The record-union., 1899-09-30

NEW YORK, Sept 29.-No Roman
conqueror. returned to his triumphs of
barbaric splendor; no victorious King
or Prince coming home from success
full war ever received such a magnif1-
cent ovation as overwhelmed Admiral
Dewey to-day as he stood on the bridge
of the Olympia at the head of mag
nificent fleet of steel thunderers of the
deep, followed by thousand vessels
Of peace, each TERED and coated black
with people and sailed over the bright
waters of the upper bay and up the
broad pathway of the sunlit river,
whose banks were gay with millions OF
flags and streamers dancing in the
wind.
The sky was blue the water rippled
under the fresh wind that held out
flags straight and jaunty, and the
wharves and piers and rocky nights
and grassy knolls were black with
frantic, enthusiastic people, who strived
weakly to make their shouts heard
above the perfect bedlam of footing
whistles that accompanied the Admiral
ashore and afloat.
As the tomb of General Grant on
Riverside drive was reached the fleet
paid it's tribute to the memory of the
great warrior with a national salute of
twenty-one guns. The fleet then anchor
ed and reviewed the great procession
of craft that steamed past, SO burden
ed with humanity that they looked as
if they would turn turtle before they
got back to their piers. Toward the
end the parade became disorganized,
Iaa hoTo 1f,t7C
fotilla to get by. Darkness at last
brought relief to the tired Admiral,
who had stood on the bridge for six
hours bowling his acknowledgment to
the stentorian expression of homage.
New York has never witnessed any
thing before approaching this wonder
ful, remarkable demonstration. The Co
lumbian naval parade. the dedication of
Grants tomb and the reception of the
North Atlantic squadron last falls all
pale before this gigantic ovation to the
sailor who, in a single morning, de-
stroyed an enemy's fleet without the
loss of a man or a ship. 1t is not be-
yond the mark to say that three mill
ion people viewed the pageant from
ashore and that a quarter of a million
were afioat
People who went down the bay We're
lost in admiration Of the display of
bunting along the water front. On the
East River, from the bridge to the
Battery, where the sailing craft lie in
droves, the spars We're covered with
such a mass of color as might be COM
pared TO a maple grown hillside in the
deep autumn. The tall spars of ~Se
clippers were conspicuous for their en-
sign and signals. Every craft in the
harbor was decked out from stem to
stern with all the grace and attract
iveness known to shippers
But the displays in the East River
was not to be compared with that OF
the North River, up which the process
sion was to pass. From the peaks Of
every pier long ropes strung with flags
of every hue were stretched to the
snubbing post at the corner, and the
fronts were decorated with a multitude
of gay devices. There We're flags on the
staffs and lines of flags above the ropes
The vessels at their sides were dress
ed from stem to taffrail, and some car
Tied flags on their yards and had their
deck houses covered. The wind shook
the banners from millions of windows
porticos and even steeples, and never
perhaps, in this generation did hearts
that love it, bound so quickly to the
sight of the flag. Up the river, far OH
on the Jersey shore and high on the
misty palisades it cleaned.
The best place from which to view
the great marine panorama was natur-
ally from the deck of the Olympia, and
by the courtesy of Admiral Dewey, ar
Associated Press representative was
permitted aboard. Very early the flee
of steamships, yachts and tugs which
We're to have a place in the line begar
moving down the bay to the allotted
points where the several divisions were
to form. but many of them could no
resist the temptation to first visit the
anchorage of the men-of-war off Tomp
kinsville, and before IL o'clock the
Olympia was surrounded by a perfec
mob Of every known kind of craft, al
swarming with people, circling arounC
or pushing their noses close Up under
the ship to get a glimpse Of the Ad
miral pacing the quarterback. The
bands aboard the excursion boats play
ed, and the whistles and sirens of th'
other craft made the air hideous.
They kept coming, coming in pair:
and half dozens, until they lay a dozeI
deep, resisting the charges of the patro
boats in their determination To get III
within shouting distance. Their reck
lessness was amazing. They ran across
each others bows, they rubbed agains
one another they pushed bow on stern
until further movement seemed para
lived by the inextricable confusion. i
was with great difficulty that the polic
boats could clear a passage for the Ad
nniraPs launch when he went off to re
tl1rn the official visit of the Mayor a
noon. and when he did step into hi
launch the patriotic shippers afioa
grabbed their whistling cords md mad
the hills echo with such a blast as cal
only be heard when Yankee yach
crosses the finish first in a race witt
foreign mug hunters. And that wa
simply the prelude to what contiHue'
throughout the day-an almost contin
uous roar of steam whistles.
Meantime the vessels to take part il
the parade were massing over near tn
Long Island shore, until that side o
the harbor became a tangle Of stack
and flags and framework as far as tn