New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-28


many cascs shields bearing the National ensign
or q picture OF Washington are hung between the
windows. surrounded Ivy deep fringe of the
pnrti.colorcd bunting. Scmi-rosctcs are also
numerous and where artisticaly gotten up. are
especially pretty. Most OF these are merely red
white apd blue but some OF the lar2cr ones have
also strips II yellow anil green. To put mp one
| + these, however, so that the dr?p'ry iaIs N
harmonious curves, is n task requiring Is much
| artistic skill the designing of ono Of Worths
| dresses. Many houses have in addition Iarsc
| siqns, welcoming the visitors, or concentrating
| The virtues, vnQr and siaicSmanship OF IN"
Father Of his Country Every laeSiaH aoaiS
the Union jack and nags. small. largo. or in
many eases both, form rart Of the decorations
OF nearly every brildng The ,nall-g hr.S are
Of muslin, end mny he bought ior few cents.
The large ones are made of hnnine, their est
running up as high as So, the Price
| paid for one forty feet lons SILK
flags are not so numerous and are confined almost
entirely TO show windows, hotel dining halls,
and TO other interior decorations.
| WHAT MATERI as AZ" USED.
The bunting is Of varioss styles and textures,
| the ordinary price being from ! or > 70 90 cents
% yard Some Of il IS ordinary cotton cloth. in
solid colcrS or with rel. white and blue stripes.
| Ordinary large flags mHch used for drap'Ty,
and, indeed, when properly hung. make pretty
| effects. Lines Of flags are also used, and hrg"
| quantities Of n new design of prints made
especially for the occasion have been sold. This
| latter has pictures of Washington and HARRISON
| surrounded by stars and hegs and surmOunted
| By an eagle.
The Centennial celebration will be great
boon TO the merchants who handle flags and bunt-
ing. Before the last campaign, large quantities
IL, 10 .,1 l,..,l
been much ovcrcstimutcd, most dealers had big
supplies left over. rs the sale for them Is
limited to small part Of the year, the manu-
iacturcrs Lave been rather shy of making them
in any great amounts, and dealers ut first gave
nadcrntc orders Still largely incrcas'n
sale on account Of the Centennial celebration was
| expected and few merchants bought literally.
IL was not until three or four weeks ago tnat
| large sale was indicated. and then many dealers
| hung back and wnitcd until the demand should
| be NOR pronounced The manufacturers received
enough orders 10 keep their mills busy, hu' for
tine made no extra preparations Apont tw9
weeks ago it hccnmc evident that the demand
would be exceedingly lnr-e. but in few days
| il become TOO late for tn factories to do rluch
! TO meet this, rs II take, fortnight t. send
| the orders. - ect the mills ut work. and to snip
the goods here. As result prices began to
| 20 up and various lines Of goods began 20 DIS
appear entirely from TIE shclFes of the joh'rrS,
| liunting that he'd been stored away for several
years. IN many ca>rs was brought ont. and soon
| passed into the hands Of would-h" Decorators.
| i}y last Tuesday goods that were usually sold ut
, cents yard went NJ to g or : cents, thirty-ri\
| inch bunting jumfed from TO 10 cents a yard.
nnd prices generally were % 10 - per cent
higher than lSnal day or two later som"
| sales were made nj an advance OF loo per cent
and most dealers we're COMPELLED 70 ,ay
tor 10, Sc S az n an b I "I was ' mamy
| these who wished to decorate their store. AMI
houses themselves that were thus lett in the larch.
Of their orders early, and thus had time 10 make
| full preparations
HOW PRICES RAN Up.
| Flags began TO rise in price even before the
| hunting. and ron days ago had advanced 33 per
cent The muslin articles had been laid in in
hrar quantities. and oil along have been more
plentiful than those Of Bunting, the supply Of
when gave out in many stores early in the week
| The flagpolrS hrvc been especially scarce for some
reason. and many merchants who had the cloth
could not gct tho sticks.
An army of dealers in decorative material sprang
up two weeks ago Stores TINT never before h1d
n flag or yard of bunting on their shelves bought
| large quantities Of both materials. Vendors loaded
| their wagons with them and hawlicd them from
| door to door. Pedlrrs bought aImfulS of lag~
and stood on the street corners Offering them to
| msScrS-by Some of the small ones were sold for
| as low aS two cents apiece. Toward the latter
part Of las, week these vendors pcllcrS and small
dealer obtained high prices for their goods. rs
! thcy ccnld let thr demand govern their charge
! With the jobh"rs and regular dealers it was dif-
| fcr,nt Is long rs they had goods they sold them
crs If they took advnntagc Of the occasion TO
| squeeze u few additional dollars ont of them. TIL"
supply of flags and hunting in Ncw-lork been
dee rc:Iscl L. Inc orders that received fron
| cut-of-town buyers. The Centennial will be ccic
| braicd in many other places all over he country.
| aud the merchants Of course sent to this city for
their goods I'm few instances. however, were theS'
orders filled. and other cities have Ind T. depend
mninly on their own supplies Of the widely sought
| IN, cost of DECORATING Of course varies widely.
hut the limits may bc Srt M $50 and 81 200. l"is
| than The former sun will mako business block
look bare, and. in fact. call attention 70 its lack
of iunti.ig while the latter amour: will he spcat
| On thc Victoria Hotel II is possible 'hat f."
| hotcl. large business hons'S or Office blocks nay
| spend rs much rs $1,000, bat Z. 90 will make
,'isplnv extremely attractive. About II go rrnre-
| .,,ts a fair average for Stof" along Broadway,
althonrh for $50 enough can hr dosc to make
| building prrscnmblc. These prices are generally
thn., If decorative firms who take ioSs ,>l'n OF
the material again after RI" claSr OF thr "siviti"S
| Where persons bought their own llaeS and hunt
| ing tho prices are Scmo 80 -" cent higher.
STORES AND SHOPS MADE ATTRACTIVE.
As for interior decorations all the dealers IN
| Centennial wares have bcanthcd their stores q
| disrlny their goods 10 the best advantage. Some
of the hotels viii ornament their dining halls with
| Tag, and flowers during thr Centennial, and many
uriynta houses will also l." similarly arruycd Thu
| shoW-Wi gdoWs OF al class, of retail merchant
| have hc"n flied with articles appropriate - tho
Centennial for some time. Many tdN' he II ir ne !
| with bunting. others have been showing Cent Ill
NAL relies and licurc.. F.psT'l ngs OF NaShi.q-
| ton have been most common, and pictures q. ai.
| The Presidents. of Martha Washington. of VAST
| ington taking lravc of his army, OF Washlngt'na
| I.au1iration, and many othar like scenes, hay"
| also been on exhibition 10 attract the passrrsby.
| Copies Of tic Constitution. Of the Declaration ct
Independence; histories Of the nlf~l States, de-.
scriptions Of WaShngton's Inauguration, and
! Lives u Washington have mot with - ready sale.
| 50 that thc C,ntrnniHl viii do much 10 duc't"
the people in the history Of ;i"r country and Us
chief hero OF course, metals have been struck in
| various icSilrls, and in lmm"nsc numbers. They
| have Lcen showed und,r the noses u pas5rF5-0g
| by street vendors during the Est fortnight. \
littlc hatchct attach" 20 BIZ ~ riAhun. also
| been displayed on all street corners. 50 that "A
Il 4