The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1901-02-06
LED BY KING EDWARD.
Military and Naval Escort for
Queens Remains.
A GORGEOUS PAGEANT.
Every Head Barred as the Gun Car
riage, Bearing Remains of
Dead Queen, Passed.

London, Feb with every circum-
stance of splendid pomp befitting the
obseQuies Of so mighty and well-beloved
q monarch, all that is mortal of Queen
Victoria has been borne through the
streets Of the capital and started towards
the ancient fortress palace of the SOW
| ereigns of England. The solemn mag
nihcence of yesterdays opening phase
Of these last rites were duly maintained.
| Perhaps the stately grandeur OF todayS
! sorrowful pageant through the swarmlng
streets of London, with hundreds of thou
| sands Of mourners forming black bor-
| der to the route, will never be surpassed.
| There was in VictOria's funeral pro-
| cession absence of that black ceremonial
generally connected with the final prog
ress to the grave. The coffin was drawn
by cream-colored horses. The pail was
white and the uniforms of the troops and
| the gold trappings Of the foreign sover-
eigns. princes and representatives fern
| ing glittering medley, gave brilliant COZ
| Orng to the scene. The chief mOurner
himself, with his field marshafs uniform,
even though this was partially hidden by
| his overcoat, surrounded by his corps,
| helped to leaven the symbols of mourn
ing marking the route.
Distinguished Mourners.
|
eign been borne to the grave attended by
SO many distinguished mourners. The,
gathering of crowned heads surpassed
those who rode in the jubilee procession.
| All the great officers of state participated.
The display of the naval and military
| forces reached the great total Of oo,OUO
| men.
The firing of minute guns and the
| tolling of bells at quarter past Ill an
nounced to the countless multitudes VINO
had been crowding London's muddy
| streets since daylight that the funeral
procession with the body of Queen Vic
toria had begun its passage through the
capital.
The scene at Victoria station from ear
ly morning was brilliant and impressive.
For today's ceremony the station was
transformed into an immense reception
hall. All trains were stopped before 3
and the long platform was covered with
! purple cloth On another platform, fac
ing that at which the Queens train was
to arrive, guards Of honor composed OF
bluejackets and grenadier guards were
| drawn up. The broad roadway separat-
ing the two was swept clean and sanded.
and a number of little purple-covered
platforms. from which members of the
royal party were expected to mount their
horses, were placed at intervals and at
| the side and center.
At 10 o'clock an army of grooms with
| u,
distinguished British naval and military
officers and foreign royalties, in dazzling
uniforms came in quick succession. The
| lord chamberlain and his officials, bare
headed with their white wands of Office,
received the most distinguished person
ages and conducted them to little pavll-
ion, erected on the platform.
Resemb1ed Levee.
The whole station by that time resem-
| bled the scene at a levee. The COM
mander-in- chief of the forces. Field Mar
| shall Earl Roberts, on a beautiful spirited
brown mare carrying his field marshars
baton, at this juncture trotted into the
/ station and became the center of inter-
est. He was soon followed by Earl
Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, and
many of the most distinguished British
officers. Then came the carriages for
| the Queen and the princesses. They
were the state carriages used on the oc-
casion Of the Queens jubilee, with beau
tiful, gold-mounted harnesses and trap
pings. The horses were ridden by
positions in scarlet jackets, with only a
narrow band of Grape on their arms. as
a mark Of the great change. The car
riages were closed.
With the exception that rubber tires
were on the wheels, the gun carriage
! was as if in usual use. The place for
the coffin to rest was over the gun. 1t
was then nearly IL o'clock when amid
cries of ''The King of Portugal's horse"
the Grand Duke of Hesse's horse" as
the princes mounted. the train steamed
into the station a minute ahead of time.
All heads were uncovered as the ca
loon carriage. bearing the Queens re-
mains stonped exactly opposite the gun
carriage and King Edward, Queen Alex
alighted. Then the bearer party adj
vanced to the saloon carriage and with
| his hand at the salute and standing a
! little in advanced of the others, King
Edward watched the painfully slow re-
moval of the coffin to the gun carriage.
1t was finally accomplished and the pail
and the regalia of the British crown
were placed on the coffin.
All Eyes on the Gun Carriage.
! by an officer came an object at which
every officer in the animated throng in
| stlnctlvely came to the salute and every
head was barred.
1t was the little khak-colored gun car
riage which was to carry Queen Victo-
ria's remains from Victoria to Padding
ton station. The eight Hanoverian
cream-colored horses, which also drew
the late Queen on the occasion of the
jubilee. were used today. The gold har-
nesses scarlet-coated positions and scar
let and gold-covered grooms who held
each Of the horses by the bride, were all
the same. Only the little gun carriage
instead of glittering glass and gold coach
marked the change.
Spectators Struggle.
The people fought for hours for a
glimpse of the coffin and the King and
others following it. They saw long pro-
cession of soldiers, passing show of
dazzling regalia, with hundred royalties
crowding after and then dispersed, while
all the church chimes of the city were
ringing and muffied dirges were played.
Europe has seen grander royal funerals
than the Queens and has a more gor-
geous spectacle in the celebration of her
sixty years of reign, but no episode in
the Victorian era will live so deeply i'm
pressed on the memories of those who
witnessed it or participated in the cere-
monies.
The day was somber, wet and chilly
rs are most of Londons winter days.
The cloudy sky added to the gloom of
the whole city.
A Number of Accidents.
There were quite a number of acct