Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-04
HATS. COATS AND BONNETs.
How Folks Wraps and Head Gear Will
Be Cared for at the Ball-A System by
Which Every One Can Get His Own
Hat.

The inaugural executive committee appointed
MI Jas. E. Bell, the superintendent of the city
delivery, city post office. as chairman in charge
OF the cloak room arrangements. Mr.. Bell had
charge of this branch of the ball at Garhelds
Inauguration. He employs letter carriers to
take charge of boxes. Their training In the
postal service qualities them, to some
extent, for this service, making them
ready and quick of memory. In the
ladies department will be corps of
female attendants "The total number of
boxes, said Mr.. Bell. expla' ming the system to
STAR reporter. ''is S,DSS- or this number
5000 are assigned To the ladies and 5,0SS to
the gentlemen. Each section has l2' boxes
each 10 by ID inches square, which Will be
served by one man The sections are numbered
from To SiXty-five. To prevent confusion,
and TO facilitate the delivery 81 articles entrusted
10 the care of the attendants, me boxes are
numbered after the plan of the houses in our
streets. For instance, tine left hand corner Of
the bottom row begins with the number 101,
and the numbers in that row run up to 100
The next row begins with pol, and runs to 3D.
the next 301 to 40 and 50 IN There will be
the same number III every section. The tickets
will have the number Of the section printed on
It, as We'll as ths number of the box, sd il Will be
impossible for intelligent men, such as viii
serve the sections, TO give out the wrong artl-
Giles.
.This was demonstrated. :" continued Mr.. Bell.
"at the ball four years ago, when no; a single
article was lost. The OIL case Of loss reported
was that of u handkerchief. When the lady
stated her loss, the handkerchief was found AT
once and returned to her, greatly to her sur
prise, as she never supposed Ii would be possl-
bic to find ii. 1t Is almost utterly impossible
for any mistakes to occur.
IL gentleman was telling me- observed Mr..
Bell, "of his experience at an inaugural ball,
where all the hats and wraps were thrown to-
gether in "a heap in a large room. Women had
to grab the first thing they could get WI. N they
came TO leave the building. Everything was
confusion. 1t Is impossible, the way will
nave IL arranged. To have any confusion or eX-
element: The man in charge of IA section will
be behind bar, and no one can get in to con-
fuse him. There can be but one person waited
on at q time at each section As there are sixty
five sections. sixty-iive persons eau be attended
to at once. No one man will have more to at
tend TO than he can manage
why asked the reporter. do you provide
more boxes for gentlemen than for laGicS?'
Il have observed. said Mr.. Bell. that there
Is always more gentleme> than ladies at such
balls. Many men who are here as visitors. and
have no ladies with them. buy tickets and 70.
At the ball four years ago. at the National Mu-
senm building, 5000 boxes We're provided Tor
ladies, but Not 900 of them were used.
Nv hat II you have more people than you have
boxes asked the reporter.
There Il one section in the corner which has
600 boxes, and will be served probably 10y two
men. All of the men will be provided win ex-
they will use the pin checks, and pile the arti-
Giles up In order.
Il have instructed the men" continued Mr.
Bell, Ito I'll up the top rows and more distant
boxes first Then when the rush comes they
will have the boxes near at hand to fill. All
and trouble. For my own part. believe
going to have use Tor more than 5000 boxes.
MIR. Bell had his assistants at the Pension
building last night and drilled them. He has
arranged To place hat racks in the apartme nts
assigned TO the diplomatic corps and other dis
finCniShp3