Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-17
CORONATION ACTIVITY
London Makes Great Prepa-
rations for the Event.
BIG PRICES FOR SEATS
SPECTATORS, HOWEVER, MAY
BE LEFT IN LURCH.
This Happened to a Considerable Ex-
tent at the Late Queens
Jubilee.

Jubilee.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
LONDON. May Z, 1902.
Signs of the coming coronation are Wis
ible all over London now. Westminster
Abbey would hardly be recognizable by
those who knew 1t in its ordinary state. 4
huge stand almost covers the west front.
and all the pretty turf in front is covered
with boards and foundations for more
stands. The whole length of Constitution
Hill is one immense stand, with tier upon
tier of seats, those in the back row being
on level with the top of the wall of the
garden of Buckingham Palace. st. Glenn
ent Danes Church and St. Mary lie Strand
will be almost covered with stands, the en-
trance to the former being all but hidden
beneath banks Of timber
On the south side of the river, hear
seats are somewhat cheaper. and learn
that several clubs and large places of bust
ness have been offered seats at less than a
guinea each If they will take a number
There will be a stand erected at the house
of commons for members and their wives,
and know of one unmarried NJ. Z. who
has been offered a fabulous sum by a rich
American lady for the loan of himself and
his LADY s. seat for the day. He has not
closed with the offer. I hear that mot
transferable is to be strictly adhered to
with regard to the tickets. Several of the
large houses in Piccadilly are letting floors
to parties, and one in the best part has
Just been let for the two days for 600
ms Is to include good luncheon and tea
for twenty persons each day. One lady
on the line of route who is letting her win
dows is having all her furniture removed
and stout chairs and tables and drugget
on the floors substituted in its place St
Georges Hospital bids fair to reap a rich
harvest, being in such a favorable posi-
ton. Seats even on the roof near the CHM
neys are charged at 70 each.
Hope for the Late Corners.
But there is hope even for the late
corners, for with curious unanimity those
who make it their business to speculate in
windows and stands prophesy a slump"
in the prices. A seeker for information at
the offices of several of those agents in
forms me that their attitude was often one
of half-amused peSsimism even when quo
i>tatiOns were on their lips Of big sums al
ready agreed tO-such 600, 400 and
500 for a room in St James street; 800
for a second-foor window in Piccadilly f40
for pair in Fleet street, and so on. They
recall the fact that at the last jubilee
people who had long been holding out for
three and five guineas seat We're glad to
get half a sovereign at the last moment
The latter sum represents the absolute
that is over the water" perched on the
eyrie of a roof. The influx of Americans
and colonials during the last week or so
has only very slightly stirred the market
for even the man of dollars is inclined to
hold out for fail.
Nevertheless, the immense amount of cor
respondence that is going on betwe en- Amer
lean visitors and London agents shows a
| deep interest in the coronation which is
hopeful. The taking of the whole of the
Avondale Hotel, in Piccadily, by one
wealthy host, represents one of the big
things that have already been done Spec
ulators are eagerly scanning the horizon
for the brightest of signals-that is, for
NAL declaration of peace.
For Protection of the Public.
Scotland Yard is taking elaborate pre-
cautions to protect the public during the
festivities from the depredations of the
| skilled criminal classes. Those light-fin-
gered gentlemen who prey upon the pockets
| of the crowd are being more closely watch
ed now than ever and in the hope that
as many of these pests as possible may be
| safe within the walls of the gaols on the
occasion of the kings procession through
! the capital special endeavors are now be-
| ing made to procure their arrest
Those criminals who fly at higher game
| either in the way of housebreakng or the
| more intellectual course OF fraud ana
gambling are also receiving closer atten-
| tion. The other day the authorities were
| Informed that four notorious crooks
| from across the Atlantic were invading
| this country in the hope that the festlNi-
ties in June might result in rlch harvest
| for them Shortly after they landed their
Whereabouts were ascertained, and they
received one of those warnings which they
! were too wise to disobey.
They booked their passages by the next
| steamer and sailed again for New York
| On Wednesday last an officer from The
headquarters in Whitehall accompanied
! them to Liverpool and never lost sight OF
| them until the steamer hau cast OIL Ioli
| the pier
| metropolis In June next Scotland Yard is
receiving no small amount of assistance
| from the American and continental police.
| The movements of all dangerous persons,
whether their predictions for crime he
social or political are being communicated
| to Sir Edward Bradford and his assistants
by the police of the particular country in
| which they may be at the present moment.
To Close Westminster Bridge.
The authorities. in Difference to the opin-
| ion of experts have decided to close West
| minister bridge on coronation day. 1t is to
| be strongly barricaded at both ends. Any
! one who has seen the thick, unceasins
| crowd of people streaming across West
| minister bridge on fete days when any
| thing is to be seen in the West End will
| realize the danger of allowing this channel
| to remain open for the immense population
| OF South London to pour out onto the ap-
proaches to Westminster Abbey. The
stream. of course would have to be
| damned up at the end of Bridge road.
Thenceforward by the irresistible pressure
| from behind it would inevitably burst
through barriers and sweep over police
troops, procession and everything Hun
dreds of lives would probably be lost, and
there would be one of the biggest catas-
trophies of the kind, like that which re-
suited in an immense loss of life at the
cars coronation. The bridge WILL of
| course, be open on the day following the
coronation, when the royal progress is
made
Whit not definitely settled, it is more
than probable that free pardon will be de-
eiared for all deserters and other offenders
| in the British army in honor of the corona
ton. The proclamation will not be made
until day or two before the browning
itself and will be an act of royal clemency
The pardon will apply to all guilty of petty
offense and to all those who may have de-
serted from the army before the present
war, not to those who have deserted in the
face OF tie eIen:-, as many have done &.
South AFRICA, some OF whom have after
rf5c mi ha