Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-03-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
iFRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, ID. c., MARCH 9TH.

iFRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, ID. c., MARCH 9TH.
That the best laid plans of mice
and men gang oft agley" was never
better demonstrated than in the in
auguration of the new President
Thursday when the elements gather
ed themselves together for the most
disagreeable day of the winter and
succeeded in multiplying to an almost
incredible degree the efforts that had
been made to have this Inauguration
surpass any that had preceded it.
"Wednesday, the day before when the
immense crowds had gathered in an
ticipation of the ceremonies and cele-
bration, dawned wet and cold. Rain
fell all day and toward night there
were lightning and thunder and
heavy showers. Later the snow be-
gan and continued to fall until the
streets were buried several inches
deep. By daylight the city was cut
off from outside communication, tel
egraph and telephone wires were down
and the wind had brought down the
poles and left loose wires swinging in
the streets. Never before had there
been such desolation on Inauguration
day. The seats in the grand stands
which had been erected all along the
line of the march were banked with
snow. The decorations had either
faded out in dideous blurs of red,
white and blue or they had fallen to
the pavemcnts from their weight, of
snow. The light wooden pillars
which had been stationed along both
sides of Pennsylvania Avenue lay in
the streets with their decorations OF
flags and wrcaths buried in the snow.
The cutters were filled with ice and
slush and it was impossible to cross
the streets without going over ones
shoe tops in the icy food. Compar-
atively few had the courage to ven-
ture out in the gale and storm SO that
when Mr.. Taft accompanied by Mr..
Roosevelt was driven swiftly up the
Avenye to the Capitol there was only
a small struggling, shivcring crowd to
greet them. Strangers in the city
who had shelter were glad to stay in
doors and the residents accustomed
to the mild temperatures of this semi
southern climate scarcely knew how
to face blizzard that seemed more
suited to the Dakotas or Canada
Thousands were without adequate
shelter. The troops recently return
ed from Cuba were assigned to canvas
tents near the river bank and after
two years in IL tropical climate found
Themselves in a subartic temperature
with no other protection than these
fimsy tents afforded. At the rail-
road station all was confusion and
chaos. Wires being down there was
no communication with incoming
trains and these arrived unheralded
from three to thirty hours late. Many
of the passengers arriving at night
did not venture out of the station to
find lodging and fifteen hundred peo-
pie spent the night in the station.
Hundreds of others did not arrive in
time for the Inauguration at all but
came in on the limping trains many
hours late. Many others reaching
the city gave one glance at the condi-
tons and boarded the next train out
for home. Baltimore hotels were
crowded by the Inauguration visitors
who got as far as the Monumental
city and divining the conditions at
the Capital stopped off there. The
West Point Cadets, did not get into
tn" city until the next day and suf-
fcrcd as many others from lack of
food and Accommodations on the train
which had not provided for such an
cxigency. 1t would take columns to
express the disappointment and dis
gust of the strangers who had come
from great distances to see the lnaug-
uration and Congress came in well
for the righteous Indignation OF every
one for not having long ago changed
the inaugural date to later season
when better weather might be count
ed ON.
1t was impossible for Mr. Taft to
make his address outside the Capitol