The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-03-13
THE INAUGURATION BALL.
How it was Held in Che New
Pension Building.
Details of the Decorations and the
Festivities,


DESCRIPTION OF THE PENSION BUILDING.
The building is great structure, two New
York blocks long and more than one block
wide, and is the largest that has ever been
used for such purpose. An immense Ro-
man palace, with its walls surrounding an In
terror courtyard and all its apartments di
rectly communicating with the outside air
and light is the main idea of the plan Of the
building. There are no halls in the build
ing.
Two tiers of galleries run around the court,
by which access is gained to the rooms, and
these galleries, with their Ionic and Doric
columns, add to the effect of the hall IN
each front of the building there is a brick
staircase, which leads into landing on each
story, and thence to the galleries looking into
the interior hall, all the rooms having en-
frances from the galleries AS the rooms &C.
cupy the entire width of each side of the
building they are open to the light and air on
both sides instead of on one side.
DECORATIONS OF THE BALL ROOM.
Inside the contrast with the unfurnshed
exterior was all the brighter The great hall
that flashed back again from ten thousand
glittering points and was caught up and
turned away again and again by flashing
glass and FURNISHED surfaces Standing in
the Presidents gallery and looking down the
long floor alive with ever-changing kaleido-
scopic pictures, growing mailer and smaller
toward the far away end, one saw nothing
of walls and no hint was given that there
was any limit to the size of the
ballroom. Rich, warm colored tapestries
and hangings completely hid the walls,
and ferns and palm trees formed cookbook
ing arbors and picturesque retreats. Around
the ballroom ran a gallery almost hidden
beneath a wealth of soft maroon velvet and
satin bunting and down the room ran two
rows of soft gray stone pillars. Altogether,
but for the lavish decorations, the moving
pageant, the sounds of music, the CLEAN of
lights and the gay laughter, the hall, with its
simple columns and high-arched roof, might
have been taken for some old cathedral.
At the Presidents end of the room was an
immense plate-glass mirror 16 feet high and
10 feet wide. 1t had a beveled edge three
inches wide and a frame composed of 600
separate pieces of cut glass. This mirror was
at the Centennial and Paris exposition, and
is valued at $500. Beautiful stands of
flowers were at its base. From the arched
roof streamers of national colors reached
down in graceful sweeps, and these again
were caught up and pinned with
3,
plants, ferns and palms were everywhere.
AT each of the four corners of the hall a great
pyramid of tropical plants rose high above
the gallery, and the eight great columns
which almost divided the hall were complete
ly hidden by wreaths of cedar and smilax
twined in serpentine curves with sprays of
cactus and fan-shaped palms peeping out be-
tween
Opposite the big mirror a beautiful Jap
anese canopy of flowers, twelve feet high,
formed a luxurious retreat, surrounded by q
great horseshoe. There the Presidents chair,
a rest of roses, the prettiest floral design in
the hall, was placed. Beside the lavish dec
orations which made parts of che ballroom
real Conservatives There were seven large
set pieces representing the different executive
departments of the government These were
eight feet in diameter
ARRIVAL OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PARTY.
At II o'clock President Cleveland's coach
ratified up to the private entrance followed
ten minutes later by the carriages of Vice.
President Hendricks and ex-President Ar
thur. The band began the familiar See the
Conquering Hero Comes" and with one
accord the promenading couples drifted to-
ward the street entrance. With his sister,
Mrs. Hoyt, on his arm, the President went at
once through a private door into his
room and waited there for the
Vice-President and Mr. Arthur, but
he did not escape recognition, and round Of
applause went up to which he bowed his
thanks. The Presidents sisters, Mrs Hoyt
and Miss Cleveland, and his nieces the Misses
Hastings, waited, while escorted by Senator
Pendleton and Richard Merrick, Mr.. Cleve-
land made the tour of the ballroom applause
following him as he walked the length of the
room, bowling to the few persons whom he
knew of the four or five thousand who had
gathered there in his honor. Having made
the crcit of the room he returned
a 1pnnrtmpnt m
with the ladies of his party and Mr. and Mrs
Hendricks he stood receiving. Miss CleVe-
land wore an evening dress of white corded
silk, with skirt en- trdille, and neck heart
shaped at front and back The new mistress
of the White House has blonde brown hair
cut short, and worn in becoming crmps,
fair complexion, and a quick and not un
graceful movement She is self-possessed
without being self aSsertive Mrs Hoyt
Mr.. and Mrs. Bacon and the Rev. A. N. Cleve
land and wife followed, the first two
ladies being also sisters of the President, and
wearing tasteful evening dresses of pink satin
and of smoke-colored velvet, with front of
the same shade, brocaded on white The
Misses Hastings, nieces of the President, and
n son of his ministerial brother, completed
the family party, Mr., and Mrs Daniel Man.
ming, the latter wearing her bridal dress of
rich white satin, with exquisite lace, and
Colonel Lamont, with his wife, accompanied
the President,
THE BALL OPENED.
Shortly before midnight the President and
his party withdrew and the ball was for
mally opened and the dancing began.
The arrangements for the comfort of the
guests We're perfect Most of the carriages
drew up at the f street entrance. Within
the building the first room ON the right was
devoted to ladies, and connected with it
was foyer for their escorts. Upward of a
hundred uniformed colored attendants re-
ceived the ladies' wrappings and the
gentemen's cloak rooms ON the opposite side
were equally well attended. The reception
committee had rooms adjoining the Pres-
dents, and next to them the diplomatic corps
received their friends in lavishly decorated
apartments. The supper rooms were Mt the
upper end of the hall, and the banquet was
served by the Murray Hill hotel, of New
York. The following was the menu:
Hot dishes.
Clam broth. Consomme
Cold dishes.
Turkey, ham, beef, blned turkey, tongue pickled
oysters, pate de foie-Irls.
salads.
Chicken. Lobster.
Ornamental dishes.
Salmon, a Ia Neptune
Striped Bass an beurre de Montpelier.