The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-17

risk of pneumonia trying to find where
thelr drivers had gone 1t was almost
as great flasco as the first Grant in
auguration, and the record Of that is
memorable. 4: r 81.
FIRST GRANT INAUGURAL BALL.
The first Grant inaugural ball was
held In the treasury building. There
could not have been anything mnch
worse suited to the occasion, but there
was nothing better. What was con-
sidered triumph of executive ability
was the arrangement by which the
floors of the building were kent in
communication with each other by tel
egraph, SO that the floor manager had
the entire place under his control. and
dancing was held simultaneously in
many rooms. But from the floors of
the dancing rooms arose a fine dust
1t filled the air and penetrated the
lungs OF the dancers. From the dane
ing rooms 1t spread to the halls. Soon
every one in the great building was
coughing, and men and women, strang-
ling for fresh air, struggled to the
cloak rooms and asked for their wraps
You know the story Of the guest who
got the worst overcoat. 1t was re,
peated hundreds Of times on that
dreadful night. The colored messen-
gers of the treasury had charge of the
wraps. 1t was easy for them to give
out the checks which lay in the pigeon
holes, but to identify the garments
afterward-that was quite another
thing. Very few of these could read.
They did not know one figure from an
other. Frantic men who had stood
half an hour waiting for the helpless
darkies to do something scrambled into
10
their belongings. One bundle Of cloth
ing was dragged from it's pigeonhole,
and another, and another. Some were
put back carelessly, and they fell out
on the floor. Men. trampled on them
The crowd increased. The scramble
for coats and hats and wraps grew
greater. Finally the bewidered dark
les turnbled everything out on the floor
and left the crowd to help itself. Then
there ~ re fighting and shouting and
general disorder Money and jewels
We're lost in the crush. Clothing; was
spoiled. Men went out into the night
in their dancing slippers and walked
to their homes in the bitter cold. And
the venerable Horace Greeley, calling
down new curses on Washington-he
hated the city-walked to his hotel
hatless. 1t was a great and memoir
able ball.
The custom of erecting a temporary
structure in Judiciary square for the
inaugural ball was not new in Grants
time. Lfncoln's first inauguration
was marked by a ball in temporary
building on the same site. So was
Buchanans, and so was Zach Taylor's
There was no rejoicing when Pierce
was sworn in, because he had just suf-
fered the loss of his son. Zach Tay-
lOr's ball is said to have been the fin
est in the history of inaugurations.
Gungl, the composer, had arrived In
New York with his band on con.
tour. He was invited to attend, and
he gladly proffered the music for the
occasion. There were other unique
features, and though rain fell in tor
RENTS there was a large attendance
and the ball was a great success.
When Polk was inaugurated, there
were two balls, one at the National
theater and one at Carusi's saloon.
For Harrison's inauguration there were
two balls, one at the Washington as
sembly rooms and one at Carusi's.
Van Buren's inaugural ball was held
at Carusis.
BALLS IN THE PENSION BUILDING.
Since Mr.. Cleveland's first election the balls
have been held in the pension building, that
red brick barn which stands at one end OF