The record-union., 1894-01-31
LAST NIGHTS MASQUERADE.
The Athletic Clubs Bal Masque a
Success.
over Four Hundred Maskers-Some of
the More Striking Characters
Handsome Decorations.


attendance of spectators, nearly all the
seats being comfortably filled.
The hall was handsomely decorated
not overdone-not made heavy with drap-
cry, bunting and festoons, but the sense
of lightness and airlness being happily
conserved. The prevailing colors were
at the windows on the west, which were
draped in light fabrics of pink and green,
overhung with black and old gold the
club colors.
On the west wall beneath festoons of
club colors, were disposed great guam
tity of the relics of the Circus Maximus,
such as spears, armor, shields, nets. CANT
lets, quoits or discus sets, swords. etc.
The north end was the grand stand.
with great fiuted columns bearing globes,
the same pillars used on either side of
the Emperor's stand at the Circus Maxi
mus, last fall.
Here was decidedly the handsomest
effect in the hall; between the pillars was
a mass of evergreen foliage, potted plants
and Towering shrubs. Beneath these, on
the stand panel, hung heavy evergreen
festoonS, from which SmilaX feStoons
wound around the pillars to the apex and
united the two columns with chain of
the same delicate vine.
Following the line of these vertical fes-
toons and the bridge or link at the top
were host Of incandescent electric lights
in pear and cup shaped globes or shades
of brilliant yellow, indigo, crimson, red
and amber. 1t was beautiful and brill
iant effect, a most happy conceit, that
never tired the eye, but constantly at
tractedi it. Behind these stand decorations
the orchestra was disposed under the
leadership of G. A. Neale.
The ceiling decorations consisted of
line after line of colored lanterns grace
fully dropping, with flank lines OF BAN
nerets, and here and there cages of song
birds hung beneath Japanese umbrellas,
while everywhere in panels, over en-
frances, on the gallery front, the star
Spangled banner was disposed in flags
large and small.
Here and there also tropical plants
were placed, and over the entrance to the
club eXercise-room was handome drap-
ing of soft, colored fabrics. The entire
decoration was the conceit and work of
the club membership under the direction
OF G. Z. Bauer. 1t was successful effort,
and reflected credit upon the taste and
skill of the workers.
The programme opened with a per-
formance on the parallel bars by G. a.
Strobel, August Yoerk, r. Alexander
and Thomas Holder, who performed
SOUl0 very ulL1cUlL lodlS, SHOWING
strength and deXterity.
The skirt dance by Maud Caswell fol-
lowed, in which she displayed her grace
and agility to the best advantage, show
ing continued improvement in her
chosen profession.
Then; followed a two-round boxing
match between Wells Birdsall and Will
lam McGraw, the two clever feather
weights. The men were very evenly
matched and there was very little ad-
vantage gained by either. Birdsall made
a vicious pass at his opponent, who
lodged and dropped aud the force of his
blow carried him clear over McGraw,
causing him TO almost turn a summer
sault. There were some warm exchanges
in the rallies and McGraw was bothered
by one of his gloves becoming loose.
A juvenile match between Frank
Rhoads and viii Moffett was well con-
tested. Rhoads being considerably the
taller Of the two, landed most frequently
on the head, while his plucky little op-
ponent played for the body.
The big Four from the juvenile
class, with the Billou brothers and Ernest
Schenck as clowns, and Del Lenoir as a
contortionist, gave a most laughable as
well as an excellent exhibition OF
tumbling, and Lenoir did contortion act
which would have done credit to a pro-
fessional.
the McClatchy twins, Jed and jim, in
which both displayed plenty of science
and pluck, victory finally perching on
Jim's banner.
A Gr8co-Roman match between r. Y.
Cole and 81. Hildebrandt was won, after
a stubborn bout, by Hildebrandt, and a
catch-as-c -catch-can between Ii. J. Spanier
and l.. a. Payen was won, after an eXcit-
ing contest, by Spanjer
Dexter Dunphey and Monte Newbert,
in blackened faces, then did some excel
lent work in twists, turns and bends. Al.
+. Kleinsorge was billed for club swing,
but instead gave an excellent exhibition
of Juggling with three clubs.
just as he finished his act there was
loud cry of "Oh! oh! ohE' apparently from
the row of seats on the east side of the
hall. The audience showed some signs
OF excitement. thinking from the voice
that some lady had been badly hurt or
was sick, but when the cry changed into
the discordant laugh of a parrot, they all
settled back in their seats with many an
exclamation of sold again." and a hearty
laugh went up.
The performance closed with fine ex-
hibitIon of leaping by Arthur Arnold, w.
G. Lands, Thomas Holder, II. Hide
brandt, l.. S. Upson, r. NJ. Alexander.
Ed Johnson, III. j. Spanjer, l.. a. Payen,
George New bert, Monte Newbert, +. II.
Cox, Jr., William Donohue and (. A.
york, in which straight summersaults,
side summersaults aDd twisters and
doubles were all made.
At exactly 10 o'clock, the hour appoint
ed, the grand march began, led by the
Board of Governors of the club. There
were forty-two maskers in the march,
the variety of costumery, in color and
character, the glitter of tinsel, the sheen
of silk, and the waving of plumes and
banners, as the long line wound in and
out in tortuous grace, under the play of
colored electric lights from great lantern
at the head of the hall, made the scene
one of great beauty-indeed il was so
pleasing to the eye and charming to the
sense of the beautiful that there was
general sigh of regret when the lines
broke up and the dancing began.
There was not large number of costly
costumes, and but few very rich ones,
but there was in pleasing profusion very
original ones, evidently personal skill
The wit and the ingenuity OF the majority
of the maskers having superseded rented
costumes. There were many very SIM
l)le neat costumes, simple in design and
graceful in effect.
Not many dominoes were seen, in fact
surprisingly and gratifyingly few. So
that as a whole the spectacle was one
rich in variety and full enough of the
strange. and the grtoesque, the beautiful
and the original TO occupy every spec
tator the whole evening in studying
them and divining the intent OF the mask
ers.
Among the more striking and original
features may be mentioned these: An