The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-28

people anxious TO obtain a lofty sight of
the review. The upper part Of the picture
was enclosed in frame of heavy gray
clouds. which seemed almost TO rest upon
the heads of those who stood on the roofs
OF the houses farther in the rear.
While In this picture the spectators
formed necessarily the center piece, the
real center of interest was, of course, the
fleet of warships. When the people left
home they looked splck and span; when
they reached the cars that were to take
them to their destinations they looked be-
draggled; when they arrived at the drive
they looked as if they had got mixed up in
an Oklahoma cyclone. But the crowd
! assembled WAS remarkable 1t spread
from the edge of the river to the top of the
bank; it extended from Seventy second
street to Grants tomb; it walked slowly
up and down. stopping at every other mo
menr to look forth from beneath umbrellas
at the men of war. The number of per-
sons who went to Riverside drive was not,
| of course, large as it would have been
had the day been pleasant, but it was very
| large. It was also q heterogeneous gath
erng. There were Engiishmen, French
men, Russians, Germans, Italians, Span
iards and South Americans, mingled with
our own people.
THE COLUMBIAN BALL.
The Columbian ball tonight at Madison
Square Garden was. in respect 10 magn!f-
cence Of decoration and arrangement and
of the number of worId-famouS guests
present the most splendid ever given in
the new world. Besides the president and
his advisers, the chief Legislative body OF
the United States and the Spanish grandee
who is the namesake and lineal descend
ant of Christopher Columbus, there was
the diplomatic corps, admirais aud sub
ordinate officers of every great naval
power IN the world, governors OF neigh
boring states and famous army officers.
| 1t was, in fact a gathering OF celebrities
| so gloriousiy arraved that the oldest and
most travelled guest acknowledged that
seldom, or never before. had he ever seen
a parallel to the gorgeous picture pre-
| sented.
The decorations of the garden were rich
and elaborate, eclipsing in their maSniii-
| ceuce and elegance anything ever before
| attempted in the great auditorium. The
main entrance had been draped with q
! background of pure white fes.ooned with
| n delicate tracing OF smilaX ana asparagus
sprays Cut flowers and rare eXotics were
| profusely distributed through this rich
| green ground, with myriad of tiny cleo
/ rric lights shining from out the mass of
| flowers and verdure. Two silver dragons,
with great. burning ruby eyes, guarded
| the Madison avenue entrance. In the GEN.
! ter OF the garden thousands Of sprays of
| lilies OF the valley formed an arch. Upon
the keystone was perched smiling Cupid,
whose fairy wings were studded
! with miniature lamps and who held in
his hand chain of vari cOlored electric
| lights. Surrounding this beautiful arch
was a grove OF palms and long foliage
plants, and half hidden amid their YER
dure was "a japanese juggler balancing
bamboo wheel OF colored revolving lamps.
At the Fourth avenue end of the garden
was placed An immense Japanese fan
studded with electric lights. Directly be-
meath this was the reception daiS. 1t was
gorgeous with flowers and plants and at
two corners were dragons such as guarded
the entrance to the garden. Across the
rear of the amphitheater, in large letters
of light, were the words, "The New
Worlds Welcome" a magnificent model
of the capitol at Washington, created out
of white flowers, and illuminated with
electric lights, rested upon the stage of the
assembly room. The balcony pillars were
twIned with smilax and flowers, and the
entire Roof of the garden WAS hung with IL |
canopy of white and gold, dependent from |
which were hundreds of clusters of flags |
of all nations.
The boxes on either end of the garden
and along the arena were decorated with |
flowers and flags. The large box OH the |
center Madison end was occupied by his |
honor Mayor Gilroy and suite. President |
Cleveland's box was on the right of the |
mayors. 1t was lined with white and
gold, with delicate maiden-hair ferns,
roses and asparagus in beautiful designs !
covering it, A magnificent bank of
American beauty roses sloped gently down |
the balcony To a large American shield !
and eagle, Old Glory being outlined in |
colored lights. The box occupied Ivy the |
duke of Neragua and his party was on the
left of the mayors The other boxes on |
the first tier were occupied By the diplo-
matte corps and by Governor Flower and |
staff The arena boxes were occupied by !
the admrals of the foreign and American |
fleets and their attending officers. Two |
bands furnished the music in the ball |
room, one being stationed on the south
and the other on the north side of the
garden toward the Fourth avenue end
Landers orchestra Of eighty string pieces
played music for the dancers and Rogers
Seventh regiment band of sixty pieces
played during the intermlssionS and prom
euades.
The doors of the garden We're thrown
open at o'clock, and almost Immediately
afterwards the guests began to arrive.
The naval officers were met by a specially
appointed committee at the foot of West
Forty-secOnd street and from there taken
in carriages to the garden. The president
having other engagements during the
evening, did not arrive with his party un-
til some time after the ball had been AN
nounced to begin, at 10 O'Clock. Mayor
Gliroy. as head of the municipality, and
Mrs. Gilroy officially received the guests
of the evening They stood upon the re-
ception dais, and just behind them were
stationed the committee of 100 and the
honorary committee, who escorted the !
more distinguished of the guests from the
entrance to their boxes.
No precedence was observed, every effort |
being made to indicate that the ball WAS a !
republican citizens affair The president |
however. was not escorted to the mayors
reception dais when lie arrived half an
hour before midnight, but WAS met at the
entrance by his escort of honor The band |
at his appearance, played Halt to the
Chief" aud Mayor Gilroy advanced TO |
meet him. After 4 formal introduction
the president and his party were escorted |
TO their box. The program of dances was
IA very simple one. There were no dis
A buffet supper for i1vlted guests was
served in the concert hall. The buffet
which extended around two sides of the
room, was handsomely decorated.
THE ELECTRIC SEARCH LIGHTS.
Inky darkness veiled the Columbian
feet at o clock tonight, and not a sound
WAS heard by the landsmen from the an
cbored battlrships. Suddenly u raw OF
light shot upward from the Philadephia !
Ii was long aud dazzling and seemed to
pierce the SKY. For a moment it remained
stationary aud then disappeared l. was
the :. .gnai for the scheduled display of
the electrical search lights with which the
war vessels are provided. GuIckly follow
iug the Phlladelphia's lead lhe Americans
showed the many ways ia which the lights
are used IN actual warfare to protect them
selves from tue attacks OF those msrine
teTrors, torpedo boats.
At times the projected rays were con-
centrated at certain spots on the shore. /
then We're turned far up the Hudson. /
making objects plainly visible at a dis