The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-28
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dfUnfhiha fainatNfm Thr altar hnd h~sn
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II Waa beautifully decorated Ni'h flowers
and directly behind " waa hung an mm"nse
American nas On tho altar s"ro half q
dns~u priests. thero ~ them In fIeh vest
m@nss " purple and gold. whiic iha others
worr black caa-orhs aud wht" sutplices
adorned with u wealth ~ beautiful lao
Just ~ tho choir " iUu ynirns l'gar 70
sing tha Gloria to tho accompaniment "
thn band the heavens seemed ~ otcn and
a great downpour followed Many In tho
rrca, crowd that stood Ia the field broke
and ran for sbelter. but y large majority ~
tho worshippers stood with harcd heada To
tho end Thea violence ~ the storm in
creased until Il was almost impossible %
distinguish the altar a hundred feet away.
The priests. among whom va the vener.
able Father William Olm-tcad, who was
Brleadicr- General ~ Volunteers during the
civil war, continued the impressive core
mony apparently without heed Of the
storm, and the choir sang IN splendid har-
mony Among the singers were many
women dressed in light spring costumes
and befeathered hats. Az the heavy down.
pour increas ed In force they we're drenohed
TO the skin and the c~oloring In the feathers
ran down on their white waists.
In the meantime the worn BY
the celebrant 81 the mass, the deacon and
s,Ib-ieacon had become soaked, and the
rain which fell upon their barred heads
streamed down their faces. The other
priests and the hundred or more acolytes
who assisted at the ceremony were also
drenched, but all stuck to their posts.
After the Gloria some one passed an UNI
brella UP TO an assistant priest and he held
it over the head Of the celebrant until the
service was finished.
When the storm was at its height 1t was
decided to turn the solemn high mass into
a low mass in order that the ceremony
might be more quickly finished. The re-
mainder Of the musical division Of the ser
vice was then abandoned, but a good part OF
the, choir remained in their seats on the
platform to the end Out on the field the
numerous military and civic organizations,
sailors and marines stood their ground while
the rain struck them in binding sheets.
A large delegation Of the Knights Of CO.
lumbus, together with many men and women
who had come to near mass, also remained
until the last Gospel was said. They were a
sight when they retired from the field.
There was a lull in the storm just after
the Conservation, and Father Reaney, he
celebrant, delivered a brief sermon on the
dead soldiers and sailors for whom the
mass was celebrated.
When the priests had retired to the quar-
tiers assigned to them it was found that the
handsome vestments they wore were com
pletely ruined, as were the altar pieces, in
Guiding the mass book Of the receiving
ship Hancock, TO which Chaplain Reaney is
attached.
The crowd began to arrive at the navy
yard hours before the time set for the oere-
mony To begin. They came from all parts
of the greater city and the nearby New
Jersey towns, some of them starting from
home as early as $40 O'Clock in the MORN
ing. There was no way to reach thecampus
except through the narrow, vault like
entrance at Adelphi street. The great field
with It's high white altar was roped of and
the spectators stood around the entire
enclosure from four to six deep. When
the fest sprinkle came shortly after 10
o'clock there wGs a great rush to get out.
The narrow entrance got choked, and it
was something Of a miracle that no one
got hurt in the crush. The police, how-
ever. succeeded in Strengthening the tangle
out and in saving a number of children
from being trampled, Every time a new
shower started this rush was repeated,
and those who got caught in it were soaked,
because the mass ahead of them moved SO
slowly through the entrance. A large
. number of the spectators took refuge under
the balcony of the barracks, and they Jared
much better than those who tried to escape
to the street.
The mass was under direction Of Glouces-
ter Naval Camp, No. 8, United Spanish Wal
Veterans. Father w. II. I. Reaney, the
celebrant, is the Chaplain-in-C Chief Of the
Spanish War Veterans. The deacon OF the
mass was Father John Chadwick who was
|. the chaplain Of the battleship Maine when
she was blown up in the harbor OF Havana.
Father Olmstead was the sub-deacon and
Father Gleason Of San Francisco and Father
Nash and Father McGrath Of Brooklyn
assisted. Among the National Guard
regiments represented on the field were
the Sixty-ninth, Fourteenth and Forty
seventh regiments. There were present.
too, four details Of marines, men from all
the warsh;ps here, representatives Of many
Grand Army posts, together with the
Knights of Columbus, the Army and Navy
Union Of New York State, members Of the
A. o. H., st. Johns College cadets and the
Young American Volunteer Corps All the
military organizations were in uniform
and the men wore side arms. The music
was provided by several military bands
and the singing was under direction Of
Prof. A. 8. caswer.
After the mass the marines marched to
| the Naval Cemetery near by where they
fired three volleys over the graves Taps
was then sounded.
The religious servioe was patterned after
the masses said in the open air at Washing
ton at the close Of the civil war for the re-
pose OF the souls Of soldiers and sailors who
! died in the conflict. For several years
past these masses have been celebrated in