The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-05
Thousands Gather Before the
Capitol Hours Before Time
Setfor The Ceremonies
SHORT ADDRESSES MADE
ACCEPTING THE OFFICES
Chief Justice Fuller, With Flowing
Gray Hair, Pronounces Oath to
Mr.. Roosevelt In Pressnce
of Multitude.

Washington. March 4-President
Roosevelt took the oath of office before
vast gathering of the people he has
been elected to serve. The attendant
| scenes were not unusual. Inaugurations
from the time the east front of the cap
itol first became the setting for the GER
emony have been much the same. Many
of the central figures have officiated in
| IKE capacity on other occasions when
Presidents have aceeded to the highest
office In the gift of the American people.
| Chief Justice Fuller, in administering the
OATH repeated a solumn function he has
| performed four times-today his last.
Yet, with all this repetition, nothing was
| Jaded and everything appeared new.
The great crowd assembled for the
| browning event of a day full of features,
| cannot be estimated even by comparison.
1t extended far beyond the reach of the
voice and was so densely packed as to
carry the stage out of the sight of many.
The capitol plaza, resourcefu in accom-
modating thousands eager to view the
ceremony, was completely filed People
came by its numerous streets and ave-
nues, which, like SO many yawning raw
enous maws, greedlly swallowed the
throng until every coign of vatage was
occupied. The trees, barren of foliage,
carried their human burdens on limbs
capable of bearing the weight of man or
boy, and so far away as the terraces and
marble steps of the Library of Congress
thousands stood.
Sought Advantageous Positions.
Hours before the ceremony could be
expected to take place the people sought
the most advantageous positions They
came by every means of conveyance,
carriages dischargng their occupants
blocks away, and cars In steady stream
unloading their passengers within the
prescribed area from which the UNI
licensed vehicles were excluded. The
number of conveyances of all kinds was
totally inadequate to meet the demands
of the public.
The scene was one of remarkable ami
nation. Those who sought places main
tanned n running fire of railery and
pushed and jostled each other. the sound
of their voices mingling with the shut
| fling of feet on the asphnlted plaza. 1t
was cosmopolitan public, varied and
exclusive, taking on those who from
force of circumstances and lack of oD-
portunity were unable to gain desirable
places to view the grand procession that
was to follow.
Although the ceremony differed little
from those that have preceded it, in the
great sea of spectators probably there
was a larger number of representative
Americans than any Inauguration has
brought to Washington The eastern
states We're rivalled In point of attend
ance by reason of President Roosevelts
great popularity in the middle and far
west Delegations We're present from
every one of the insular possessions.
Many of them had never seen the cap
itol and, to a large number the naugu-
ration of President was wholly strange.
Show Signs of Restessness.
During the hours intervening between
the gathering of the crowd and the Ger
emory there was no letting down of the
tension of interest. The passing of a
uniformed horseman was sufficient to
call forth cheers, although in some sec
tions the multitude showed signs of
restlessness. This was true particularly
ON the outskirts of the throng where
pressed by constantly arriving recruits,
many struggled to get nearer to the
point of interest. The effect upon the
densely packed multitude was a contn-
uous surgng backward and forward-a
turbulent sea of humanity
The rendezvousing of the troops, com
mttees and civic societies. entertained
the crowd throughout the long walt in
cident to the schedule The various or
CARNATIONS arriving by different routes
passed into the narrow defiles which the
police kept open, the brilliant uniforms
of the troops the bright sashes of the
committees and the rich caparisoning of
the horses lending themselves to a kaleid-
oscopie, panoramic effect Cheers upon
cheers greeted the constantly shifting
picture.
Troops Take Position.
As rapidly as the troops arrived they
took the positions assigned them. The
military escort stretched far to the left
and consisted of all branches of the
service-horse, foot and artillery TO the
right were grouped division after division
of state troops and in different places of
honor the other organizations took their
stand to await the signal to move. The
tramping of feet, galloping of horses. the
hoarse orders from chiefs and marshals,
the rattle of Announcements and occa
sional bugle calls contributed to a pam
demonium of sound to which the public
is unaccustomed at such close range.
The movements of the gathering troops
and organizations We're not all the crowd
had for its entertainment. Directly in
it's front preparations We're in progress
for the Inauguration itself. A monster
stand in the form of an open amphithe-
atre had been erected on line with the
rotunda of the capitol and there decor
ators were engaged in arranging for the
ceremony and ushers busted themselves
learning the sections to be assigned to
the various officials and distinguished
guests
The stand itself was of symetrical ar
chitectural proportions, on different
plan from those used In former years.
For this occasion 1t had been built in
the form of a semi-circle inclining to a
level platform on which was placed a
pavilion for the Presidents personal use.
The amphitheacre accommodated nearly
1000 persons. Jutting out from the main
entrance the platform, with its decora-
tions of flags, bunting. palms and flowers
was in brilliant contrast to the naked
purity of the stately capitol. on which,
by act of Congress no decorative drap-
ing is permitted.
Take Seats on Stand.
Some time before the beginning of the
inaugural ceremony several thousand
persons holding tickets emitting them to
seats on the stand began to tike their
places. BY IL o'clock the human garden,
which had fourished in the Senate and
House galleries. was transplanted to the
open air amphitheatre. The brilliant cos-
tunes of the women gave to the scene
the finishing touch Of color Added to