The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-16
CROWDS WE'RE ENORMOUS.
Thousands Upon Thousands Waited
Hours for the Soldiers.

| Indianapolis has often demonstrated the
ability to turn out an enormous crowd when
| the occasion was of sufficient moment to
| justify it, but in recent years no one re-
members so large a crowd that which
| gathered yesterday to applaud and cheer the
| first columns of the Indiana volunteers on
| their way to Cuba. About the only crowd
| that can be compared with it was that which
witnessed the windup of the political cam
| paign of 1885, when both the leading par
| ties gave parades on the same Saturday
night 1t is scarcely an exaggeraton to
estimate that 100000 people witnessed the
| departure of the first companies to go to the
| front The original plan had been for
| the One-hundred- and fifty-seventh Regiment
and Battery A, Indianapolis Light Artillery,
and Battery E. of Fort Wayne, to leave
| Camp Mount at l o'clock in the afternoon
1t was known that it would be some time
later than that before the head of the
marching column could get down town, but
| by 1870 o'clock the entire line of march was
| thronged with expectant onlookers, eager to
| greet the troops with cheers and encourage
| them on to victory. Throngs lined Meridian
| street from South street to the road leading
| east to Camp Mount. People in buggies
drove up in the side streets crossing Merid-
ian street, and it was almost impossible to
| get to any point that necessitated crossing
the line of march.
FROM OUT OF TOWN
The crowds from indianapolis were in
creased by thousands from surrounding
| towns that could not resist the opportunity
| TO get one more glimpse of Camp Mount
! before the forces that have been gathered
there for three weeks disbanded. Owing to
| the delay at the camp in getting the soldiers
/ rNai1 h. L.
time when it reached the center of the city,
but the crowds waited on. Occasionally
there was sprinkle of rain, but no one
paid any attention to it. Many had umbrel-
las, but those who did not were so deter
mined TO give parting word of good cheer
| to the boys who to stand for Hoosier
honor that they braved the falling drops
In the early hour of the afternoon there
was great deal of restlessness down town
! by persons eager TO find the best place for
viewing the parade. There was some confu-
| sion as to whether the soldier boys would
march straight down Meridian street past
J the Union Station to South street and then
! east to the j., M. & /. yards, or whether
part of the march would be made on Illi-
nois street. as planned by the military au-
thorities Saturday. The impression got out
| that Meridian street was the right place to
be, and the throngs that had filled Illi-
nois street from the Union Station up to
| Ohio street moved a block east Then they
| settled themselves down to long hours of
waiting. Some ladies had camp stools. Rails
! ing their umbrellas, they sat down for the
| time to arrive. Others squatted on the curb
| stones. Boys climbed telegraph poles. Men
| women and children who had keys to the
big stores on South Meridian street filled
! the windows of the upper stories Even the
roofs were covered, and spectators in the
streets looked up apprehensively to those
clingtng to the caves. Hour after hour
passed without sight or sound of the SOL
| diers coming down the street. Some idiot
! bent on a practical joke. went up and down
| the lines saying that the troops had boarded
the cars at Camp Mount and would not
| march. A good many went away disap-
! pointed. Others, after being worn out by
| the long and tedious wait also left, but it
| seemed that for every one who went away
| two appeared to take their places.
There was great activity on South street
J just east of Pennsylvania street, at the j.
! Nj. & /. yards. sergeant of police and a
| large squad of policemen We're there to keep
! the crowds from filling the open space be-
| tween the three sections of the extra trains
! that were waiting there ready TO pull out
! the engineers standing at the throttles of
| the putting locomotives, and the Pullman
! porters keeping back the curious. eager to
go through the sleeping provided for
| the officers Other patrolmen in the Union
| Station were busy informing inquirers that
| the troops would not leave from that point
but would pull out from the j., NJ. & L.
yards.
Very frequently some one would pass the
| $ a along the waiting lines down town,
| .. re they come" People close by began
craning their necks up Meridian street. This
caused those q little. farther away to press
| closer; and almost in a fifty movement
from the cross streets would begin. Once a
| Colored band marched along Washington
street. Wherever Ii was heard it created
! the impression that the boys were at last
getting near, and there was a wild scram-
| BILE TO catch the first glimpse.
| REWARDED AT LAST.
| Finally. clear and loud, the chimes on
Christ Church. on Monument place, broke
| out in the old inspiring march music of
| Marching through Georgia" Then the
crowd knew that the chime ringer had seen
| the head of the column advancing down
| Meridian street. They were still out of
| sight, and 1t was moments later be-
| fore the first strains of music from the
| fegimental band were heard At the first
faint sound of music a great prolonged
cheer went up. AS it grew louder and near
| er the cheering increased in volume. People
| seemed almost carried away with the en-
! thusiasrl OF the moment and were i'm "A
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