Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-03-11

mense structure for the purposes OF
this evenings entertainment. For
spaciousness and elegance of appoint
ments the building was fully in keeping
with theimportanceo of the event which
it celebrated. The interior was
brilliantly Illuminated with new
patent gas-burners. In the decora-
tions five hundred navy flags were
utilized, and thousands of yards
of bunting. The roof was hung
with bunting in the shape of half
moons. Suspended from thereof were
thirty-six pennants, seventy-two feet
long, between which. swung garlands OF
natural flowers. The columns sup
porting the roof and the galleries were
wreathed with smilax and flowers.
Between the arches of theupper gallery
were placed various devices, bearing
the coats-of-arms of various states.
Beneath the gallery were suspended
LA elegant silk banners. Within the
arches of the lower floor were placed
large American shields, draped with
flags, and adorned with silver pointed
spears.
At one end of the ball room was
placed an immense plate-glass mirror,
sixteen and half by ten and a half
feet, in a frame of cut glass, and at the
opposite end the Presidents floral
chain under a Japanese canopy. Pyra-
mids of palms and tropical plants were
placed in each corner of the ballroom.
One of the features ofthe floral decora-
tions were devices symbolical of the
various executive departments of gov
eminent. The curtains and other
hangings of the ballroom were wrought
form the richest fabrics, costing 500
per yard.
The floral decorations were truly
magnificent. Among them were seven
massive designs, eight feet in diameter,
representing the Cabinet offices. For
the Secretary of State coat-of-arms
of the United States; a large safe rep
resents the Secretary of the Treasury;
the Navy Department by full-rigged
man-of-war; the War Department by
two crossed cannons; the Secretary of
the Interior by a stump of q tree with
an axe imbedded in it, a pillow at it's
base, and scythe and a sheaf of
wheat; the Attorney General by a desk
and open book, the scales of Justice
| and motto, 1Fiat Justitia;" the
Postmaster-Gen by a. mailbag
with the letters gu. S. NJ" and an en-
velope addressed to Mr. Cleveland,
postmarked Washington, March 4,
9P. NJ" On each design were also q
representation of a quill pen and a
scroll bearing the name of the depart
ment. These designs were composed
Of rare and beautifultowers, and an en-
terprisingmuseum in New York has al
ready offered $500 to exhibit them
| for one week.
Some idea of the elaborate prepara-
ton of these floral designs may be
| gathered from the fact that So, 400
has been paid out in cash for the flow
ers which compose them. The con-
tract included 10000 choice roses,
5000 lilies of the wales, 5000 tulips,
and q miscellaneous assortment of
10000 other varieties. For the deco
rations, 10, 00Oyards of garlands have
been made, and 5000 strings ofsmiIax
ordered. 1t required 5000 yards of
muslin simply to form the decorations
proper. The entrance to the ante
rooms were hung with tinesilk damask
curtains, twelve feet long, made of ma
terial worth $13 yard.
The ballroom floor was 316 by116
feet, covering more than one acre in
extent, and was calculated to accom-
mOdate $500 persons engaged in
square dances or 5000 in
round dances. The number of people
on the floor at all times was very great,
and the scene was magnificent in the
extreme. 1t was a brilliant multitude
] 81 1l<@,r To- Id ~ LA
dresses. The costumes of the ladies
were mostly new for the occasion, and
no less than a hundred Worth dresses
came from Paris. The dance music
was furnished by the GermaniaO rches-
ira, of Philadelphia. and the prone
made music by the celebrated Marine
Band of Washington The latter
charmed the great crowd until II
o'clock when the dancing began. The
dancing continued nearly all night.
The refreshment department. oc-
cupied fiverooms at the northeast end
of the building, and preparations were
made to supply 5, OOOpersons with sup
per, about 1000 at one time The
dancers developed abnormally sharp
appetites, and the Murray Hill Hotel
people, of New York, who provided the
refreshments, laid in a stock of 1 900
quarts of ice-cream, 500 quarts Of
water-ices, $50 boned turkeys, 1000
pounds of lobster, 5000 picked oys-
tiers, 5000 CLAIMS, six large salmon, six
large striped bass, 200 roast turkeys,
500 boiled turkeys, $50 tongues, 100
hams, sixteen sets OF roast beef, fifty
pate de fol gras,' 100 quarts of con-
somme soup, fifty dozen punches ofcel-
cry, fifty dozen head of lettuce, two
barrels of chicken salad, 5000 rolls,
$50 loaves of bread, 700 pounds Of
cake, 5OOgallons ofclaret punch, 3, 900
| bottles of wine, and oceans of coffee.
The supper was fair, and the price 81.
The dancing programme was an ex-
tensive affair of sixteen pages-a book
infact-and furnished in envelopes. The
pages were of heavy cream-colored pa
per, with a beveled gilt edge on the out
side sheet. On the cover was a finely
engraved portrait of Cleveland and on
the back view of the Pension build
ing. The programme of dances was
neatly printed in gilt letters, and the
| ~ &c Io