News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1899-09-20
QUAKER CITY QUIRKS.

Grand Army Encampment which
brought to the city something like
100000 visitors during the week,
Sept. to 8 inclusive, vast crowd
to be aide to the million and a half
population of the city, and yet there
was room for more. The veterans
from nearly every state in the Union
captured this great municipality and
stirred the patriotism OF an intensely
patriotic people.
The decorations were evidence
enough of this and the colors of old
glory in flag, bunting and electric
lights were lavishly unturled, tes-
TONED and hung everywhere, grand
and inspiring sight. The special dec
orations by the city on and above
the city hall and the Avenue of Fame
stretching from Walnut street on the
south to Cherry on the north of that
building, on Broad street, was thing
of beauty. The hat crown on the
statue of Uncle William" as the Penn
statue on City Hall is locally referred
to is SAT feet above the street and
yet the passing of great strings Of
electric lights to that height success
fully done.
The great parade was witnessed by
hundreds of thousands of people and
was a moving spectacle in more ways
than one. For six long hours from
eleven O'Clock in the forenoon until
five in the afternoon, the veterans
passed, accompanied by hundreds of
bands and drum corps. This means
that the parade was six hours pass
ing one point, and on and on it went,
grouped in fine order by states and
posts and other organizations; a
sight never to be forgotten. Three
veterans dropped dead on the line of
march that day and $50 persons,
veterans and Others, were taken to
the various hospitals in the city, and
yet the distance covered was not so
long, the line forming on Broad
street, north of City Hall, passing
around the east side of that building
to Market street, to Fourth street,
to Chestnut and up Chestnut past
Independence hall to Broad.
The colored:population of PhiladeI-
phia, numbering about..45,0 900 were
lavish in the display of the National
coloIs, and the numerous colored Or
CARNATIONS in the parade received
their full share of applause along the
line of march.
Rear Admiral Simpsons fleet of
war ships anchored in the Delaware
was a great feature in the week. g
events; the parade of the naval forces
on land on an occasion separate from
the G. A. R. parade was an interest
ing event and a barouche carrying
President Mckinley, Real Admiral
Sampson, Capt. Sigsbee, Capt. Clark
and Bob Evans met with very en-
thusiastic demonstration on all sides.
The VermOnters, while not as
strong in numbers as some other
state representatives here, made a
creditable appearance in the big
parade, and the sprig of cedar in the
hat marked the Vermonter every
where. The Vermont W. R. c. was
ably represented by the President,
Mrs. Clara Bradley Niles, and the for
mer President, Mrs. Florence II.
Gates, and through the thoughtful
ness of these the writer and his better
three-fourths had tickets to the re-
viewing stand at City Hall. Other
Morrisville people here were Mr.. and
Mrs. Austin Wilkins, Mr.. and Mrs.
O. M. Waterman and Mr.. and Mrs.
T. c. Cheney. The latter couple we're
for time the guests of the genial
Capt. Clark of Oregon" fame, at
League Island Navy Yards.
At night the war ships stationed
off the foot of Walnut, Chestnut, Mar.
ket, Arch and Vine streets, were bril-.
liantly Illuminated with special cleo
trio display, outlining the great war
machines prominent in the conflict OF
a little over a year ago, but now
shorn of their war paint and once
more in the pure white of peaceful
days. The search lights on these YES
sells were brought into action and
added to the brilliancy of the night
scenes on the water witnessed by
thousands and thousands on shore
and by the thousands who took ad-
vantage of the numerous ferry
boats crossing to Camden, N. j., op-
posite.
The enterprise of the daily news
papers of Philadelphia was particu-
larly noticeable during the week of
the Encampment. Each issue of the
several dalies were profusely ilIustrat-
ed, the publication offices specially
decorated and a hustling force of re-
porters catching all points of any in
terest to the largely augmented list
OF readers. Very fine exterior and in
terror decorations were noted at the
offices of The Press, The Public Led
, ger, The Record, The Bulletin, The
Times, The Item, The Call, The Tele.
graph, The North American and The
Philadelphia Inquirer.
, The latter paper erected a large
!, band stand over the sidewalk in front
!, OF its, home on Market street and en-
! gagged popular band to stay there
every night during the week. This
: paper has been waging active wal
against the edict that went forth
excluding automobiles or the horse
less carriages, from the fineroadway.