The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-12
Twenty Thousand Knights In Cor
geOuS Array at Pittsburg.
A SCENE OF SPLENDOR
NEARLY A MILLION PEOPLE
WITNESSED THE SPECTACLE.
Rain Storm Failed to Mar the Sue
cess of the Parade-KnightS
Greeted With Perfect Tornadoes
of Cheers-Report of the Grand
Recorder, Showing a Net Gain.

Pittsburg. Pa, Oct. 1.-THE parade Of
the twenty-seventh triennial cOnclave
of the knights Templar is now an event
of history. Whatever had been antici-
pated in the way of gOrgeOusneSS,
splendor and general all-around success
was realized. 1t was the grandest pa
rade ever held in this city In point
of numberS-there were 10000 marcherS
in line-it easily doubled similar occur
rences of the past, ana as far as the
appearance of the men, their uniforms.
the trappings of their horses, as we'll
as the perfection of their movements
were concerned, Pittsburg has never
seen anything to equal it.
The day started with not cloud IN
the sky, a soft, gentle breeze blowing,
and long before the booming cannon
announced the start of the marchers,
there was a multitude of people packed
together in an impenetrabie throng
along the line of march. The number
of onlookers on the streets, in the WIN
dows, on roofs and in the reviewing
stands, has been variOusly estimated
at from 500. 600 to 1000. 900 people.
AT 10 o'clock the wonderful cavalcade
had completed it's formation and the
march began, and three hours later the
last detachment passed the same point.
The rain commenced at 1870 O'Clock,
and for awhile it looked as though the
knights walked along with the same
spirit, and displayed the same martial,
dignified bearing in the rain as they
had done under the sunshine. The
crowd soon began to reorSan1ze, and
the vOlleyS of cheers and applause that
had been thunderOuS before, now burst
forth in perfect tornadOes. Such en-
couragement could not but have its eff
feet and the result was the line re-
NAMED unbroken until the end came.
The arrangements were perfect.
Streets were roped in and guards COM
posed Of.the members of the Eighteenth
regiment, y. G.. P, and of battery b,
who have recently been mustered out,
were stationed all along the line. Hos
pital corps had been organized and ac-
companied the parade in various PLACES,
but, fortunately, their services were
not in great demand.
The splendid uniforms of the Cali
fornia Communicates, their golden
swords and their chargers, attracted a.
great deal of attention all along the
line.
The parade disbanded at Shenter
park, and Immediately after the grand
commandery met in Conference hall for
the first actual business of the con-
clave.
After addresses of welcome by Chair
man Arthur B. Wigley, Mayor H. P.
Ford of Pittsburg and State Grand
Commander Kuhn, the grand encamp-
ment was declared open, and Grand
Master Warren Larue Thomas deliv-
cred the annual address, after which
the reports of Grand Treasurer Lines
and Grand Recorder Mills were pre-
scented.
The report of the grand recorder con-
tanned much statistical information.
The gains since the last conclave have
been: knights, $685.; affiliated, 973; re-
instated, 400; total, 1914 The losses
have been: Died. 1,65S; admitted, 1,7S9;
suspended, unknightly conduct, "a;
suspended for non-payment of dues,
1850; expelled, 81; total, 1888. The
net gain was 2,736.
The social feature of the conclave
took place tonight at the Duquesne
garden. This was the reception exclu-
sively for members of the different
Knight Templar communicates, and no
laymen or anyone, except ladies, with
out Templar uniform, was admitted.
The guest of honor was Grand Master
of the Grand Encampment Warren La
rue Thomas. After the reception there
was a grand ball, and the gathering
did not break up until after midnight.
Duquesne garden is an immense
building and it is estimated that more
than 5000 knights, with their ladies,
attended the reception.