The National tribune., 1902-10-16

overture, but Sunday was the kind of day
Noah used to regard as heavy weather.
The heavens overhead started in like a
leaky lake and the cold, chill rain poured
down with no line of division between the
drops; taking the starch out of the pro-
fuse decorations and Of the bedraggled
early birds prOwling around town in
search of things that selfish later-cOmers
might be likely to want. They got them,
too, in spite Of the weather; for the early
birds were what one Of the delegations
Bayard Post, Of Trenton, N. J.-prO-
claimed themselves to be: "A Few Spring
Chickens of 81" and they had the habit
of hustling for the luscious grub well de-
veloped and not forgotten. Weather never
damped the ardor of our boys out fora ging,
whatever it did to the rest of their anat-
Omy. y. % = '
Monaaysoct. 6.
. But there wasfeneVgh. of everything to
go round and tho gtayiier folks met their
reward also. Monday dawned bright and
sunny; a perfectG day. 1t was not too
warm and it wasr Hot tOo .chill-it was just
right. And so, latefI was each succeeding
day of the great EReasnpment, with never
break in the pleasant monotony. Bet
ter weather couldihDb.have been hoped for.
Like the little sirlowith the little curl,
when Washington weather is good, it is
very good; and this sowas once. At day
break it was alwaysicool but not cold, at
noon it was warTf but not hot. TIis was
one of the factors that contributed much to
the enormous success iOf the event. Every
body felt good, Aff1' when "Wednesday
came around. with the big parade, the
comrades fell iiiirto Fife and marched with
their 'olI-time VIM 8fiaI nerve. t'hi zen
Washington appreciated to the full the
honor which the Grand Army was confer
ring on her, and she showed it by cOpious
decorations and great preparations. Ev-
cry street was double line of flags and
flowers. There were prizes up for the best
decorated establishments, and the business
men tried to earn them. The most striking
private decoration was giant u. A. IL.
badge in cOlored electric lights displayed
by Seventh street clothier, although it
only received the second prize. the first
going to the Southern Railway for its vast
array of flags. The Pension Office had
another electric badge even more ornate.
A saloon man, himself a veteran, had the
colored electric bulbs assembled in the
form of an enormous flag across which a
rheOstat kept travelling flicker of light
and shade, giving for all the world the eff
feet of tapping folds. The funniest dec
grafton was n simple "WelcOme, G. A.
r." stretched across the portal Of a
Homeward Bound MissiOn-an establish
ment for the reclamation of wayward
young women.
In all the little parks along the Avenue
-"fatirons" Washington calls them-in
the VS. formed by intersecting streets, the
Government gardeners laid out corps en-
blems in colored plants. Over at the
Capitol two big search lights, borrowed
from the navy, revolved around the city,
occasionally being thrown on the Statue
of Liberty and the crest of flags above
the dome All the downtown portion of
the city was a mass of electric lights at
night In the Monument grounds the lead
ing fireworks man of the country had es-
tablished his headquarters, and every eve
ming there was scenic display, the Cap
ture of Pekin and what not, with rockets
to burn.
CAMP ROOSEVELT.
In the park back of the White House
was laid out Camp Roosevelt. The War
Department loaned several hundred tents,
and larger ones were used for Reunions,
while a lot of wall tents were devoted to
free quarters for the needier veterans. The
camp was a canvas city, complete with
post office, hospital, cOmmissary and suit
iers. and it was fully populated. The rush
of visitors to Washington, variOuSly esti-
mated anywhere between 100000 and 4OO,-
600, filled the town to overfiowing, and
these quarters were wanted. They were
comrades who had spent most of their
available funds in coming on. But these
were in the minority. 1t was a common
Washington remark during the week that,
taken as a body, few or none of the con-
ventions in the city bring so many thrifty,
prosperous-looking' meh. The same energy
which led the boys. IT. 1S6O-'65 to go into
the army, leaving thfs more lner 40 stay
at home, has since PVT them in the fore
f.o,t Of oil that IL ttninp in This country
Of ours And the iming veterans look
ed it. Il 6ef
QUARTERS F9RJEvERYBODY.
Washington is Hbtya large city, but
somewhere and s0tselrsw everybody found
quarters; very good quarters, too, for the
most part. The comrades had money to
spend for such things, and they spent it.
For some other things they did not, and
the saloon men and tile myriads of bowling
takers got little out OF, them. Ten years
ago, at the former lEncampment, the
acter of the Graiidi ARMY men, spent a
great deal of motley providing for the
enormous rush in trade they expected
long board prolOngations of their bars, big
stocks of whisky and all that The visi-
tors were elders in tile church and tenn
perance meE for the most part, and they
brought their wives along. They passed
by the gauuy 1Olnts, anu the SalOOn men
lost their investment. This time they were
warned by experience and didn't bother.
Which was wise of them, as proved by the
event.
Washington's railway accommodations
are not of the best, and the two railway
stations serving the three roads leading
to the North and West were simply
swamped. Local traffic was all abandoned
in them, being handled in temporary es-
tahlishments in the streets in the Suhurhs
Sunday and Monday, when the inflow was
at food, the regular through trains were
coming in from the West in 10 and IS sec
lions and much delaY VAS exnerienced