The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-05-08
IT WAS ONE GRAND DRUNK.
THE NEW YORK CENTENNIAL BALL.
Scenes in the supper Room We're such AZ
Cannot be Described In a Newspaper
The French Hall OutrivaIed-A
Big Executive Failure.

NEW YORK, May THE World says Now
that the centennial ball is over. people who
paid from SO TO So apiece to participate in il,
and whose fun was represented by the figure
Il" are taking out the balance in criticism.
The tongues of the ball-goers were bli tered
with fault-fnding yesterday. On all sides It
was conceded that the centennial bail was the
biggest executive failure of the cen
fury. People who were most competent
70 speak were loudest in declaring the
hall a monument OF incapacity and vulCAriry.
The scenes IN the supper-room cannot be de-
scribed safely in anewspaper. When it is said
that the walters, policemen and messenger boys
drank most OF the free champagne, the situa-
ton at midnight may be imagined. Justices
OF the supreme court, governors staff officers,
club men, lawyers, poets, milliOnaires with
beautiful and refined women, crowded blankly
along the supper counter and demanded in
vain the attention they were accustomed 10 re-
ceive. The functionaries around the place
showed undisguised contempt for the free
lunch iends" Walters who did not
have to account for unlimited wine,
took occasion 70 neglect guests and
treat themselves The excellent supper was
largely wasted. There was no responsibility
for anything to anybody BY 1890 a. m. the
supper-room had been given over to people
whose ideas OF enjoyment had been learned in
free and easy resorts. Drunken men invaded
the ballroom, hourishing bubbling bottles OF
champagne. In the corridors free fights were
of constant occurrence. Gamblers, bookmak-
ers and women dozed or made merry the
staircases. Never once did accredited
officer of the evening interfere, 10 anybody's
knowledge
The policemen who we're sober we're
helpless They could not tell the dress
coated waters from the guests. By o'clock
most of the respectable element were making
frantic and supperless efforts 10 get away.
Even this privilege was denied them. A line
extending from the coat rooms Tor 800 yards
and made up of some of the leading citizens OF
this town. surged Tor hours against the Ieebls
and inadequate partitions Of the coat room.
Gentlemen grew angry and desperate al the Ut
ter inadeQuacy of the arrangements With
torn coats and wrinkled shirt fronts, men,
whose names are known all over the Union.
fought their way toward their coats under the
frequent clubs OF the police, the leerS OF the
mob outside and the pernicious activity of the
pickpOckets. IL was o'clock in the morning
before the last battered and ragged guest joined
his family at the doors and reached his hack
ain its executive aspects the centennial ball
was the worst of It's sort ever known IN tho
history OF the city," said a well known man
about town yesterday. The possibility OF
letting the attendants get at sll the wine they
wanted was enough to ruin any plans which
q u
out hat or coat Two OF the checkers inside
the cloak room we're drunk. | got my own
umbrella by paying - for one exchanged for il
in my sight by the fellow who demanded the
dollar. OF the ladies / met ones dress was
ruined by plate OF salad thrown over il by
drunken brute, and the shoulder OF another
was cut from a bottle which a stranger had
broken upon it. ] saw more respectable
women iusultcd in the supper room than ] ever
saw even accOsted at the French ball.
knocked down a man who tried 70 kiss the
daughter of a leading lawyer here
The ticket-takers had check placed upon
them aud there is no question they made lots
of money letting in people who never should
have been there. The policemen lost their
temper completely and cleared people out at
the end OF their clubs. Hundreds Of bottles Of
wine were passed out Of doors and sold by
walters and others. One man was drunk, fell
down stairs and was so badly hurt he had to be
carried of in an ambulance Many flags and
ported plants were stolen and some OF the boxes
were shockingly soiled after their first Oc-
cupants had left. The supper room was cleared
} by clubs shortly after ] o'clock. The lights
were turned out in the ballroom long before
the crowd had left the building.