St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-03
M'ALLISTER IS KING.
The Leader Of Gotham's Four
Hundred Gives a Magnifl-
cent Ball.
1t Totally Eelipses the Centen-
NAL Fandango Bossed by
Stuy Fish.
Nearly $4,000 Spent in Dec
orations, Music and Fam
ey Drinks.
Such a Swell Fete Never Be-
fore Seen in This
Country.

fore Seen in This
Country.
NEW YORK, Jan. "A Sl50,00O ball is
in progress tonight at the Metropolitan
Opera house, and its chief enlvening
spirit is Ward McAllister, to whom is
credited the statement that New York's
best society consisted of only 400 per-
sons. Last April McAlIster was rem
dered exceedingly unhappy because Mr.
StuyveSant Fish, who had the power to
do SO, Ousted him from the management
of the great centennial ball. Even
though that great fFolic was carried
forward on the lines projected
by Mr.. MeAllister before his de-
position. 1t was not without fea-
lures which many persons, and among
them Mr.. McAllister severely criticized
Then Mr.. McAllister said he would get
up a ball of his own some time, and he
would demonstrate what a really per-
feet ball would be like. and the affair of
tonight is designed to be the demon
stration. During its preparation there
is said to have been frequent utUerance
to the effect that this would be 10 ''iiZZ
ball." the intimatiOn being that the
Centennial ball which Mr.. Fish con-
summated upon Mr.. McAllister's ideas
would not be an event of Importance in
ball room history, after the story of the
present fete should have been written.
And so tonight the McAllister bail is
on, and this is the
WAY THE MONEY WAS RAISED
to pay the expense of it: There are IA
am AstOr, William Waldorf Astor. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt. Chauncey NJ. Depew.
j. PierrepOnt Morgan, William K. Van
derbilt, Pierre Lorillard, Ogden and
Robert G0elet, Abram s. Hewitt. Ed
ward Cooper, Bradley Martin, Austin
Corbin, Henry Clews, Adrian ISelin,
Robert l.. Hargous. Delaney Kane,
William G. Whitney, John E. Parsons,
James a. Roosevelt, Edward Livingston.
Lawrence Turnure, Arson Phelps Stokes
A. NeWb0ld Norris, II. Victor NewcOmb
and L. |. Oakley Rhinelander. Each of
the subscribers has paid i'll 81 GOO, max
ing total OF $l44,00o. Each of the sub
serlberS received an invitation from
Ward MeAliistrr, carrying VftG II tie
right to invite seven gentlemen and five
ladies. THAT makes the full number
OF invitations 172S-l ,00S gentlemen and
G20 ladies. So you see there really IRE
more than AGO." said Dir. McAIlis-
ter. The sinews of war being
thus provided, it only remained for
Mr.. McAllister to think and have ideas
and secure their execution and great
notch would be cut in the stick of time
to mark an epoch in balls. And Mr..
McAllister did think. did have ideas.
and fbea llSnaniinn nf fhoir intO To-
going forward when he was threatened
with flood of policemen in the supper
room to prevent the use of wine after
a. m. One of Mr.. McAlister's plans
had been to start the supper at a. m,
and news that the police commissioners
regarded his ball as an affair projected
under the opera house liquor license,
and therefore one to he quaShed by OIL
GERS. This news was
TRYING TO MIR. M'ALLTsTER.
To have misfit police in buttons and
helmets walking about upon them
selves and other people at the New
Year ball, would be trying indeed. So,
argument was brought upon the corpOr-
alton counsel, who, at tile eleventh
hour Q. to-day, stopped the police
board with an opinion, in effect that the
New Year ball was one given by pri-
vate persons TO friends; that it was a
private affair to which tickets could not
be bought, ano that they had right to
drink wine all night if they wanted
to. WhereupOn. the police board
ordered the men of the force to
keep hands Off and let the ball go
on. and to permit the 800 quarts of
champagne that had been bought to be
drank at leisure. Meantime, on New
Years night, the great opera house had
been thrOnged the night before the ball.
1t was an opera night, and after the per-
Torrance the crowd moved out slowly.
Indeed. the last stragglerS, looking
back, saw gangs of men scaling the
fOotlightS from behind with hammers
and saws and timbers and framework
and heavy matched planking. The
carpenters were laying the dane
ing floor for the New Year ball
of tonight. 1t was stretched level with
the stage over the tops of the orchestra
chairs back To the doors. Then came
the florist and artist decorators, and all
night, and all day to-day they have been
busy. Tonight there is 10 high vaulted
ceiling, but the vast dancing floor is
empowered. The boxes do not figure
in the affair as such. In order to make
the participants feel that they are in a
ballroom rather than an opera
house, the boxes have been hid
den beyond the folds of the richest
floral curtainings, and are not to be
occupied at all. They are hung with
garIands of roses, and the galleries
draped with trees and holly, the lower
gallery being made into a mass of
green, with yellow flowers. 1t is the
handsomest decorating the Metropol-
itan opera house has ever seen. A
FALSE CEILING OF WIRE
depends from tile dome, over tile entire
auditorium on the level of the tops of
the first tier of boxes. This is covered
with smilax and holly, and Le-
comes canopy of cool.
shadowy green. There are raised
platforms richly carpeted and
furnished with sofas and divans, all
around the dancing surface. And
through and all about the corridors and
staircaSes to the supper rooms above,
there are trees of tropic growth and
shrubs of rare culture and blooming
flowers, while soft lamplight is every
where, save in the dim dark vault ABOVE
the suspended canopy of green. Some
where and somehow peFfumed fountains
scented the air, and perfume toucned
the eye and sense at every turn. The
fioated from unexpected sources which
could not be seen. The patrons
Of the ball include Mrs. William Astor.
Mrs. Delaney Kane, Mrs. Elliott
Roosevelt, Mrs. Philip Schuyler and
Mrs. George Peabody Wetmore. They
arrived at the opera house at 10 O'clock,
and were received by Cornelius Wander
bit, Byron K. Stevens and Mr.. Nc
AlliSter, and were escorted to position
where they should receive the guests as
they arrive. The great ball of