The record-union., 1895-09-10
ALL IN BRIGHT CARNIVAL ARRAY.
LAVISH PROPULSION OF MOST EX.
QUISITE DESIGNS.

The Surprising Beauty and Unexam-
pied Brilliancy of Sacramento's
Carnival Decorations.
It is within the bounds of reasonable
assertion to say that of all the efforts in
that line made heretofore by the cities of
the Pacific Coast no such brilliant
achievementjn the way of Carnival dec
oration has ever been known as was the
effort of Sacramento in honor of last
nights Electric Carnival.
The business houses and public and
private buildings along the line of march
in the downtown section constituted an
endless mass Of bright Carnival colored
electric lights, national flags, streamers,
banners. Native Sons flags. drapery in
Carnival colors, with very network of
festoons of banners crossing the street
diagonally and In different shaped figures
all along the line in the business part of
town. Many of the displays were of
very novel nature. and not few OF them
were ofsurpassing beauty, while the ef-
feet as whole. when completed by the
magical agency of the electric lights, was
something beyond the power of words to
describe in an adequate manner.
Many people who witnessed this grand
spectacle, and who had also seen the best
attempts in the line of urban decoration
in previous carnivals west of the Rocky
Mountains, declared that they had never
seen any effort of the kind which would
at all compare with the decorations here,
and it is not probable that any competent
critic will oppose their verdict in the
matter.
To attempt anything like even brief
description of all-or. for that matter, of
one-Quarter-of the individual dis
plays would be useless, as such report
would be 'big enough to make book"
and the limitations of space available to
the subject render 1t necessary to notice
only the displays embracing electric
Ights-one branch of the main idea"
which gave birth to the Carnival-and the
more notable attempts in the line Of other
deco orations.
IN LETTERS OF LIGHT.
A very brilliant feature of the street
display, and one which drew forth rap
turous admiration among the thousands
of spectators, consisted of three large
electric light devices which crossed Sec
ond and X streets. high in air. The one
on the former street was located at the
corner of ] street, and it bore the cordial
word welcome" on both sides in letters
three feet in hight in white lights. The
second, in carnival colored lights, was
placed on * street, opposite the Western
Hotel, and bore the word Progress"
The third, on X street between Eighth
and Ninth streets, displayed in red lights
the proud name, New Sacramento"
THE J-STREET ARCH.
The grand arch on ] street, at the in
tersection of Seventh, was the most am
bilious effort of its kind ever known in
California carnival architecture. This
was one of the contributions of the Native
Sons. 1t was in the Doric style, all
white, with the exception of two water
colors in the crown. one representing a
caravan crossing the plains in the early
days and the other portraying the Golden
Gate. These were surmounted by pro-
file figure, in light and shade, of Califor-
MIA, tlanked on either side by sentinel
bear.
on the frieze above the eight
massive supporting columns were
the portraits of 4. NJ. Winn, founder
of the Native Sons. and of Marshall,
in the center of the span on
each side was the familiar old emblem of
the pick and the shovel, surrounded by
laurel branches. At the base of the col
umns. Oh top of the pedestals, were placed
pots of growing palms. The structure
was of very solid nature, being built
entirely of wood, and it was fifty-six feet
wide and fifty-eight feet high. In every
detail the work is thoroughly artistic.
The arch was illuminated with 100 in
candescent lights all with globes of
white-sGd tie general effect was admira-
BILE in the extreme. This beautiful crea-
Iion was designed by Messrs. Chipman,
O'Neill and Walthew.
THE K-sTREET ARCH.
On X street, at the corner of Fourth,
was another of the Native Sons great
enthusiastic praise for its many beautiful
features. 1t was designed by Frank T..
Pratt of Pacific Parlor No. 10, n. S. G. w.
The arch rested on pedestals eight feet
square, with tour columns supporting
the cornice. The span, or "line of
beauty" was a full half circle, sur
mounted by dome. The general effect
was mainly cream and GOLD with tintad
marpleized columns. The arch had four
handsome panels in blue and gold, each
bearing rich design. four of them being
life-sized bear heads. There were six
large medaiions and shields, on which
were portraits of men and themes identi-
fed with the early history of California
and the order of Native Sons. Suffers
fort and mill were faithfully depicted, as
we're the seal OF the State, in bronze and
gold, and the Golden Gate. Surmount-
ing the arch were four large vases, con-
tanning natural palms, and flags and
streamers, artstically disposed, COM
pleted the many features of great merit
The arch was fifty feet wide and about
the same hight. 1t was profusely illum-
mated by multitude of colored electric
lights, and it presented scene of gor-
geous beauty. AT the intersection OF
cross streets for four blocks on each side
of the arch were strung, diagonally, gar
lands of green, with clusters OF flags at
the crossing point, overhead. and large
centerpieces OF flags beneath.