The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-03

in silk, with gold and jeweled ornaments.
A gun carriage, Similar to the one used
in London was drawn up, and as ?
o'clock struck the tolling bells announced
the approach OF the funeral train, the en-
gine of which had its front decked with
magnificent wreath, tied with purple
streamers, with the imperial and royal
monogram In the center. Immediately
after its arrival Queen Alexandra and
the Princesses drove off to the chapel in
closed carriages. AS the coffin was lifted
by gendarmes the diplomatlstS and
officers stood at the salute.
Hardly had the coffin reached the gun
carriage when a dramatic incident oc-
Cured. The order had just been given to
start, the muffied drums rolled, and, to
the strains of Chopins funeral march,
the head of the procession had actually
moved off when it was found
impossible to induce the artil-
lery horses to move. They had
grown cold from long waiting in the Bit
ing wind, became restive. and narrowly
missed overturning the gun carriage. The
King looked terribly distressed and the
field marshal of the procession was nom
piussed, when the naval guard of honor
came to the rescue. The order pile
armsr' rang out, and che clean shaven.
smart looking men doubled to the front
and evoked the admiration of all by the
speed with which they removed the re-
fractory horses improvised ropes out of
the traces and started the gun carriage
with it's precious burden towards the
chapel.
The incident occurred at the spot
where Roderick MacLean shot at the
Queen in 1882.
The refractory horses only delayed the
procession fifteen minutes, as, by then -.J
Blue Jackets had harnessed themselves
to the gun carriage and the procession
moved on at a sluggish pace.
The Procession to the Chapel.
The coffin with the same insignia sur
mounting it as in London, was followed by
an escort of Life Guards, then came the
officials of the HeralHs College, Lord Roo
erts with the headqarters staff deputa-
tions from the PTussisn regiments, etc.
King Edward, Emperor William and tho
Duke of Connaught followed the bier
closely.
After them walked the Princes, foreign
representatives and Yeoman Guard, with
the military escort bringing up the rear
The start of the cortege was slgnaized
by minute salutes fired by guns posted
on the long walk, which were continued
until eighty-one shots had been fred one
for each completed year of the dead
Queens age.
Without further incident the procession
moved into the long walk. thence up the
sovereign drive to the grand quadrangle
where it passed beneath the dead Queens
rooms and thus on to St. Georges Chapel
The March to the Altar.
The chapel choir, the Archbishop, the
bishops and other clergy met the process
h., b, ~,
loft midway of the nave and the chancel
came the strains of Mendelssohn's march
from Songs Without Worls," in e mi
nor. The strains of the organ died away
and the choir commenced singing softly
the sentences for the dead. The soemn
cortege proceeded UP the nave, which
was thronged with the highest and
noblest women of England. Lord, Thou
hast been our refuge to Feltons setting
was next sung by the choir, which had
now taken it's pace in the transept to the
right of the altar.
The coffin rested upon a catafalque
placed at the steps of the altar The
cross over the communion table was
covered with white flowers and the re-
redos behind was almost concealed with
sprays of fern and lilies.
The Bishop of Winchester read the les
son from the Fifteenth Corinthians.
Man that is born of woman" was
chanted by the choir to Wesleys music,
followed by Thou knowest, Lord, the
secrets of our hearts"
Music Composed for the Queen.
The Dean of Windsor read 81 heard a
voice" and the choir sang the Lord s
PRAYER to the music composed especially
for the dead Queen by Gounod. Once
more the strains of the choir welled up
through the ancient chapel with the sing
ing of How Blessed Are They That
Die" by Tchaikowsky.
The Archbishop of Canterbury read the
collect, and with quavering voice pro-
nounced the benedicuon. There was a
solemn pause while all heads bowed. A
few sobs were heard and the choir then
broke the oppressive stiffness with the
sweet harmony of the Dresden Amen.
An impressive feature was the king
of arms pronouncement of the titles Of
the deceased Standing before the altar
he went through the old formula, ending
up with God, Save the King" delivered
so forcefully and dramatically that his
hearers started, stung into a realization
of the change of regime which had so
suddenly come about.
AT O'Clock service was over. The
Archbishop of Canterbury bowed his head
on the altar and prayed and the Kings
and Princes passed to the left of the
altar, leaving che coffin and the cata-
falque and passing into the castle.
Royal MOurners Rode Abreast.
Immediately after the company about
the coffin three royal mourners rode
abreast. King Edward VII was the CEN
trail figure of the three but no less os-
tentatious parsonage was seen In the pro-
cession. A black chapeau, with a plume
of white feathers was on his head and a
long black coalk was buttoned around
him, and hung down over the big black
horse which he was riding. The King S
familiar face seemed grave and care
worn. He looked straight ahead, appar-
emily at the gun carriage on which the
body Of the sovereign whose glory and
respons Utilities he had inherited. He did
not see, or gave no sign of seeing the
long ranks of soldiers hedging back the
popuace about him, the windows crowd
ed with black bonneted women, the mul-
titudes of uncovered heads the purple
draperies and the general wreaths every
where. He passed like a man alone, who
neither knew or thought of the world
| about him, and the sentiment his pres
ence inspired was only sympathy and
| pity. The people seemed to see in the
| King one of themselves, and the mumurs
| which arose there and there carried a
note Of sorrow and love almost as deep
as the expressions which greeted the
| passage of the coffin of their Queen.
Emperor Striking Figure.
Beside King Edward rode Emperor VIII.
liam, his nephew and neighbor. The uni.