Connecticut western news., 1889-03-06
THE INAUGURAL BALL.

In the evening the President and Mrs. Harrison attended the inaugural ball held in tho Pension Building. Beyond all question the room in wnich the ball was given is the biggest tall room in the United States From one end wall the floor stretches away just 316 feet before the other end wall looms up-about one-sixteenth of 2 mile, in other words. A tape line stretched from side to side of the room would measure 1l6 feet, the glass roof which lets in the daylight and keeps out the ele- ments is no less than l6O feet above tho floor. To put it otherwise, here Is ball. room one-sixreenth Of mile long, third as wide and with a roof almost as high abova the dancing ficor as is the roadway of he Brooklyn Bridge above the waters of the East River.
 The floor area of this vast room-a matter of nearly 37,COO square feet-is unbroken, save by eight gigantic columns that tower ! up almost out of sight There are two rows l of these colunlns-four in each row dividing the interior of the building into. three equal sections These columns are something like l 715 feet in diameter, and serve to strengthen | the impression of vaStness which instantly forces itself upon visitor to tine Pension 1 Building.
 This vast room was magnifcently decorated in every part in the center was Chinsso papoda, fiji feat inna thirty feat wide and nearly sixty feet high 1t was two stories 1 high and was festooned with flags and bunt- ing. In the pagoda the Marine Band and Becks Orchestra, of Philadelphia, wero stationed, the former furnishing promenade music, and the latter music for dancing. Wound about each of the eight great l columns were four streamers of laurel-each 120 feet long-and in the spaces between the streamers great palm leaves covered up tha 1 marble pillars. Midway between the floor and ceiling two great American shields were fastened to each pillar, and at the base of every column was broad band of crimson plush, bordered with yellow plush From the center of each of the three sections of the roof forty streamers of laurel and red. white and blue bunting depended, stretching the side walls. In the central section of the room, over the pagoda, large full-rigged floral ship hung from the intersection of the streamers. It was thirty feet long, had all it's sails set, and thickly interspersed with laurels and evsrgreens, of which 1t was made, were roses milk weed balls and bright col ored cut flowers. The piece typified the ''Ship of State" Beneath the interstices of the two other groups of streamerS hung great balls of laurel and cut flowers, each ten feet in diameter.
 At the west end of the room an immense oil portrait of President Harrison hung in shaded and paneled plush frame twenty feet long by ten in width, and at the east end there was similar likeness of Vice-Presi- dent Morton. On the tiled dancing floor be- heath each portrait was great cluster ot potted plants, ferns and palms. The real novelties of the florists work were the symbolical pieces which represented thu several departments of the Government. Each of these pieces was about Sx15 feet in size and was made of immortelles, roses and laurel The eight pieces. repre- senting the eight departments were sus- pended at intervals from the arches of the first gallery. The room occupied by Pen sion Commissioner Black, situated at the southeast corner of the first gallery, was set apart for President Harrison's use, and the florist and decorator trans formed the plain-looking office. Fes- toons of laural, bunting and flags and baskets of hyacinths, roses, lilies of the valley and tulips made it blossom with color. At the head of the room stood double floral chair twelve feet high and ten feet wide. It was made of immortees, greens and roses and in the back of either side of the chair the words ''Harrison' and Morton" stood out ill bold relief Above these words was the inscription Inaugural, lSs9, and over the chair was floral canopy of roses and other ! flowers. To the north of the Presidents room the room assigned to the ladies oe the Presidential party and to the east was the Vice-Presidents room.
 President Harrison. Vice.Presillent Nor ton their wives and the ladies of their party reached the scene of the ball shortly after 9 o'clock. They were escorted to the ball by MT. A. T. Britton, Chairman of the In- augural Committee and Mir E. F. Beale, Chairman of the Reception Commit tee, met them at the entrance and, with the members of the committee, escorted them to their respective rooms.
 Soon after the arrival of the President the members of the diplomatic corps and the Reception Committee were introduced t1., him and, escorted by the members of he committee and followed by the diplomatic; corps the President and his party made a tour of the ball room and shortly afterward left the building.
 The dancing floor had been divided into sixteen sections, and each section was in.