The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-04

pied by those who occupied the floor and /
the galleries in the Senate Chamber 1t !
was estimated that 1.S00 people were seat /
ed on the stand. This was tastefully dec /
GRATED with flags and bunting draped
gracefully over the woodwork The IA !
cades and dome We're adorned with Amer !
lean fags and presented brilliant scene. !
Here they come" was the cry that !
went up from the crowd standing along I
the west front of the Capitol Grounds, /
when shortly after II o'clock the platoon /
of mounted police. heading the Presidents /
escort from the Executive Mansion to the !
Capitol could be seen coming slowly !
down PennsyIvaAia Avenue.
Here they come" was echoed all the /
way around the Capitol Grounds and ia I
ken up by the immense throns on the |
east front
Slowly the head of the escort appeared. |
and, after the First Division of the pa |
rade. which comprised the escorting col /
unIr. the Grand Marshal, with his
gayIy caparisoned aides. wheeled ma
jesticaIly from B Street into the Capitol
Grounds at E1-25
The Union Veteran Legion. the Depart
ment o the Potomac. Grand Army OF the
Republic, and the Union Veteran Union
followed their sombre blue uniforms con-
trasting with the gayly decked aides who
were lined up across the Capitol drive
way The column marched straight up B
Street.
The appearance Of Troop A Of Ohio,
the personal escort of the President. was
a signal for a great uproar Of applause
from the crowd Behind the troop came
the Presidential carriage. President Nc
Kinley. bareheaded, bowed. smiling, left
and right to the shouting mass of people
4 ID hr-f T
riage. turned into the Capitol driveway
and the President was driven to the low
er east door. under the main entrance
to the Senate wing
Behind the Presidential equipage
stretched q string Of carriages containing
the members of the joint committee Of ar
rangements, the members of the Cabinet
General Miles, and Admiral Dewey A
tremendous shout went up as the Presi- |
Dental carriage disappeared from the
view of the general crowd, under the por-
tico formed by the eastern steps of the
Senate wing. When the President ahght-
ed from his carriage II lacked q minutes
of noon
President Mckinley, who sat on the
right OF the carriage, jumped out before
Senator Hanna, whose govt rendered him
less nimble The President and Senator
entered the Capitol together, passing
through the vestibuIe to the righ-- up
through the marble corridor to the Presi-
dents room There was work awaiting
MI. Mckinley, as the retiring President,
in his room, as number of late bills
awaited his signature
Behind the President came the other
members of the Committee on Arrange
ncnts- Then came Secretary Hay. and
Secretary Gage, who were generously ap-
mander Of the Navy. strobe in arm in
arm with Lieutenant General Miles The
uniform Of lieutenant general, which
General Miles Wore for the first time, IS
= sartorial creation, worthy of mention
Certainly, Solomon. in all his glory new
er glOEed with the spIendor of the new
Lieutenant General.
About sixty people were assembled in
the Senate corridor when the President
and Senator Hanna marched through
More than half the crowd were Of the
sentler sex. It was a remarkable fact
that the people in the corridor. who for
the most part appeared to be strangers
in the city, merely stared at the Presi-
dent respectfully. and showed no tenden-
cy TO applaud. As the President and
Senator Hanna turned out OF the corridor
TO the right, however, a woman remark
ed audibIy-
why. we forgot to applaud the PresI-
dent
The burst Of handclapping that followed
made up for the omission
The white pillared rooted stand IL
which the oath of office was to be admin
istered faced directly south, and about
one hundred feet directly in front Of it
in the midst Of the crowd. was raised
white platform on which stood battery
81 n
10 the south and north respectively Were
packed with people standing In front Of
the President 5 stand the crowd spread
out A little 10 the left, in the midst Of
the crowd were some gaily capariscned
mounted aides. and further along Troop
A. OF Ohio. To the right, in a slightly
open space, near the outskirts Of the
crowd. the West Point and Annapolis ca
diets stood at rest.
The sun which had peered out Of the
clouds occasionally during the morning
became entirely obscured just before the
President made his appearance and a few
warm drops battered down There was
scarcely any wind Umbrellas began to
spring up Ike mushrooms here and there
in the crowd The Supreme Court Jus
tees and officers leading the Inaugural
column emerged from the main doorway
e the Capitol at PISS They took seats on
left Of the Presidential stand. Mem
rs % ~ Diplomatic Corps, headed b.
)rd Pauncefote. Of Great Britain. fol-
%ed. taking the seats reserved for
en- on the right
lice President Roosevelt. accompau!e5
by the officers OF the Senate. elected .
round Of shouts from the crowd IN.
blac]l-cIad members of the Senate and the
House followed slowly and stood In front
Of their blocks OF seats
The procession moved very slowly ana
meanwhile the patter Of rain changed To
q steady drizzle- The diplomats no has
come into the open first began to grow
very restless under the downpour
They hUddled up on the covered Presi-
dental stand and appeared very solicitous
about their laces and gold braid Jus,
before l O'Clock a shout marked the ap-
pearance Of Mrs. Mckinley in the Capt.
tOl doorway. She was preceded by Colonel
Bingham. On her left was General Cor
bin and on her right Dr. Rixey, while be
hind her walked a maid General Corbin
and DR. Rixey half assisted. half carried
Mrs. Mckinley down TO a seat beneath
the Presidential stand. where she sank
back or soft shawls.
Mrs Mckinley looked very white ana
fral, bat she chatted animatedly with
General COrbin and smiled and bowed al
the applauding crowds
Some time elapsed and the driving rain
died down Thunders Of applaf1se seraa.-