Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-15
10000 PARADE
OMAHA STREETS
TO HONOR FLAG
River of Flowing Flags Between
Banks of Human Heads is
Sight Long to Be Re.
membered.
MULTITUDE VIEWS THE SIGHT
Twenty Bands Play Patriotic Music
All Along the Line While
Thousands Sing.
SUSPEND BUSINESS OF CIT

The greatest parade, in point OF
numbers, that Omaha ever saw was
the Flag day parade yesterday after
noon.
Nearly 10000 men and women were
in line.
Thirty thousand school children
were grouped on the court house
lawn, the postoffice steps and other
places, singing songs and waving
flags.
A numberless crowd thronged the
streets all along the twenty-six
blocks that constituted ihe line of
march. The windows OF the buildings
had their crowds and men peered
down over the edges of the roofs.
And such parade!
River of Flowing Flags.
Viewed over the crowd it seemed to
be a river of flags flowing between
banks of human heads. Here and
there came big flags borne by men,
silken, gold fringed banners, topped
by golden battle-eagles. Other big
flags were borne in horizontal posi-
ton by fair young women.
But chiefly they were smaller, of
size convenient for the hand. These
constituted the great river of flags.
Often a ripple would occur in the
river, as when one of the school chill
dren armies would burst into patri-
otic song. Cheers were continuous.
The music of twenty bands, sound
ing the well known patriotic tunes,
made gay the marching army as it
swung along the streets.
The weather was perfect. Bright
sunshine with a cool breeze from the
west, just strong enough for comfort
and to give brave ripple to million
flags. Just in the middle of the pa
rade big, black, threatening cloud
came up in the west. But when it
saw that a patriotic parade was ip
progress it quickly made off again to
the south, refusing to attempt to spoil
such fair spectacle.
Business Ia, Suspended. .@}
Practically all business in the city
was suspended and employer and EN-
ploye, and employee feminine gen.
der), marched side by side in true
democratic style Mayor Dahlman
and the city fathers headed the pa
rade. Presidents of the big mercan-
tile and jobbing enterprises of the
city trudged along on foot beside
their clerks, department heads and
stenographers. Professional men
were there. A company of trained
nurses in their white caps and uni
forms were among the thousands of
fair marchers. Various lodges, the
railroads, the stock yards, clubs,
schools and so on were in line.
Oh, nearly everybody was either in
line or looking on.
The precision with which the man.
moth procession moved evidenced or
ganizing genius. Scheduled to start
rom Twenty-fourth and Farnam
streets at 2;30 p. m., it started right
at that time 1t kept moving, too.
Sixteen Abreast.
Sixteen abreast, the men and Wom-
en marched, with close ranks and at
brisk step. The marchers passed at
the rate of about $50 minute. The
parade took an hour to pass.
The route was from Twepty-fourth
and Farnam to Sixteenth, to Capitol
avenue, to Fifteenth, to Douglas, to
Thirteenth, to Farnam, to Fifteenth,
to Harney, to Sixteenth, to Leaven-
worth
Everybody in the parade walked,
excepting only the Grand Army of the
Republic contingent. These gray
haired veterans of the flag in the
Civil war rode in automobiles with
their wives, Their spirits, indeed.
were willing to walk, but their flesh
is weak. But they waved their flags
as vigorously as anybody from their
aag-decked vehicles,
The one thing in the way Of "fea-
ture' in the parade was a group of
three men dressed to represent the
famous Spirit of '76' painting, sorely
(Cont;nred ou pao, Coi,,,,,,, y