Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-08-24
From Saratoga.
RACES, BALLS, ETC, WITH DESCRIPTION
OF LADIES COSTUMES.
SARATOGA, August 81,

SARATOGA, August II,
1t is a difficult matter to know what
subject to touch on first in writing 8
weekly letter from here at this time
There are SO many things of exciting in
terest occurring in the little world here
congregated. AS two of the hotels eact
feed many over one thousand people every
day, representatives of every part of the
country, it can easily be conceived that
there is as much transporting, day by day
as in large sized country village, but o.
a different nature. In the village four
fifths would have some regular employ
ment, but in the hotels here the majority
are idlers, seeking amusement and recrea
ton. Some find it in idly sauntering oil
sitting about, others in conversation with
friends and acquaintances some young
folks in flirting and walking and dancing
while others indulge in more hurtful &C.
tons.
During the past week the races, which
commenced on Wednesday, have been
quite absorbing to several hundred lovers
of sport, and who make it the occasion for
betting larger or smaller sums. Thus, on
the first day, two wealthy gentlemen, Mr..
r. W. Cameron and Mr.. John Hunter,
two wealthy gentlemen of New York, set
tied a bet of $4,000 by running the one q
two year old colt of the Elipse stock,
against filly of the same age, sired by
the imported horse bennington. 1t was a
large sum to change hands on such an
event, but it pleased the gentlemen, who
could both afford the venture, to so in
vest it, and they did so. l am not in
favor of gambling or any kind of betting,
but there was probably as much satisfao-
ton to them, probably in so doing, as
there is in young lady rafting off some
article of fancy work, of no particular use
to anybody, at an enormous price, at
church or charity fair. This horse race
was viewed by large crowd and kept
them very highly interested for ten or
fifteen minutes, while the horses were on
the track getting ready and running their
race. To-day we are to see whether
race horse can run a mile in
one minute and forty-one seconds or less,
and this will be like to interest a still
larger crowd than witnessed the other
race, while tomorrow some noted horses
will run a race of four miles.
Bill and hops, considered by some
equally hurtful with horse racing, are a
large source of amusement here. Every
evening parties of eight hundred to over
a thousand people assemble in fine dress
in the bathrooms at the Congress Hall,
and Grand Union Hotel dressed III fine
clothes, to listen to the music of fine bands
and enjoy themselves therein, portion
moving at times, in measure with the
music in the dance. Five evenings, on
an average, the guests of each hotel are
given free access to the ballroom at
tached thereto, with plenty of music, and
one evening each person attending ia
charged the moderate sum of 81, for
which, in addition TO the music, little
cake, ice cream, lemonade, etc, is given.
The former are pops, and the latter bills.
The balls last week were on Thursday
evening 1T the Grand Union. Children
came ia masquerades, and had fne time,
according to all accounts, in display ing
their flntastic guises and dancing. On
Saturday evening ball was given at
he Congress Hall, which was obliged to |
,e postponed from the previous evening,
N rce,uut If lack of gas, the supply !
having given ont so that the place was in
before nine o'clock in the even
NJ.
This last aff,ir is said to have been
highly fashionable and splendid affair. 1t
at the unusually early hour
If eight o'clock, in order that it might
close before midnight How many hund
-ed- were present [ cannot say, but l am
assured that such display of wealth and
fashion as was made on that occasion has
seldom been seen The ladies were all |
n their best, and the value of the dia- |
nonds and other jewellery worn was 81
most fabulous. By the aid of lady
friend, I have been enabled to obtain
What am assured are pretty accurate
Of the dresses, etc, worn by
wo Of the ladies present there, one Of
hem being fair representative of the
Green Mountain State, while the other is
he wife Of probably the richest man on
HIS continent, all made, too, by himself
Jeed I lay that the latter is Commodore
Tanderbilt, one of the railway kings of
he world. The following are the des-
Mrs.. Gov. Underwood, of Vermont, wore
dress of rich blue silk, having white
overs embroidered on each breadth, in
i pyramid form, corssge decoyyette, with
,reAth of white flowers embroidered
bout the same Diamonds and point
ace shawl.
Mrs Commodore Vanderbilt was dress
d in en elegant white pine apple, with
attn stripes; a court dress, the petticoat
aving deep founce the court train
trimmed with fine narrow ruff1es, over
kirt of same, with trimmings to match.
Iigh corsage, hair in ehatelaine, braids
nth white pink flowers, very rich dia-
londs.
At one time during the evening over
ighty ladies, mostly attired in rich and
4ndsome guise, somewhat to correspond
With the above descriptions might be
cen, with accompanying gentlemen, en-
aged in dancing the Lancers to the fine
lusic of Bernstein's band. 1t was truly
beautiful and animated sight, and one
hat will be long remembered by more
han one fair lady present,
Walton.
KENTUCKY ELECTION.-The voters of