The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-09-20
For Five Minutes Yesterday
Everything Was Sus-
pended Out Of Re-
spect to Mckinley.
CRAFT JOINED WITH CARS
Period of Silence Impressed
All-Memorial Ser
vices.

Precisely at $3.50 o'clock yesterday after
noon, while President McKinley's dead
body was being borne to the grave the
wheels of every trolley car on the lines
of the North Jersey and the North Hud-
son County Railway Companies ceased 10
revolve. Every car in the county came
to a standstill. The electric power mad
been cut off and remained off for exact
ly five minutes.
Ferryboats in their slips remained still
until the five minutes were up and those
in midstream, along with steamboats,, tugs
and other steam craft had their steam
shut o ffand drifted aimlessly during the
period. AS there was no business the
cars and boats were more than usually
crowded at that hour of the day.
Seven or eight cars were stopped be-
tween the North Jerseys depot at the
foot of Exchange place and the junction
of Montgomery street and Newark ave-
nue.. People merely sat still, some bowed
their heads. few removed their hats,
none could be seen or heard in conversa-
tion. There was the absence of that look
of annoyance so familiar on the faces of
many passengers when a car is blocked
for such a lie Myth of time. One motorman
was seen to remove his cap and remain
with his head bowed on the electric con-
troller of the car during the entire time.
Most of the people who were reading
dropped newspapers in laps and looked
down at the floor or out into the street.
All were impressed with the meaning of
the five minute cessation of everything.
All during the. early afternoon groups
were constantly hurrying to the ferry
boats to cross over and witness the street
scenes in New York and see the mourn
ing draperies of the great buildings.
Citizens of Greenville observed yester-
day strictly as day of mourning. The
pleasant parks, which are usually crowd
ed on holidays, were deserted last night,
and throughout the section the halls were
closed. At $50 o'clock in the afternoon,
the time set for the burial of the Presi-
dent, people stopped and removed their
hats and the trolley cars halted wherever
they happened to be.
Never in the history of the New Jersey
Central Railroad was there such a scene
as was enacted along the road when the
time set for burial arrived. The fast ex-
press trains of the Royal Blue Line that
fly between Washington, D. c., and this
city at a mile minute, stood stock still
for Eve minutes when $50 o'clock came.
So did every other train on the entire
road Not a wheel moved on the whole
system, and while the five minutes lasted
each locomotive tolled its bell. The pas
sengers stood in the cars and removed
their hats 1t seemed as though the five
minutes was half hour so dreary and
melancholy did it appear to the passen-
gers.
orders were sent along the Central Rail-
road yesterday morning to close up every
office excepting the ticket offices in the
stations and to send every employe home
who was not absolutely needed. This ac-
ton the road had never taken before, not
even on Sundays.
At the Westminster Presbyterian
Church, Jersey City Heights, last evening,
the Rev. c. Brett, D. D., drew forth ap-
plause during a joint memorial service
by saying that while he believed in free
speech and in free press, he thought
there should be line drawn at the GUS
tom of cartooning and caricaturing the
highest official in the nation and holding
him up to public ridicule.
The church was thronged at the SER
vices which were held under the auspices
of st. Paups E. L.. Simpson Methodist,
Summit Avenue Baptist, Westminster,
Grace Methodist, First United Presby-
terian and Bergen Reformed Churches.
The memorial services last evening at
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Boulevard and McAdoo avenue, Green
vile, were well attended. They were con-
Quoted by the Rev. Mr.. Sanft. the pastor.