CORONATION INCIDENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7869, 3 August 1911, Page 5

CORONATION INCIDENTS

flashing the news. FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. LONDON, .Time 23. It was but a,few seconds after the actual coronation that word of it had flashed round the Empire. Tho crash of the puns in Hyde Park and at tho Tower were tho first intimation to the hundreds of thousands patiently waiting in tjio streets of London. A special telephone! connected the batteries with the Abbey; a telegraph station, occupied the ground at tho Horse Guards; flag signallers were stationed on Victoria Tower and Westminster Abbey The* arrangements for flashing tho nows were so complete indeed that the salute boomed out simultaneously all over tho kingdom and the overseas dominions. . , , , . ...... Punctually at 10 o clock last night the bonfires flashed out their message. London was fringed with flame. From Land s End to John o' Groats, from Lowestoft Ness to the mountains * of Wales—on almost every peak in Ireland—the tongues of flam© leaped among the pyres, and the sky blazed with the many-col-oured lights of rockets.

The largest London bonfire was in a field to the east of the railway at Grove

Park, S.E. It was visible at Harrow-on-the-Hill.

Ono of the most exciting incidents of the day luckily had no disastrous results. AVhile the troops and crowds lined Pall Mall 'awaiting the return of the royal procession from the Abbey an outbreak of fire occurred on a crowded first floor stand opposite Marlborough House.

Lord Churchill was unable to unfasten the shoulder knots of tho King’s robe, but he fortunately had a pair of scissors in his pocket, axxd the difficulty was promptly got over.

Some of the women in tho Abbey could not refrain from an exclamation almost of rapture when they saw the Queen’s dress of ivory satin embroidered in an exquisite design which introduced the English rose, tho Scottish thistle, tho Irish shamrock and the lotus lily or India.

At least 3099 people' who had taken up places at 1 a.rn. and before the roadway at tho top of Northumberland avenue were displaced by troops at 7 a.m ; , when it was too late to find other positions.

Several street- vendors in the Mall sold a number of miniature “grandstands” in tho shape of roughly constructed stools, while one man tried to sell small mirrors fixed on shafts of wood. To demonstrate their utility he stood with his back to the route, hold the mirror aloft, and saw the, reflection of all that passed.

The police wore tired out by their long spell of duty, and after tho masses of people had dispersed in the. afternoon and released tho greater part of the force for a few hours, constables were to be seen snatching a few minutes repose/ in every possible corner.

An ingenious spectator in the MaU, anxious to gain an elevated position, dug tho earth up into a mound. Immediately everyone in tho vicinity.began similar excavations, with the result that each ono had a miniature MU aU to himself.

.Over 1500 people slept in St. James Park to secure good positions from which to view the procession from Buckingham Palace to AVestminster Abbey, and thousands slept in tho streets along the lino of route of to-day's pageant.

In Eleet street early this morning a youth sitting on the curb fell asleep, and a stray dog—tho only ono to be seen in tho thoroughfare—amused itself and the bystanders by. washing tho lad’s somewhat grubby face. The boy remained quite unconscious of _ the dog s ministrations for quite a minute.

Ov£r 00,000 troops of all descriptions were made use of in London during Coronation Bay and the day following. The passage. of various detachments through the streets to their appointed place was a lesson in Imperial history stretching from Blenheim to Waterloo and thence to the slopes of Alma to Lucknow and Delhi, Berko's Drift, Ulundi, Colcnso and Paardeberg.

Detectives in court uniform and in the uniforms of distinguished officers mingled with the guests in Westminster Abbey, and one was dressed as a "beefeater. - ”

Tho crowds in Whitehall and Parliarment street during tho ceremony in tho Abbey sang "God Save the King,” snatches of "ITor He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and other songs with a certain amount of rivalry and a most uncertain amount of harmony.

The Chinese representatives took the procession and the plaudits of tho crowd with an Oriental calm. They looked first to one side of the street then to another, taking everything in—saying nothing. One of them on the return journey was in a late carriage which was open. ’ Being thus out of tho procession ho lit a cigarette, a touch of relief from ceremonial strain which the onlookers quite enjoyed.

An amusing, but to not overpleasant incident was the going on fire of a chimney at the Paym aster's office, beside the Admiralty grandstand. This chimney sent forth a fine crop of "blacks” which fell like a shower on the folks in the grandstand. The ladies, to keep their hats and frocks from being spoiled, put ur> their umbrellas and parasols, and some of them even left their seats until tho "blacks” had stopped falling.