New-York tribune., 1919-03-26
Confusion Mars
Work of Police
On Parade Duty
Continued from page 1

ers who tried to get near the front in
this section around the Public Library
were pushed back into the crowd be.
cause their passes were yellow.
Wounded soldiers who had tickets
for the benches opposite the Public
Library were told to move on. One
man was told his ticket was no good
it was an official one issued by the
Mayors committee. After being shove d
around with the crowd he got near
enough to a police lieutenant to ask
him whether his ticket did not entitle
him to a seat
"Our orders didn't say anything
about them," the officer remarked. But
/ guess you guys can get in, though |
don't. know whether you belong there
or not"
BY the time the soldier got to the
benches all were occupied. He finally
found room on top of an army truck.
Chairs for Wounded Removed
In front of ST. Patricll's Cathedral
at Flftieth Street three hundred chairs
that had been placed on the sidewalk
for the use of wounded men from Base
Hospital No. 1, at Gunhill road, The
Bronx, were removed by order of Police
Inspector Thomas Myers shortly before
the head of the parade arrived at that
point.
dozen wounded soldiers seated
there were herded around the corner
into Fiftieth Street. Frank w. Smith
chairman of the New York Chapter of
the Knights of Columbus, objected to
the police inspectors action on the
ground he had obtained permission
from the Police Department to place
the chairs on the sidewalk. His OBJ
lection was without avail.
The crowds, realizing the strength of
their superior numbers (the proportion
of people and police was about 200 to
~, broke through the lines at will in
many places.
The worst congestion was at and
around the Victory Arch in Madison
Square: 1t began soon after nine o'clock
an appearance. Up to this time the
police had the throng we'll in hand.
Lines Break Suddenly
Without warning, the lines suddenly
broke. The crowds surged out into
Fifth Avenue, first at Twenty-eiehtb
Street on the east side of the avenue.
They were pushed back by the police
and uniformed soldiers and sailors.
Then there occurred an overflow at
Twenty seventh Street.
Captain Thomas F. Walsh, in charge
of the police at this point, urged his
small force to push back the crowd,
but the bluecoats could not prevent a
complete overrunning of the avenue.
AT 9:45, fifteen minutes before the
scheduled start of the parade, this con-
dition had not been relieved. Police
Commissioner Enright. who had made
several trips up and down the avenue
previously, returned to the scene. A
lane just wide enough for his machine
to pass through was formed. He
with Captain Walsh. That was the
last seen of the Police Commissioner
in the lower section of Fifth Avenue.
Meanwhile, the lines broke also
around Madison Square Park. Police,
soldiers, sailors, marines, fremen
and even Boy Scouts were pressed
into service. But the line had broken
and there was no patching it up.
Every method of pushing the crowd
back was resorted to without perma-
nent benefit. At Twenty-seventh
Street, where the overrunning began.
two mounted police used their horses
to drive the people back
Around the Victory Arch mounted
police also were used but they might
just as we'll have attempted to fat
ten out block of rubber, for all the
impression made on the crowd. At
I,wenty-fifth Street, just back of
the arch, lane was made for the
entry of g police patrol.
AS the wagon reached the front
ranks Of the civilian parade reviewers
about twenty men and boys who had
climbed into it jumped out into front
row standing room. This was the