THE PROCESSION

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5904, 23 June 1897, Page 4

THE PROCESSION

From an early hour tho South Town Belt, at its junction with Manchester Street was a scene of life and animation, and long before tho hour appointed for the procession to start the streets were densely packed. Inspector Broham arrived about 10.30 a.m. with a posse of police, who at once set to work to keep the middle portion of the streets clear. By this time the marshals, Messrs W. Harris, E. C. Brown Superintendent Smith nnd the Christ- 1 church Fire Brigade^ wore actively em- i ployed fretting- the lines into somethinglike order, and shortly after 11.30 a.m. their work was so far advanced as to enable a start to be made. The volunteers, who had assembled- at the Drilished early in the morning, had marched to the Belt and taken tip their position in Manchester Street, and as the line niovel away, those faitfag part fell into their allotted positions, joining in both from the cast and west of Manchester Street. The prtlle of place was occupied by a band of between 60 and 70 cyclists, including c " quad " and two " sociables," and : several iadies were in tlie procession. Some I of the machines —evo nic«ly decorated.; Then tame' the volunteers^ mustering «,sj follows :— Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry i (Captain Lindsay) : 32 Mounted Rifles (Captain Snow) .„ ii(i Garrison Band (Bandmaster 11. TrLst Searell) -~. ... ':2S E 'Battery Artillery (Captain Donald) #7 Honorary Reserve Corps (Captain Harman) „, ... ... 12 Lyttelton Naval Artillery (Lieutcaant Commander Joyce). ... 52 Canterbury Engineers '(Lieutenant Anderson) .... so College Kifles (Lieutenant Smith) „. 57 Kaiapoi (Capfeain Miller) -„. 50 Eangiora Rifles (CajJtaim Helm#rei) -,-, 33 : City Rifles (Lieutenant Fairbnrn) ... .56] City Gwairds (CapbswnCresswd?l) .... 62| "S Battery Artillery (Captain * M'lutgwe) .-. 4S,' Christ's College Oade"te (Car tain >'Cot- i 'beam) :..; .... «J' Higli School Carets '(Captaia Milsoni) 50| Tfampoi 'Cadets ((Lietffcenant Simpson) 41 Qwaori's 'Cadets ('(Cajfeain Jenes) "• ... 4© ... .... 751 liieutenant-Qolonel Gordon was in comBsand, -and was accompanied <fey Majors SJater .and Bay, Captains •'Weight tend IPalairet, antt Lietttenarii-Colotol Fran>is, xjf'tho ipirst '"Cauterbmty'BatfcUion. honorary burgeons Irvine Parsons were •ailsp (present, anil, -a complete ambulkince waggon was in attendance.

blowing, closely beftmd'tiao volxaJtaers •were 12 veterans, '-representing ex-volun-teers, ■military or naval' men; Then came the Stahnjore.- Hand, Co theaumber'of 28, ■under Bandmaster MJ&illop. Wext-wcreffrhe mei!nl'ers'<)ethe town and 'Oonatpy Lodges of the Manchester Unity •Independent Order -of • Otidf ellows, the juvenile Lo<lge3 < nxuribering' 64, thei ladies' Lodges 20 and/she male ad«ilt Lodges 168, the tubal being 250. iPhehaodsome District Loalge Ifeauner and the banners of the various Lodge;* were borarj in the proces-

sion. The wheel 'parade of Kent's bicycles to .the nunfoer of vortyvoasaTer-y pretty feature, all-styles of auachites befag represented, .andthe""wbeels , 'weTe enaoaelled in various colours an&tprettily decorated. The Dumqp Tyre Company had a triplet mounted on a lorrie, andtridden -by men in : ■oeatums.

Messrs Manning and Go.'s display consisted <of :four lorraies anfirr. three -carts, all I -of which carried emblems 'of the trade, including caaTssof beer ffermenting with masses of yeast ; issuing from.tSie bungi holes. On -one lorrie men were engaged lia "the -process- of bottling, ".whilst a cart ; carried of prime 'Nelson- hops. The ; Grown Brewery also imade a creditable chow with two lorries and -a cart which were iladen -with emblems df the Trade. The Woolston Band, .numbering 32, wander (Bandmaster W. \ff. "Derry, came zsexit. The -town and country "Lodges of the Hibernian Society, withibanners and sashes, followed and numbered nearly 100. They were succeeded .by> the Railway Fire Brigade with their .-/.powiirful fire engine drawn by three splendid horses. The horse ambulance of the St John Ambolance Association, properly equipped to be of wse in any tease -of emergency, foitewred. The Maoriß, who had<come>from different parte of the province, to the number of over three fcundred.werethe east feature of the procession. A number of mounted men and women led the Natives, and the. bidk-of iihem wore Native mats and headdresses, and carried Native weapons. Amongst tlwm were a number .of women and children, mostly in Native costume, and the rear was brought up';by the tribal chiefs in carriages. The several societies connected with the Railway Department came inext, with banners and sashes. These were followed by a number of boys belonging to the Gordon Hall, with their banner. The Sydenham Band, under M'Lean, numbered 20. The procession of town, country and district Lodges of Druids was an imposing spectacle, the members taking part numbering 215. Upon a lorrie was an effec-tively-arranged tableau of Britannia, and following this was another ; lorrie with a representation of a Druidical *grove with an altar and sacred fire, attended by several Ancient Druid Bards. Next came Messrs Tomline and Marshall's lorrie with a display of pumps and a windmill at work. This was followed by a lorrie drawn by six grey horses with postilions, :the tableau representing the triumphant progress made by "Industry" .when working hand in hand with " Thrift" and "Skill:" The car, which was very handsomely decorated, was in the form of a ship's hull with the bluff bows and square stem of an old»time trading vessel, and painted on the sides were the words " Progress." The winged figurehead represented " Triumph "holding aloft a laurel wreath and draped in the national •colours. The whole was emblematic of the progress made by Messrs Hayward Bros.' Mag Brand pickles, sauces, &c, and all classes of their, goods were shown in an effective manner. The D.I.C. was represented by two welldeoorated vehicles. The first was a lorrie upon which wire-workers were engaged in making spring mattresses, and the sides of the ear were hung with bicycles. The other carried a Victory sewing machine, for which tho firm are agents, and to illustrate the, advance made in this direction a lady was seated in the vehicle sewing by hand in the good old-fashioned style. The Deluge steam fire engine of the Christchureb Fire Brigade, with its proper complement of men, followed. Mr Buxtons display of nursery trees and plants was a very good and comprehensive one. Tlie Kaiapoi Brass Band, under Bandmaster Hoskins, numbered twenty-six. The Protestant Alliance followed with their banner. The next trade display was tliat in which the work carried on at Messrs Miller's brush manufactory was shown in a lorrie drawn by a unicorn team of grey horses. Mr Frank A. Cook's van followed, drawn by a nice rajr of roan horses, prettily decorated.

