New-York tribune., 1921-06-12
f)ownpollr Cuts
Short Bronx
Finest Parade
Grand Concourse Filled for
Near 2 Miles by Marchers
i'm Gay Attire "a Sudden
Shower Brings Confusion
300, 900 View Profession
School Children. Soldiers
and Civic Workers Help
Celebrate Borough Day

A sudden shower brought to an un-
timely end the great Borough Day
parade in the Bronx yesterday after
noon. What mad been an orderly and
beautiful procession, filing the Grand
Concourse for nearly two miles with
moving blocks of red, white and blue
figures of school children and the
khaki-colored ranks OF soldiers, became
at $3.50 p. m. hysterical mass Of
twenty-five thousand persons seeking
shelter from the torrents.
Little girls with stained and drip
ping fnery wept as they huddled under
few inadequate umbrellas while an
indiscriminate mass of mothers and
babies and aldermen and drum majors
and heralds and Spirits of the Republic
and Boy Scouts rushed for the nearest
street car lines. City fathers stalked
toward the Elks Club, silk-hatted heads
held high, defying any one to prove
that they were hurrying unduly. Mayor
Hylan shared his umbrella with Father
Francis P. Duffy, and even permitted
closer, but in the end even that pro-
lection was insufficient and they all
rushed for their automobiles.
Handsome Decorations
it had been, however, the best parade
the Bronx ever saw Everybody agreed
about that The Grand Concourse was
decorated to the roofs with fags and
bunting, bohbing red balloons and con-
fetti. Two hundred thousand persons
came out to see the parade, lining the
avenue from 161st Street to Fordham
with q cheering, fag-waving crowd,
while from the fire escapes and the
roofs of garages another hundred thou
sand or so of small boys supplemented
the blare Of the bands.
The parade began at 8 o'clock and
would have lasted three hours, had it
not been interrupted by the thunder
storm. AS it was, the crowds saw all
their civic employees, with white straw
hats and carnations in their button
holes; they saw their soldier friends in
the familiar Fhaki of wartime parades,
and they saw $500 school children
from public and parochial schools. The
children were the great hit of the
aay, the little girls in white skirts and
MILDLY blouses, with colored paper hats
and sashes, the little boys in white
blouses and jockey caps, showing their
crepe paper creations it would be un-
kind to relate, but fortunately they
mad all safety passed the grandstand
before the catastrophe.
Mayor Hylan expressed himself as
much impressed by the marching chill
cren.
"They stepped along like West Point
ers," he said. "This certainly is the
best parade ever held in the Bronx,
nd ha
would soon be the king borough The
children, who will be its future citi-
Zens, reflected great credit on their
teachers and pleased me very much
by their trim appearance"
"Mfss Bronx" Heads Line
The first float in the parade showed
Miss Bronx" in white robes, attended
by sixteen minions, who carried
rlacards setting forth the population
OF sixteen proud cities, which are
really smaller than the Bronx, with it's
daughter of the executive secretary to
the Borough President, was "Mss
Bronx"
The bronze PLAGUE offered by the
Veterans of Foreign Wars for the best
decorated house was awarded to Will
liam Forger, ITO Grand Concourse
during one of the halts in front of
Mr.. La Guardia's brand new silk hat
was the center of 80 much attraction
on the grand stand that he was obliged
TO make statement to the reporters
that the silk hat had no political sig
nificance.
Two former borough presidents,
Douglas w. Matheson and Cyrus W,
Miller, father of Borough Day,"
watched the parade, and were Joined
by the present incumbent, Henry
Bruckner, after he had completed his
march. Others in the grand stand
were Arthur II. Murphy; Thomas H.
Whittle, surveyor Of the Port of New
York; Brigadier General William Wei
del, from Governors Island; John
Hume, and Magistrate John E. Nc
Geehan.
The celebration of Borough Day
lasted all the evening, with special per-
formances in vaudeville and motion
picture houses under the direction of
Albert 7. Darling, chairman of the
"Clown Night" Committee.
Order of Parade
The order of the parade was as fol-
lows:
First division, Colonel Robert W.
Marshall commanding.
Second division, city, borough, county
and judiciary, Borough President
Henry Bruckner commanding.
Third division, public school chill
dren, DR.. William O'Flaherty command
ing.
Fourth division, veterans, Major
William T. Deegan commanding.
Fifth division, parochial school chill
dren, Brother Cleophas commanding.
sffssE-s.rs.s.s. S.4zss.s