The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-19
EN ROUTE TO CANTON.
Incidents of the Last Stage of the Flu
neral Trains Journey.

neral Trains Journey.
CANTON, o. Sept. 1S.-The funeral train
ran slowly after leaving Harrisburg short
ly after midnight, and daylight was dawn
ing as it arrived at Altoona, at the foot
OF the eastern slope of the Alleghenies.
But through the semi-darkness the forms
of many people could be seen strung along
the track. Without the depot a vast
throng, numbering three or four thousand
people. surged up to the train. Many
must have been there all night, and others
had waited for hours, as the train was
originally scheduled for that point at 3:20
a.
Extra engines were coupled at Altoona
and the train was pulled laboriously up the
mountains. The morning was raw, foggy
and cheerless. Mountaneers with axes
on their shoulders came down from the
steep slopes to pay their homage with un-
covered heads. Passing the summit at
Cresson, the descent began. Half the pop
ulation of Johnstown. the first of the great
steel-manufacturing centers through which
the train was now to pass on it's way to
the martyred Presidents home, was at
the track, and a company of local militia
stood drawn up at attention. Men, women
and children were there. Miners, with
lamps in their caps, had rushed forth from
the tunnels at the trains approach and
the steel mills along the Connemaugh
river were emptied. These were men who
felt that their prosperity was due TO the
system for which the dead statesman
stood, ana their loss seemed of a personal
character. Four women, with uplifted
hands, were noticed on their knees, and
handkerchiefS were at the lips of Others
and from the Smoke-covered city came the
sounds of the church bells changing out
the universal sorrow. The train slowed
down that the people might better see the
impressive spectacle at the of the
train, within the observation car the ele-
waited tiag-covered casket, with it's burden
OF flowers and its two armed sentries on
guard at the head and FOOT and outside
on the platform, soldier with his bayo-
neted gun, and sailor with drawn cut
they might have been carved out of stone
A little further on the train passed a
string of coke ovens the tenders at the
mouths of the glowing furnaces with their
hats i'm their hands.
At Jeanette were thousand or more
glass workers, with their families. At
Pitcairn, the end of the railroad division
train crews and engines were changed and
the railroad men were out in force At
Wtlmerdtng the employees OF the Westing-
house Air-brake Company were at the
track. and at East Pittsburg where is
located one of the largest electrical plants
in the world, were several thousand peo-
! the suburbs OF Pittsburg, that citv of
Drawn and muscle, which mas lust passed
through the convulsion of a great strike,
and the Industrial workers were strung
along the track in solid lines.
WITH UNCOVERED HEADS
At Bessemer the huge stacks of the Car
negie steel plant were pouring forth dense
] volumes of smoke and flame and under
! this black canopy the toilers gathered in a
J dense throng. standing mutely, with un-
covered heads. Just beyond. the great mills
Of Braddock gave out a multitude of grimy
workmen. and across the river. to the west.
is located that other great hive Of indus
| try, Homestead, the wharves of which were
| lined with men and women.
Entering Pittsburg a wonderfully impress
/ sive sight was presented Along both sides
! of the track. for miles, were solid walls of
humanity. In some places the people stood
twenty deep, while the embankments were
/ black with them. On the top of every
] freight car was a human hedge The over
| hanging bridges bent beneath their burden
/ The roofs of houses were lined and thou-
sands Of people stood with uncovered
heads.
! II was Just one minute before O'Clock
when the first section of the funeral train
/ bearing the body of President Mckinney
/ arrived in sight of the Pittsburg Union Sta
I ton. This train carried President Theo-
/ dore Roosevelt, the members OF the Cabi-
net and other government officials Ten
minutes ahead OF il a pilot engine and bal
/ gage car were sent out over the Fort
! Wayne road. The first section came
through the station at the rate of about
! twenty-five miles an hour. None OF those
who were on the train were visible and
I most OF the blinds were drawn. The second
/ section. or funeral train, was late, and did
not reach the station until 9:35. When IL
| came into view many of the watchers
! placed coins on the rails TO have the train
| run over them. and there were hundreds
| of these souvenirs. As the train passed
! the Fourteenth and Eighteenth regiments
of the National Guard they presented arms
| and the multitude stood silent with un-
covered heads. The same scenes were re-
| peated the train passed through Allie
! gheny.
| Ii is estimated that not less than 30. .00l
| people were at the Union Station. and 25. COZ
| at the Allegheny depot while the crowd
-. -.