Mr Clayton's boot manufactory was represented by a well-decorated lorrie, upon winch were displayed the various styles of boots turned out by the firm. The Beltaua Company cf the Christchurch Fire Brigade came next, with their well-horsed chemical engine.

Messrs W. Moor and Co.'s carriage factory had a novelty in the shape of a lifesized model of a horse in a dogcart, mounted on a Iqitlq, v/lftl a man in livery , sitting in fchg frap," The members' of the Loyal Orange lodges of Canterbury, as was to be expected on such an occasion, turned out in full fctfee. They numbered •100, led by tho Timaru Protestant Band of 30 performers, aiadcr Bandmaster Bisant, and their Smndsome banners, sashes and emblems .of the- Order, mado au effective display. Mcdsi* Milner find Thompson had a levtafosra harp, prettily decked and ' mounted on their pianoforte delivery-cart, ; driven by two men in old English costume. The football clubs affiliated with the Canterbury Rugby Union had a covered van in which tho club banuers were displayed. The Lyttelton Garrison Band mustered twenty-two under Bandmaster Collins* The Canterbury Lodges of the Aucient Order of Foresters turned OTit to the number of 150, inoluding the EOwly-i'ornied ladies' Lodges, and the juvenile and adult Lodges. The display included a lorrie upon which was a well-execftted tableau emblematic of a widow and orphans, and a representation of tho celebrated Robin Hood. Tho Bxtinguishe'r five engine of the Christchurch Brigado. with its company, Was fallowed by a large number of visit; a-g I firemen 'from the Lyttelton, Kaiapoi, •Rstn- | gidra, SouthforoOfc, Sumner and ot£ier. Brigades and ex-fifamen. Tlte Canterbury Engineers' Band niusI tcred thirty tinder Bandmaster Pooley. The butchers were headed foj' a brigade •df mounted ! nion in costume, foliowed by I -some tweaty-feur carts nearly alleffeetively decorafcoi, "-Whilst Mr J. Forrester had a j iorrie m which was a carcase 'C? a bullock i with tfce'hida on, and a number of carcases ' of ntt&tton. Messrs F. Hopkins and 0», had ij3tt?6&'cr four very nsce-DS.rts with comprebensivc meat displays. The Christchurch M«at 'Ganipany's lorrie had an effective display, '-the centre pwco of "which was a laamiiEoth model "or" a tuc nip, surrounded by several live sheep. Tire bakers were tfeptcsented by about twenty carts and several mounted men, i nvliilsO others wens on foot in aprons and cops, and carrying '"peels." The carts •were appropriately decorated, and one fteam was xraiqoee in its way, beiojg composed of three horsc-s which Ms* Barries >da 3 worked for Wenty years.

The Mite Bani, under KandmiisSet JSeath, uwrnbroed twenty-ono.

The Jforeiga Consuls followed in carriages. They were Messrs F. Arenas, representing Spain; P, Kippenbsrger, Germsaqy;; * IF. Graham, Sweden aud Norway. j H. Slrog, Denmark; R. £??§tcaitMy, TJisited States <of America? -and the lE«a E. W. (Parker, France.

The Pioneer chemical engine, of the Chci&tehiircm -Fire Brigade, came nest/with its full 'complement of men.

"Hhjin lldllowod a large witmbec <ol carriages, tcontanaing members of Road and Totoe 'Boards, membea?s of the Selwyn and ofcher Geurttiy Councils, the: Lyttelton Har•bcmT (Board, the Mayors and Borough Ooaaeidilkirs -»f Sumner,' Now Brighton, Kaiapoi, -Raagiora, Wooilston, Lyifeelton, St Albans, Linwood said Sydenham, and the 'Mayor :ancL ex-Mayore of Ohristohui'ch and (3%- 'Councillors, members and «x-imembers of BttriEament, The rear jvas brought up fey ;a crowd 5n traps and on foot.