The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-26

similar bbllS SlHC6 the w ar-HOW HOr-
ace Greeley Lost His Coat at Grants
First Inauguration-No Bali When
Hayes Came Iu-The Harrison Inaur-
ural Ball. -
From the PHILADELPHIA Press, f.'-
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23.-It can scarcely
be said that the fact that the inaugural ball
Is to be dispensed with In the ceremonies
attending the Inauguration OF President
Cleveland causes any great disappointment
In "sooiety circles. y The ball is a time
honored affair. notable as a spectacle rather
than for its social interest. Anyone can
buy a ticket to the inaugural ball. They
are sold publicly in the cigar stores and at
the news stands all through the city. And
most of them are sold. Very few are given
away even to newspaper correspondents,
who are expected by their publications to
arouse an interest IN the affair aud thus
highten it's success. ~
Most Of the older residents If Washing
ton, and many, too, of those who are in
office here, remember the second inaugural
ball OF President Lincoln. lt was held on
March 4, 1865 in the interior department
building. The top floor of the building.
which is given up TO the patent Office, was
DEVOTED exclusively to this ball The model
room, which is very large apartment, al
though 1t is pretty well cut up bv pillars,
was used as ball room, and there We're
dressing rooms and supper rooms on the
same floor. 1t was not so lively a ball as
some Of its successors, for the country was
not in condition to rejoice very tempessu-
ously.
Grants first Inauguration was a much
more lively affair. In fact in point of live
hpaaG 81 will haar xuff e
the balls in the history Of inaugurations.
IL was held in the north wing of the trea-
sury building. That part Of the building is
now used by the commissioner of internal
revenue and the treasurer Of the United
States, and in the basement is the redemp-
tion division OF the treasurer's office. The
treasury Building is four stories high. On
the frat floor in the north wing there are
some very large offices.
The cashiers Office particularly is very
spacious, and narrow gallery looks down
upon It from the floor above. All of the
partitions which separate the offices were
not in place then, 80 three Of the floors were
pretty well cut up into large apartments,
which would serve as small ball rooms
These three floors were used for dancing. A
communication between them was estab-
lished by telegraph, 80 that the dancing be-
gan and ceased on all the floors at the same
time. This was rather crude arrange
ment, but it was very perfect compared
with some of the other arrangements for
the ball,
The cloak rooms were on the top floor of
the building. There were no elevators in
those days; so all of the guests had to climb
three flights OF stairs after they got into the
building and then go down four flights of
stairs TO get to the supper room, which was
in the basement Inexperienced men had
been put in charge of the cleak room and
an inexperienced caterer 70 local dealer IN
confectionery had the contract for the
supper. The result was disastrous
The attendants upstairs lost their heads
completely and after keeping long lines of
people waiting some of them for nearly an
hour, they mixed up the hats and coats so
thoroughly that very few people got their
own property, and some had to go home
bareheaded. Horace Greeley was one of
those who lost q hat and coat and the
words he said about it would not bear
publication in a family newspaper.
FIGHT FOR FOOD.
The confusion in the supper room was
quite as great. There was an abundance of
food, although cake and iceoream predomi-
mated. But the walters did not know how
to serve the bungry crowd and pretty soon
the crowd began to serve itself. There WIS
a wild scramble for food and not only ball
dresses, but dress coats we're ripped and
torn to tatters. Wrecked platters lay every
where on she floor and there were broken
dishes In abundance. while the scattered
food which had been dropped in the scram-
BILE would have satisfied small army. OF
course there were lost tempers as well as
lost suppers and lost overcoats; and a great
deal of i'll feeling was left over the next
day. +.i..........
Grants second inaugural ball was quite
as unfortunate. Alexander Shepherd, the
governor OF the District of Columbia. whose
l. -
chairman of the executive committee, and
he and his fellow-workers planned to
make the ball something to be remembered
for a generation. There was no public
building available and no private building
would have been large enough for the pur-
pose; 80 the executive committee decided to
erect temporary building in Judiciary
square. This is the place where the pension
building now stands.
All of the preparations for the event were
perfect with one exception; and that excep-
ton was fatal. No arrangements we're made
to heat the building. There was huge ball
room, beautifully decorated, from whose
toor you caught glimpses through broad
arohways of bountifully-spread tables
There were dressing rooms ana committee
rooms and at Que end of the ball room a
platform had been constructed where the
President stood and overlooked the assem-
blage and where he shook hands with many
thousands who offered him their congratu-
istions. Everything was done on rnagnif-
cent scale.
STRUCK BY COLD WAVE.
But unfortunately on the day Of the In
auguration cold wave swept down on the
city. The pine walls of the ball room were
no protection from the wintTy air and the
result was that the ball was thrown into
a lively promenade. Men with oyercoats
and women with fur wraps hustled around
the room at a lively pace to keep up their
circulation. Very few sat down at the
supper table because they would Lave
frozen stiff in their chairs. and the caterer
from the Hoffman house, who bad
brought generous supply of dainties
from New York by train, was compelled
TO throw away half of his provisions I'M
touched and spoiled. The ball was an
ignominious and disheartening failure.
There was lively little deficiency OF
SSoO00 in the funds of the committee
which was made good by Mr.. Shepherd and
some OF the other members of the commit
zee. Among the sufferers were Jonn w.
thompson, the president OF the National
metropolitan Bank; Henry Willard, the
~eh'known millionaire; John 0. Evans,
Heorge Gideon and number Of contractors
VINO were working under Gov. Shepherd.
4, when President Hayes was ineugurated