Show IT WAS A GREAT PARADE President McKinley Views the Marchers and Visits Squadron Philadelphia Sept 3 Today was the big day of the Grand Army encampment encamp-ment and tlc city was alive at an early hour Admiral Sampson and the captains olLhis lleet made a formal call upon PresiSeat McKiriley for 9 oclock Afterward the presidential party including the AdmiraV nd the captains Centered car6 ana went over the rout of the parade The presidpnts carnage wasdrawn by four richly caparisoned horses With the president w re Governor Stone Mayor Ashbridge and G neal Louis Wagner chairman of th O A R executive committee Asthe president started up Broad street a great wave of cheering cheer-ing was started that never ceased until he had traversed the entire route of the parade The presidential party drove past the historic state house As he passed the 9 president took off his hat The party reached the reviewing stand at 1010 oclock and the president waited in the loom of the director of public works until the head of fhe procession reached the stand when he again made his appearance The head of the procession cession moved at 10 oclock and cesson move marched five miles j Independence hal was passed during I I the procession A chorus of 3000 schoolchildren I school-children assembled at thecity hal and j i ang patriotic airs as the veterans j j passed Post No1 from Rockford 1 Ills the oldest post in th Grand Army Ar-my headed the line General Jamqs W I Latta of this city was chief marsha Was a Great Parade Among the many relics of the civil war which appeared in the parade was I the worn and stained flag which was used at General Thomasheadquarters 1 Disabled veterans rode in carriages at the head of the line j In order came the departments of Illinois Illi-nois Wisconsin Ohio New York Connecticut 1 necticut Massachusetts New Jersey Maine New Hampshire Vermont Potomac Po-tomac Virginia North Carolina Maryland Mary-land Nebraska Michigan Kansas Minnesota Missouri Kentucky West Virginia Washington Alaska and South Dakota Thirtylive thousand men were in lne The Avenue < of Fame with its snowwhite columns and festoons toons of bunting and laurel was the fat orite view point The visit of the president to the I squadron proved to be the greatest I marine sprctacle ever seen here i was the intention to have I McKinley j visit only the New York but he grew 1 so enthusiastic over the great fighters that he visited the flagship New York i cruiser Brooklyn and the battleships I Indiana Massachusetts and Texas There was an almost continuous roar cf guns during the one and threequar ter hours that it took to inspect the > vessels In all 462 were fired b ces al 46 guns fre by the squadron In presidents salutes Drill For the President The president was received at the gangway by Rear Admiral Sampson and the staff officers of the ship who were In special dress unlfoim The rail was manned by the meii durlng the formal greeting The call to quarters was then sounded and every man onboard on-board the ship sprang to his place ad spranG though an engagement was about to start The sight greatly pleased the president Mr McKinley was then shown over the whole ship starting at the aft turret tur-ret in which two eiglitinch puns are located Standing within Jhe small in closure of the turret wereeight men naked to the waist who were going through the motion of loading sight lag and firing the guns The president watched the proceeding witli much Inter In-ter t He took a half an hour to go over the vessel and then the president expressed a Is to visit the other ships As he left the New York the entire en-tire fet again fired the presidents On all the vessels the men were drawn up along the Tails and all the officers were In full uniform Scene An Inspiring One j The return of the president to the 1 i shore was an inspiring one The Texas < was moored further out up the r clad cl-ad the presidential party had to pass I each of the great vessels ottlts return ito i-to shore The river was alive w kh craft crowded to their utmost capacity and t s capact ad I a great noise was being made As the barge neared the flagship the signal was given to salute and the six kig i ships again belched forth a terrific salute sa-lute Every man and officer on thej t j 1 ships stood at attention and the bands added to thedin by again playing Hail to the Chief resident McKinley proved to be a good sailor The river wa very rough because of the large number of steam vessels in the vlclmty of the squadron Thebarge constantly 1Ied violently J but the president rather enjoyed the shakeup A noticeable feature of the visit to the fleet was the presidents cordial I greeting of the men on each ship He never once forgot the boys and bowed to them upon boarding and leaving the ships The light for commanderinchief contnue and each candidate still feels sure that he will land a winner Colonel Albert D Shaw of Watertown N J seems to lead with Comrade Leo Rassieur of St Louis a good second The contest among the cities for the holding of the next years encampment has narrowed down to Chicago and Sat Lake City I is practically conceded I con-ceded that Chicago will be the winner |