The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-10
EDW ARD And ALEXANDRA
CROWNED At THE ABBEY
The Dazzling Coronation Ceremonial is Carried Out
With Old World Pomp and
SplendOr.
STREETS ROAR WITH SHOUTS OF ACCLAIM

the household, and their cheers, with
the f1uttering of their handkerchiefs as
the King and Queen entered the royal
coach, gave the signal for the deafening
plaudits of the populace which greeted
their majesties as they emerged from the
gates. The ovation was taken up by the
crowds which thronged the Mall and was
repeatedly acknowledged by the occu-
pants of the state coach
The King looked pale and rather fine
drawn and was by no means as brown
and robust as previous reports had led
them to expect. While punctiliously bow
ing from side to side he did so with a
gravity very unusual to him. He seemed
to sit rather far back in the carriage
and moved his body very little. His
curious crimson robes and cap gave him
an unusual appearance. The Queen, be-
side him. was radiant. She never looked
better. The cheers which greeted the
pair s.were loud and Enthusiastically gen
uine, and very different from the per-
functory applause which usually greets
the appearance of members of the royal
family.
The three professions to the abbey
were carried out according to the pro-
gram, and the only striking features of
the first two were the gorgeous state
carriages and the beautiful trappings
and horses.
The crowd paid but little attention to
the occupants of the vehicles. In the
last carriage of the first procession sat
Prince Henry of Prussia, on the back
seat, but he was so occupied with talk
ing to the Duke of Sparta that he seemed
not to notice the crowd. The Prince OF
Wales also seemed very Indifferent and
stoliH, but the Princess of Wales bowed
and smiled constantly 1t was not until
the Kings procession came that there
was any show of enthusiasm Lord
Kitchener, Admiral Seymour and General
Gaselee, as they rode together of course,
came in for much attention, but they all
seemed to look straight ahead and pay
little attention to the people along the
route. Lord Kitchener in the resplendent
full dress uniform of a general, also
looked unfamiliar. and many persons did
not recognize him. The Indians were
undoubtedly the most picturesque feature
of the procession, while the state coach
of the King, drawn by the fat Hanoverian
horses which figured in all of the late
Queen Victoria's procession, seemed much
more like fairyland than usual.
ACCIDENT TO PELHAM-CLINTON.
The progress of the royal cortege was
marked by no special incident, with en-
ceptiOn of an accident to Lord Ed
ward Pelham Clinton, one of the grooms
in waiting. 1t was a continued triumph
and reached it's climax on the arrival at
hn oh hhnxy
unparalleled enthusiasm which did not
cease until their majesties disappeared
in the annex.
The accident to Lord Pelham Clinton
created considerable excitement in the
Mall. The groom in waiting, in a closed
carriage, was passing York Steps when
his conveyance collided with another
royal carriage going at high speed in an
opposite direction. The horses fell and
there appeared to be a bad mxup. The
police eXtricated the teams with some
difficulty and Lord Pelham Clinton, who
was only slightly hurt, proceeded.
In Westminster Abbey, the doors of
that edifice We're scarcely opened and the
gold sticks and ushers had barely found
their stations before the seats began to
fill. Peers and peeresses swept up the
nave, their scarlet and ermine making
vivid contrasts with the deep blue of the
carpet. AS they arrived before the
thrones they separated, the peers going
TO the right and the peeresses to the left.
Even when practically empty, the abbey
presented an interesting, picturesque eff
feet, the oldest feature of which consist
cd in every seat being practically COW
cred by a large, white official program,
in the center of which was placed a
small, deep red book of service.
Without the tapesties or light furnish
ing of the tiers upon tiers of seats which
rose fifty feet high, the combine of white
and red programs by itself produced
gala effect. The preliminary eulogies of
the decorative arrangements We're not
overstated. The entire scheme had been
carried out harmoniously, and even the
stands did not seem out of place. A pc
culiarly beautiful effect was presented
by the King and Kueen's boxes, compris-
ing half a dozen rows of chairs in white
satin, relieved only by the crimson of
the seats. Beyond the structural deco |
rations for the seating of the spectators, |
there was little attempt at any display |
and the old gray arches lent their state |
ly perspective to the scene, untouched by |
flags or any gleam of color.
The various chairs to be used by the |
King and Queen in the service attract |
ed special attention, but what inevitably |
caught the eye was the glittering array |
OF gold plate, brought from various royal |
repositories, ranged along the chancel !
and behind the altar. Amidst these sur
roundings, the Earl Marshal, the Duke |
of Norfolk, resplendent in white knee |
and heavily embroidered coat, !