Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-02-03
THE PROCESSION IN LONDON
One of the Most Imposing Recorded
In History.

Al A1lStOrys
LONDON, Feb 2.-The gray dawn of
London morning, with the sky draped
with feecy clouds, proclaimed ideal
conditions for the funeral day of Eng
lands queen. The calm serenity of the
atmosphere was reflected by the crowds
which at daylight began to assemble at
every point of vantage along the route
OF the royal obSequieS. So soft, peace
ful and noiseless was the progress of the
gathering hosts that the constantly
swelling throngs and the tread Of the
assembling troops seemed to heighten
the excessive Stiffness The crowds
which so early gathered i'll the streets
this morning evinced all entire lack of
feverish unrest and excitement. The
great masses of police which assem- bled,
phantom like, in the grayness of the
morning seemed apologetiUally to tiptoe
to their allotted stations, as though
their presence reflected on the solemnity
dominating everything. Never did a
concourse of people so little need either
civil or military guidance. No man
standing by his mothers bier ever
needed admonition less than did these
hundreds of thousands of men and
WOAeuy ShCu6G6u 1IOln ali pdTIS VI UH6
kingdom, to attend the funeral of their
mother, the queen.
A Great Spectacle Recalled.
The strangest part of all was the fact
that the women seemed to outnumber
the men. te-ribboned nurses marked
almost every yard along the route. Just
as the Marys OF old gathered beneath
the cross at the greatest of all spectacles
of human grief. so women today were in
the forefront at the burial of the queen.
Troops there were, to be sure, thousands
upon thousands assembling spectre-hke,
their blue black overcoats and bearskins
deepening the note of mourning pervad-
ing everything.
In the great green spaces of Hyde
park, st. James and others these long
black lines stood silhouetted against the
morning sky, solemn, silent and pic
turesque, staunchly stemming the on
rush of that endless flood Of people pour
ing in from every street and avenue.
Purple was the color Of royal mourning,
and this seemed almost a relief when
contrasted with the silent masses of
black garbed crowds. 1t was the true
note after all of the days ceremonial,
for no one among England's heart
stricken people could look upon the
finished life of their queen with feelings
of entire gloom.
Buckingham palace, the great hotels
about the Victoria station, the princely
homes in Park lane and every shop and
house thence to Paddington bore ample
evidence of the national grief, and,
together with the purple and white fes-
toons, wreaths of bay and laurel were
hanging from every lamppost, while
flags at halfmast. bordered with crepe,
told III dignifed, simple manner the
story of the nations loss.
The Procession Formed.
At 1895, as the strains of Chopin 8
funeral march echoed through the
streets, every head within hearing dis
tance was barred. The gun carriage
emerged from the station during brief
and impressive pause in the procession,
and all eyes were centered Upon the
pail which covered the coffin.
The silence was almost painful. Heads
were bent low, and the gun carriage
slowly moved across the station yard
and took up it's place in the procession
Immediately behind it rode the king, in
a field marshals uniform, Emperor
William, also attired in British field
marshals uniform, and the Duke of
Connaught in generals uniform, rode
upon either side of the king. The uni
forms of all three were partly hidden by
their overcoats, which were made neces-
sary by the chilliness of the weather.
The King of the Hellenes and the King
of Portugal rode Immediately after
King Edwards and Emperor Williams
suites. Emperor William rode white
horse.
Enormous crowds witnessed the pas
sage of the cortege before Buckingham
palace, the London house of the dead
queen. High officials were admitted
within the railing, while outside stood
the weather worn pensioners of Chel-
sea, paying their last tribute
At the junction of the Mall aud the
Marlborough House the cortege was
viewed by enormous throngs. Cadets
from Sandhurst and Woolhurst and
members of the orders and house of
commerce occupied the stands. At the
bottom of the Piccadilly the boys of the
training ship Britannia were gathered.
The solemn, stately progress of the
cortege through the park was rendered
more impressive by the minute guns of
the nearby battery.