The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-02-20
MONTREAL'S ice PALACE.
A Gay Army Storms the Frozen
MOnarch's Citadel.
The Carnival Of Winter Sports in
Canada's Capital.

A dispatch from Montreal, Canada, says:
The thousands of people who arrived IN
Montreal early this week have been joined
by thousands more, who came to witness the
magnificent spectacle promised in the storm
ing of the ice castle. A good sized blizzard
struck the town Just about the same time.
Into the fourteen hours intervening
between 10 o'clock in the morning and MID
night spectacular events that would nave
done credit to q programme covering
weeks time met the delighted eye OF the
visitors The storm during the earlier part
of the day was of such magnitude that the
carnival committee was forced TO Close tne
toboggan slides for the day.
The horse trotting on the ice was also
depth of the snow. The rinks, how
ever, were scenes OF unusual actlVlGy,
and at two o'clock in the afternoon tne
snowshoers started their races at the park;
The Governor General of Canada, LORD
Stanley. of Preston, ard Lady Stanley were
among the 1000 people who witnessed inns
sport. The snow was soft and drifting, so
chat no attempts at record breaking were
made.
It was not till evening, however, that the
real sport Of the day began. AS soon as the
visitors had finished their s9ppers--5hey eat
supper instead of dinner in Montreal at IN
the evening-the streets began to I'LL and
from then until 8 O'clock every
street and avenue within half a
mile of Dominion Square, where the ice pal
ace is located, grew more and more crowded..
Shortly after : o'clock tue throngs were re-
warded by the sight o. the advancing war,
riors with their bright and vari-colored
torches, from Mount Royal. Eighteen snow
shoe clubs participated in the march, and,
later on, in the attack. The formation or
march was in single file on serpentlne pain,
forming two deep. The march down the
mountain to the palace, amid blazing torches
and an incessapt fire OF skyrockets. was
magnificent scene. -,
TIE palace itself was brilliantly illumi--
mated with bright lights of all colors, and
as the various clubs marched around
the palace ringlet of skyrockets, whlcn
encircled the top of the tower,
shot upward, illuminating the clouded
sky in manner that would have mace Oid
brightest day. No sooner had this died away
than an equally magnificent display arose
from the four smaller towers, and then the
attack begaN.
1t was spectacle that can't be described:
For one hour Roman candles, skyrockets and
every other description of pyrotechnlcs IL
Illuminated the sky in O circle thousands OF
feet in circumference. Thousands of eyes
were riveted on the scene, and murmurs Oh
admiration were audible from thousands OF
delighted spectators.
At times the castle, which appeared per
fectly transparent, from different colored
lights within, looked as though it was one
molten mass ready to fall. and the trans
parancies reflected by the falling. rockets on
the outside blended in delightful manner
with the inside transparency. The windows
of the Windsor Hotel, which faces
the ice palace, were crowded with guests,
and every place of business and every resi-
dence in sight was lined with eager eyes.
fearful lest they should lose single feature
Of the grand spectacle.
Between 1900 and 2OOo snowshoers partici-
pated in the march and the attack. They
were all dressed in white uniforms with red
and blue stripes and tuques of the same de-
signs. This alone presented an appearance
well worth seeing.
The grand carnival drive was the feature
of the day.
An effigy of President Cleveland was one
of the attractions of the parade. He had the
seat Of honor in the car Of the Royal Scots
Snowshoe Club, and wore for the occasion
the full dress uniform of an officer of the
Royal Scots.