A photograph taken on September 16, 1901, of the Funeral Train of President William McKinley as it slowly passed North Street, Harrisburg, on its way to the depot.
Elaborate preparations were made for the arrival of the train at Harrisburg as described in this article that appeared in the Harrisburg Daily Independent, September 16, 1901.
WHEN THE FUNERAL TRAIN ARRIVES HERE
The funeral train of the late President McKinley, which left Buffalo this morning at 8:46 o’clock, is scheduled to arrive in this city at 4:45 o’clock this afternoon. The train consists of one combination car, one dining car, one compartment car, and one double drawing room and sleeping car, and one observation car, in which the body of the dead president rests. The coffin occupies a position in the centre of the car and is placed on a catafalque or dais elaborately draped in crepe and almost covered with flowers.
The funeral train has the right of way of the railroad tracks between Buffalo and Washington and every train of the various railroads will come to standstill while the funeral train passes. Not a single wheel of the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad between this city and Rockville will be turned as the funeral train passes through this city, orders to this effect having been sent out by Superintendent Wilson I. Brown.
The funeral train will be stopped at Union Station, this city, for ten minutes to change engines for the Baltimore Division of the Northern Central Railroad, over which the train will pass after leaving Union Station. The two engines that will haul the train have been draped in mourning and have been ordered to be in readiness at the Union Station not later than 4 o’clock. The engines are Nos. 3021 and 3017. The former will act as a pilot and will be run ahead of the train as a precautionary measure and the latter will draw the train.
The train is being run the entire course of the trip with a pilot engine a safe distance in advance to insure safety to the train following. The fact that that train left Buffalo sixteen minutes behind the regular schedule time will occasion its late arrival in this city. It will pass slowly through the principal cities including Erie, Emporium, Renovo, Lock Haven, Williamsport and Sunbury and is expected to make up the time enroute between these points. At Emporium, Williamsport and this city new engines will be provided for the train and all of these have been draped in mourning. Only the observation car of the funeral train is draped in crepe, and this car occupies a position at the rear of the train. United States soldiers guard the body in the funeral car.
Companies D and I, of the Eighth Regiment, and the Governor’s Troup of Cavalry, of the National Guard of Pennsylvania, met at their respective armories at 3:30 this afternoon to proceed to the Pennsylvania railroad station to serve as a guard for the funeral train. The members of the military companies will wear the blue uniform. As the funeral train passes under the sheds at Union Station the three companies will present arms until the train passes out of the city. Preceding the arrival of the funeral train in this city the court house bell will be tolled.
Beginning at sunrise this morning at 5:45 and at intervals of every half hour salutes were fired at the state arsenal by direction of Lieutenant Colonel Richardson and this evening at sunset the presidential salute of twenty-one guns will be fired.
The indications are that all of the business places of the city will be closed during the passage of the funeral train through this city and the crowd at the Union Depot and at points along the railroad from where the train can be viewed is expected to be the largest ever assembled on any occasion. One of the points from which the funeral train will be viewed by thousands is at Front Street and the Northern Central Railroad where the train will slowly pass over the bridge and be in view for some time. The stop at the Union Depot will be for fifteen minutes or as long as is required to change engines.
At the suggestion of Governor William A. Stone, Judge John H. Weiss, Dr. George S. Chambers and other prominent citizens, the choral society will be present at the station and as the train stops under the big sheds the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee” will be sung by the society. Everybody is requested to join in the singing. Pamphlets have been printed and will be passed among the crowds, containing the words of this hymn, which were the last uttered by the president. As the train pulls out of the station the hymn, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” will be sung by the thousands of people.
Engine No. 1771, with Engineer Mackley and Fireman Martin is piloting the funeral train from Williamsport to this city and the train is following closely, being drawn by engine No. 1096, with Engineer Burd and Fireman Sterner, who last night brough Buffalo Express of thirteen cars from Sunbury to this city, a distance of fifty-four miles, in the remarkable time of fifty-eight minutes.
The funeral train from Williamsport to this city will be in charge of Conductor Harry Montgomery and Brakemen Barney McLaughlin and W. F. Conrad. The engine acting as a pilot from this city will be No. 3031, in charge of Engineer Frank Pull and Fireman Gemmill, and the engine drawing the train will be No. 3119, in charge of Engineer George Fry and Fireman Hoffman. The train will be in charge of Conductor J. H. Melstead and Brakemen A. F. Rhineholt, C. M. Lewis and C. E. Gladden.
The train will be run in to the depot shed on Track B, which is the second track from the station and as there will be no trains running at the time in any of the Pennsylvania Railroad yards in this city, it will give a large space under the depot sheds for the vast crowd that is expected to be awaiting the funeral train’s arrival here.
On the arrival of the funeral train a signal will be given to a man high up in the belfry of the Zion Lutheran Church. The chimes will then play “Nearer My God to Thee” and by this sweet music the thousands of voices associated with the choral society will sing this hymn.
The Harrisburg High School will be dismissed at 3:30 o’clock and many of the other schools of the city will close to allow the scholars to view the funeral train. This morning the scholars of the high school assembled in the chapel and sang the hymn “Nearer My God to Thee,” after which the principal, Professor Baer, delivered a eulogy on the late President McKinley. Next Thursday a memorial service will be held at the high school.
The matinee at the Grand Opera House this afternoon has been postponed and the managers announce that to those who had previously purchased tickets the money will be refunded. The playhouse, however will be open this evening.
Summed up in advance it is anticipated that the reception to the train bearing the body of the dead president, the new president, and members of the cabinet will be one of the most impressive events witnessed in this city within the memory of its oldest citizens.
The post office was closed this afternoon, from 4:30 o’clock until 5:30 o’clock, owing to the funeral train bearing the body of the late president passing through the city. The regular afternoon delivery of mail will, however, be made after the train leaves Harrisburg.
As early as 3 o’clock this afternoon hundreds of people flocked about the Union Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and along front Street, near the Northern Central Railway bridge, over which the train will pass, to get a glimpse of the funeral train.
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News article from Newspaper.com.
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