The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-31
STORM BREAKS UP
EXERCISES OVER
CONFEDERATE DEAD
Soldiers. Drenched, Fire Salute
Despite Rain-Frocks and
Uniforms Ruined by Rain
and Hail

True to the Memorial Day tradition,
a veritable cloudburst, this time ac-
companied by hail and electrical en-
helilshments, yesterday afternoon de-
scended upon Richmond almost with
out warning ard once more forcibiv
demonstrated the power of the ancient
foe. one j. Pluvius, to break up the
scheduled exercises at Hollywood in
honor of the Confederate dead The
STORM broke Just as the parade reach
ed the cemetery and made IL utterly
impossible to carry out any par 81
the program, except the firing Of the
salute.
Brsving the combined forces of the
elements. THE Richmond Howitzers
remained on tfae scene 70 pay this
tribute to the fallen heroes Of '6i-'fs,
The oratoricai and 7ther features
planned fer the Afternoon were necez-
sarily dispensed with.
THE storm king withheiS all indi-
cations of the impending disturbance
until an unusually large Memorial
Day crowd had wended It's way TO
Hollywood IN this firm belief that all
was we'll a3mospherically. and then.
having caught them without recourse
to an. bat natures shelter. his
majesty cut alaose with ali his pent
up fury. Hes.ry. black clouds hastily
osascured the sun and the atmosphere
was darkened 10 that sage where II
becomes feaFsoTne ~ SHARP rattle
af thunder and slr7ost ccaseless
flashes ef WICKED Eieh+ntHH announced
IN unn5staka ale terms the del1ge that
was To follow,
Crowd Drenched.
Fer possibly Axe minutes the rain
fell fr arr ar7F ~ al 4 mas .i@Nsa
mented by hail. modest enough AT the
beginning. IVA whiGa soon assumed
The pgoporti ons Of the p9nverhja3 egg,
pigeon instead : cen IA this instance.
however. The WIND was called lyon
10 reinforce ire thunder. lightning.
rain and hsi, and for thirty minutes
the combined elemental f,,rces cxerttj
themselves IN a styi% calculated TO do
Justice 10 nothlns oyf1er than a Rich
fss@asssa aissss A. ~ y
The Richmond Gravs' new unit
forms which @ers worn for the first
ftgs1s ~ d r4sfi.e rarasse. ~ls@~r@d the
sar.e fate that i1Ss n@faliesa the
Haues every time they have donned
their fuI, dress teege4r for Memorial
Day. II was a hedraggled battalion
which. as II slowly took UP It's tramp
back To the armory. belted the spick
and span start OF nr hour before. The
Blues. accustomed 10 the annual Me-
mortal Day u1enching. never broke
ranks, merely hesita.iHg near the
speakers pavilion and then turning
their backs to ire rain and their
faces honeward As they passed
down the muddy streets, with not a
dry thread on them. the members of
this historic organization made light
Of the situation by singing with great
volume and enthusiasm. Hall. Hail.
the Gangs All Here; What the -
Dc We Care" their magnificent white
plun1es all the while flying dehantly In
the face OF the wind, the rain and
the hail
The Grays. DESTROYS Of sparing their
new fnery so far as posi- ale, broke
ranks and ran heller skeiter for any
available shelter, most OF them taking
refuge under large trees and small
trees and, in fact, anything that gave
promise Of ,Narding on at least drop
ef rain Precious little sead did ns-
lures umbrellas do. however, for
when the battalion formed at the first
let up. those beautiful new uniforms
looked AS II their wearers had forded
a neck deep stream. A ripple of
laughter greeted their departure, when
the band struck up Happy Day" a
lire Of which reads, When Jesus
washed my sins away
The signal corps followed the lead /