The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-19
GLORIOUS
Civic Parade a Procession of
SpIendor in the Clean of
Red and White
Lights,
WAS TWO MILES LONG
Greatest Crowd in Wichita'S
History TANNED Pavement
From Court House to
RoCk-ISIand.

Rivers Of black, flowing into a great
black pool and through this winding a
shining serpent silvern with glittering
light and life.
That was the parade last night, the
grandest most gorgeous, overwhelming
affair ever created and given an hour of
beautious life in this city.
Before the red sun had gone down, fol-
lowed by a full opal moon in the violet
eastern sky all avenues leading TO the
center of town were pouring their black
tide Of humanity into the vantage points
along the line of march
First, the black mass edged and eddied
about the buildings, soon it filled the side
walks, soon the line Of curbing was oblit-
Grated in this restless, surging. growing
wave Of people, from which arose a muir
muir like that Of distant falling water
Soon the tide had crept out into the cen
ter Of Douglass avenue and Main street,
covering everything, splashing, whirling,
eddying everywhere. until the undertona
Of its many-voiced music drowned the
stacatto cry Of the hawker and the jangIe
of the street bells.
Faster and faster it rose, this food of
people widening at the corners and
changing ever under the gIaring dazzle Of
the garish lights, a light obstruction
throwing out ripDles into the mass,
pole or a box changing the whole order of
the twisting, turning multitude
1t was a grand sight-an aggregation of
Kansas and Oklahoma men and women.
showing no disorder. no uncouthness, no
iI-temper. Every man was a monarch
and every woman a queen last night.
As the night closed down and the lights
came out, opening their long vistas of
glorious spangles, the parade came, a
glittering, winding thing, like a mystical
vision from fairy tale. 1t plunged into
the black mass and found pathway a0d
passed on, tortuously beautiful effulgent,
magnificent
The miles Of spectators, the glare Of
myriad lights. the blare of the answering
bands, the tramp of the horses, the rum
bic OF the floats, the fiery splendor of the
carnival cars, the muff1ing tread of bat
ta!ionS striking the pavement in unison as
the vast procession filed by. gave Wichita
for an hour the greatest scene it has ever
witnessed.
No one had expected such a wonderful
demonstration. 1t had been planned bet
Ter IMAM the planners knew.
And plan was never given greater re-
ception. You could have taken the crowd
which was in Wichita on the night of its
biggest political rally, the night of its
biggest fair day, and put them together,
and the streets would not be as full Of
people as they were last night.
No one has ever seen anything like it in
Wichita. Away up Main street. east on
Douglass avenue the crowd reached
The roofs of the buildings all along the
line of march were covered with people
Every window was full of heads Seats
were erected along the line of march and
these were full People were perched on
chimny tops, boys were clinging TO tele-
graph poles.
George Locke, grand marshal Of the
procession, has set a high mark for pa
rade makers in Wichita and in Kansas
No city in the west ever saw anything
like last nights civic parade before. and
as Grand Marshal Locke came, escorted
by Jolly Fritz Schnitzler riding in state
In his made-to-order carriage. the Hal
stead band and cake walkers in front,
and by a battalion Of aides following
close he was cheered by megaphone
horns. yells and every sort Of carnival
noise. Mr. Locke smiled. for the first
time since he took hold Of the parade,
for never at any other stage of the game
has he had time TO smile. Nobody who
has never undertaken it knows how much
16-karat worry and plan work it takes to
get a two-mile parade in motion.
Immediate following Marshal Locke
and his aides were Mayor Ross. Governor
Stanley, City Treasurer Glenn and City
Attorney Helm in a carriage. The mem /
hers Of the council, Chief Cubbon. State /
Treasurer Grimes. State Superintendent !
Of Public Instruction Nelson followed. |
Chief Walden and City Electrician McVav /
with the chiefs white fire horse led the /
IRE department by in measured array T.
very different from the manner in which /
they plunged at the call Of fire alarm
n large float with red lights at the side. |
throwing the soft radiance of q Pvthian 4
scene round about. represented the effort 1
~ the lodge of Knights Of Pythias The 4
float was drawn by four horses at the /
head Of each Of which walked brave /.
knight with his helmet and spear.
Amidst brilliant Canopies and CraEs OF the I.
Pythian journey and corridors Of Ro- /
man senate chamber We're seated the diff /.
ferent characters in the great drama Of /.
Damon and Pythias. Pythagoras sat in /
the front part of the float and back Of
him stood two beautiful women and .
other characters We're seated about in .
pretty lodges Immediately following the I
float was the Uniform Rank. X. of p. (
with swords dangling from their belts in
brilliant scabbards. Following We're nu-
merous Knights on foot.
Tammany, the local Democratic club
was represented by an immense float rep
resenuns the dangerous and mysterious
haunts Of the order. on top Of the float
was seated a new form OF the Tammanv
tiger with its mouth wide open and
splitting red fire. Standing erect and de-
fiant between the Jaws of the beast was
r Tammany brave with helmet lowered
and ready for any emergency The float
was very pretty and did great credit n
the new order. II was drawn by four
horses. on which were notices telling the
aims and objects of Tammanv.
Next came the float of the Friends Uni
Cersity. which was composed OF 4 COM /
mon platform on which stood the crack
football team % the university dressed in
their lighting clothes. Tho platform was
surrounded by a drapery Of bunting.
The h7ys kent mp the college veil alenE
the street and drew every body's atten-
ton
ouichita Lodge Of Red Men was hand
Eomely. represented by a float on which
was ARRANGED in natural shruhocry and
trees the scene Of a wilderness. and a
favorite hunting place for the red men.
In the front Of the scene was me form
Of deer sco0unE through the woods.
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