Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-11
JUST LIKE SARD|NES
We're People Packed in the
White House at a Presi-
dental Reception.
NO ATTENTION TO CARDS
Paid by Hundreds Who We're De-
termined to See and Be Seen.
QUEER SIGHT FUR FOREIGNERS,
Who Had Their Eyes Opened to Some
Democratic Habits.
NO ATTENTION TO CARDS
SOME INCIDENTS MORE THAN FUNNY

ception at the White House, last night, IL
honor of the Army and Navy, was ths most
crowded and badly arranged entertainment
that has been held in Washington for some
years-and that is saying good deal. Il
vas the President and Mrs. Harrison ;:
third and last evening card reception of the
season, and apparently the entire popula.
tion of Washington saw in it their last op.
portunity for the winter of getting glimpse
of high official society.
Foreigners and other strangers in Wash
ington have often expressed establishment
at the character of the crowds met
with at the White House receptions,
and after last nights experience their
wonder is apt to turn into as
tonishment, for all previous records as re-
CARDS big crowds, pushing, jostling, and alb
sence of invitations, was beaten out of sight
last night.
The Last of the Season.
1t is customary for the President and his
wife to give three card receptions during
the winter, the first in honor of the diplo-
matte corps, the second in honor of Con-
gress and the third in honor of the officers
of the army and the navy. For these enter
tainments handsomely engraved formal in
yitations are sent out by special mounted
messengers, the one card including the in
vitation for the three evenings. As souve-
Mrs these cards of invitation are desirable
being most artistic in their way and bearing
at the top in raised gold the motto of the
United States: ''E Pluribus Unum."
Although each invitation is restricted to
H., = L
ily, it has long been the custom for cousins,
aunts, nephews, sons-in-law, visitors, and
even the boarders OF the households where
the cards are received to put in an appearance
at the White House. The cards are sent to
all of the officially world of Washington, and
the personal friends and acquaintances of
the President and the members of his fam
ilv. 1t is the custom, ALSO for the MEM
bers of the Cabinet to verbally invite the
leading officials of the various departments,
none of which ever fail to accept. The list
of invited guests also includes such strang-
ers in the city as the President and his per-
sonal friends see fit to informally ask to at
tend.
More Than Filled the House.
The actual capacity of the White House,
when all its rooms are thrown open, as they
are on reception nights, is not definitely
known, but it is certainly great enough to
accommodate, after a fashion at least, all
persons who are legitimately invited. Last
night. however, literally all Washington
sought admission to the White House DOORS
and among the $500 or 5000 people esti-
mated as present, there must have been at
least 800 who had no possible sort of invita-
tion, written, verbal or implied.
The hours for these card receptions are
4 g. n 4 n4fo
hour, however, the ladies of the receiving
party, with their escorts and the personal
friends of the Presidential household, are al
lowed admission by private entrance, if
necessary, but the guests generally are ex-
pected to wait outside until g. If they get
there before that hour. 1t being the last
reception of the season, last night, 8 crowd
was expected, but the ushers doorleepers
policemen and other attendants were en-
tirely unprepared for the crowd that
swarmed upon them Just after 9 O'Clock,
and the result was shifting, shambling,
crushing mass of people, packed like lot
of sheep outside the yestibule doors, many
ofwhom had not reached the dressing room
inside when the hour of II o'clock arrived.
As Hard to Get Out as In.
AS it was as much Of physical impossi-
bility to get out of the house as it was to get
L =.
was midnight before all Of them had sue
ceeded in regaining their wraps and the
outer air. Long before o'clock the crowd
of people began to gather, and promptly at
that hour the doors were opened and the
line began to pour in. Immediately within
the glass doors of the highly decorated
vestibule the Marine Band, in full uniform,
was stationed, playing lively tunes, which
served to keep the people outside in a meas
ure good-natured and content with their
lot. As the line passed in to the right it
wound through the narrow passages of the
lower floor to the state dining room, which
was used as ladies dressing room. From
there entrance was gained to the main vesti-
bule, and therefrom into the Blue Room,
where the President and Mrs. Harrison and
the receiving party stood.
As the guests paid their respects to the
ladies of the line they passed on into the
great East Room and distributed themselves
as best they could. At $50 o'clock the
crowd extended from the East Room back
through the various reception rooms, hall
and vestlbule, out to the portico and down
the stone walk, through the grounds half
way to Pennsylvania avenue.
A Long Line of Carriages.
In addition to this great mass of people
there was line OF carriages from the White
AOuse POi'iOo uohn tnrougn the grounds
along Pennsylvania avenue and down Fif-
teenth street to a point below the main en-
trance to the Treasury building, a distance |
OF over three blocks. This line of carriages |
was Kept moving by policemen as rapidly |
as possible, and emptied their contents into |
the pushing crowd on the portico. where |
they became wedged in among the greater
MACS of people who came first.
The result was that at $50 o'clock tbere
was an actual blockade, and it required al
most an hour to move from the end of the |
line to the outside vestibule of the bous.
The line was kept moving at a snaiI's nace
in platoons, by policemen stationed at tbe
door. When the inside crowd becam, nh
solutely immovable the policemen cIasnsd
hands and prevented the outside neanIe
from moving a step. At intervals Of
about Is minutes the outside people wers
pushed ahead and platoon Of those with
out permitted to enter.
By 1890 o'clock the interior of the man.
sion was packed with solid mass of neonle
as was the portico outside, and hundreds of
those who gained admission after that hour
got no further, and instead of shaking hands
with their host and hostess remained
tangled mp in confusion with the members
of the Marine Band, policemen, hack
drivers and doorkeepers in the outside yes-
tibule.
Causes Of the Awful Crush.
This remarkable and unfortunate state of
things cannot be said to be altogether due
TO bad management, although the White
House is entirely untitled for such enter
tainments, for it was absolutely impossible
for human hands to guide such crowd or