HISTORIC CROSSING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 160, 8 June 1939, Page 9

HISTORIC CROSSING

OVER CANADIAN BORDER. INTO UNITED STATES. THEIR MAJESTIES’ VISIT. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) Received June 8, 11 a.m NIAGARA TALES, June 7. The greatest crowds in Niagara's history have gathered today to witness Their Majesties’ historic crossing to'the United States, says the special representative of the Australian Associated Press. Those present, numbered 500,000 and included thousands from the United States. Canada will surrender Their Majesties tor a four-day visit to the United States at the middle of -the arched span linking the two countries below the mighty cataract at 9.35 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). In this cradle of Canadian achievement where the monuments on many hills chronicle three centuries of hisiory, the international demonstration to-day was particularly significant, prom the grizzled ruins of the Canadian Fort Erie, where the boundary of the Niagara River begins from the hilly field of the sanguinary Battle of Lundys Lane in ISI4, from the American Fort Niagara, where the stream flows to Lake Ontario, the Union Jack and Stars and Stripes flew side by side. In the streets of the city of ISiagara Palls the Americans joined in the Na--1 ionnl Anthem and cheered to the echo ~f tiic Niagara canyon the Royal couple whose Canadian tour has drawn expressions of loyalty and aflectiou Prom the remotest corners of tko Dominion.

NEWSPAPER TRIBUTE. The Buffalo Times, in the first souvenir edition ever published by an American newspaper for visiting Royalty, says: “To-day, for the first time iii history, a reigning monarch of the British Empire has set foot on the boil of the United States. “The King and Queen will not pass am- border guards. None of the decorations wc hang out fur them will ho there temporarily to conceal tho frontier barriers. They will not pass any Maginot or Siegfried Lines. 'I ho only military they will see will be there onj v for show and to honour them. “Wc think they will find us talking about much the same thing and thinking in much tho same way as the people they have been visiting during the past couple ol weeks. We t-lunk they will detect in us the same unyielding love of human liberty that marks their own people. They may find our curtsies a little bit stiff, but when they shake our bands we will be offering the same sincere friendship with which they have been welcomed to their own Dominion. “They will find that this country and theirs are good neighbours and that ‘good neighbour’ is more than a phrase.” UNDER THE FALLS. For the first time since man organised the Niagara Falls into one of the world’s greatest crowd of attractions, iho famous cataract put on a private showing. Table Rock house. was dosed to the public and Their Majesties, who bad donned sou’-westers, waterproof coats and rubbers, picked their way through 1000 feet of dripping rock-cut tunnels until they stood right under the falls. Showered from head. to foot in clouds of spray, Their Majesties stood watching the water surge down before them, crashing with a thunderous roar just below their feet. The Queen had not seen the falls previously. The King visited them with a party of midshipmen front H.DI.S. Ci’-'berl-ind in 1913. The King crossed to Honeymoon Bridge ,but could not take the Queen to that sentimental span as it has been gone for many years, hut lie did take her to Table Rock where he also stood as a youth. It was then only half a rock. Tho King then .showed the Queen where the wire was strung when Blondin, the famous wire-rope walker, crossed in the presence of the Kings grandfather, Edward VII. At the new General Brock Hotel, replacing Clifton House where he stayed when he was Mr Johnstone, the King found Mr Vernon Curdy as the president. He had served him years before as the Clifton House manager. GREETING TO CHILDREN. Their Majesties dined informally with the United States Minister to Canada. (Mr Daniel Roper) and Mis Roper in the Rainbow Room at the top of General Brock Hotel, and sat at the horseshoe table overlooking both the Canadian and American falls. Floodlights of 1,400,000,000 candlepower illuminating the Falls were turned on when Their Majesties appeared on the balcony to greet 10,000 school-children who were massed below. Their Majesties reached Niagara after one of the most strenuous days of their tour. They received addresses and drove through the streets of Loncion, !ngersoll, Woodstock, 15ra.ntfo.rd, Hamilton and St. Catherine’s. As occurred yesterday, the Royal train proceeded throughout the day through an almost unbroken lane o. cheering people QUEEN SIGNS BIBLE. At Brantford, which is the hub of a huge reserve which, ill 1784 Britain presented to six nations of Indians tor their loyalty during the American Revolution, the Queen signd a Bible given to the Indians by Queen Anne in 1712. Among the crowd was Mr Angus McChellan his wile and •five-moliLlis-obl baby who Hew 1 100 miles from Yellow Knife, in the North-Vest Jeiritorv. to Timmins (Ontario) and the travelled by train 500 miles to Brant°Tlieir Majesties entered cars at St. Catherine's and drove 14 miles to Niagara by a new four-lane highw-o. L route an electric eye, operated A Royal car, dropped a string of ‘koto "christen tho road ‘Queen Eliza both Way.” .... , , The sight of the Union Jack 11, with the Stars and Stripes on J Niagara across tho river to symbolise IT, years or peace. was their lust welcome from the' United States. Meanwhile, says a Windsor Ontario) message, their tram n. » o"n Inte, due to delays caused by [he ne coming throngs and an nn schedule stop on the journey throng> •inhabitants crossed the houlc catch a glimpse of Royalty. 457eet °Ion" ami 15® high, reading i “Detroit wad comes Their Majesties the King and Queen,”

Their Majesties had experienced the most gruelling day of their tour, standing for hours on the back platform of the train as it crawled through towns and even crossroads thronged with immense crowds, and keeping up a seemingly endless round of greetings. Despite pain from an elbow injury received when the train came to a sudden stop at Stratford, throwing him against the wall on the platform, the King did not reduce the programme one jot. dho Queen, dressed in a light rose beige costume matching her fox neckpiece and white hat, was a striking figure as she stepped from the train. The King wore a grey lounge suit. r lheir Majesties, after a presentation of civic officials, conversed with war veterans. Thirty thousand school children, who had sat for hours in special stands some distance from the station, were bitterly disappointed when the Royal train failed to make a scheduled stop on the journey away from Windsor. Many cried in their disappointment. TRAIN HEAVILY GUARDED. Extraordinary precautions, which have been ordered by Scotland Yard, were particularly noticeable in Windsor. A car hearing mounted police was attached to the Royal train for the first time. More guards were in evidence than at any other time during the tour, and there were lower informal meetings between Their Majesties and admiring subjects. Lights erected nearby kept the train in a very bright glare. The special correspondent of the Australian Associated Press, in a message from London (Ontario) says that a heavy guard of mounted police is stationed at the London railway yards, where to-night Their Majesties are sleeping aboard the Royal train. The passage down the Niagara peninsula, the most heavily-populated section of Canada, has been almost like a Royal procession through the city. It is estimated that .1,500,000 people will see Their Majesties during 36 hours of travelling between Toronto and the Niagara Ealls. where J they will arrive at C p.m. to!morrow. Almost unbruKeii ranks of cheering people lined the railway right-of-way to-day. In some places people were standing knee-deep in a swamp. At one place someone shouted. “How ya, King?” The King laughingly replied, “I’m fine! How are you'?” Their Majesties spent almost the entire day 01; the re; y platform ol the train, returning salutes. To-morrow they will receive loyal addresses at seven Canadian cities at which they are making 10-minute stops.