ter
Invitations for this event had been
issued by tho comm ittse in charge OF the
opening Of tho building to the public.
and arrangements had been made for Il e
reception of big crowd. But the result
surprised even tlose who arranged the
affair. Fully six thousand people turEeo
out to ses tie new armory land Port
lands soldier boye, and by hall past
eight every available seat, and every inch
Of standing roorl in the big drill shet
was occupied and tt ere wers hundreds OF
people outside who were unable TO gain
admittance. go large was the crowd in
fact that for time it threatened to
seriously interfere with the parade and
the review, but good management on the
part of the committee md the efforts Of
the soldier boys and the police soon
Strengthened things out so that the pro-
gramme was successfully executed.
While the crowd was gathering. one
thing attracted the immediate attention
of tbs observar. Every class and caste of
Portland's citizens were represented. The
tashionabl bio PEOPLE elbowed their way
by those who do not claim to be
fashionable, while the ordinary voter
stepred Oh the oorns of the august mem
bers of the city government with I'M
punisy. There were the rich and tins
poor; the young and the old, the serious
and ths e;day, in fact it was as demo-
cratican assenblage as ever was held
within the limits Of the city. And every
ons present enjoyed the affair hughly,
gazcd with pride on the magnificent
building and its superb equipment, ad-
mixed the appearance Of the soldier Logs
of icr Collins crack battalion and
drank in the music Of Chambers Military
band with delight. 1t WAS scene long
to be remem sered as standing on the first
stair case landing in the armory proper
ana looking through the windows which
omen into the immense drill shed, one
SAW the SEA of faces, the variety OF color
and of dress the restless movement OF
the crowd and all brilliantly lighted by
the dazzling rows of incandescent lamps
strung along the big iron Orders of the
roof, the whole was SO novel, so uDex-
DC ct d in this quiet city OF ours that
Wien the on-looEer drank in the scene
from O vantage point he could not but
think be bnd besn transported to some
airy land, and that the W ole must be the
work of some genius or magician. Ne
scrjption of the effect produced by the
brilliant scene is An impossibliity, and
even pages of space would not be
su Gent to give the reader an idea of its
beauty.
! Rut to the review. Those waiting In
the drill shed, packed like sardines in &
hox around the four sides of the big
building were quieted and hushed into
axDsctant attention by the sound of fa1
off bugle call The gold bedecked Officers
who had been talking to friends in thu
drill hall hastily forced their way
through the crowd back to the armorj
nroner. There was another long wait
The crowd was pushed back off the fool
,f ,ro +ha avo1utfOns were to take place
by the signal corps sentries who had beer
detailed for this duty.
Another bugle call and out on to the
floor of the shed trooped the soldier boyl
in full dress uniform. They formed in
companies on ore side of the hall and the
officers hastily made an inspection ol
their equipments. -Four companies there
e,oio4ina and II1mbapO readily yield tt