The morning times., 1897-03-05
THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY
Inaugural Ceremonies End in a
Blaze of Glory.
MONUMENT LOT CROWDED
The Immense Crowd Enjoyed the
Treat-W Wonderful Skill Displayed
in Unique DesignS-A Flag of
Fire HGEdi EDS of Hombs EX-
pIoded-A Grand Finale.

part OF the inaugural ceremonies except
the parade. There We're easily ice 600
men, women and children gathered about
the Monument and more than half as
many more saw the brilliant display from
roofs ana iilitops in all parts of the city.
Certain parts, including the great ma
t.onal flag, being above the Monument,
Were visible anywhere within ten miles
OF the White House.
The spectators who went to the scene
were gathered chiefly i'll a dense Lody
about the base III the Monument, but this
by 10 means covered the number who
jOurneyed down 20 the great lot. They
were scattered all over the grounds fIom
boundary to center, gathering especially
wherever there was Il cIoSswalk. Also
there were thIongs on Fourteenth street,
IN the west side-of the Agricultural grounds
and about the Bureau OF Engraving and
Printing.
The display was unique in the perfectnesS
and n the wonderful skill employed In
certain artistic parts. II was rather
commonplace for the rest, except that
each thing was done on the largest pos
sible scale, apparently. 1t was finished,
however, much too soon, for nine-tentfls
of the spectators The attempts TO light
up special public buildings, as the Trea-
ury, from the big lot was at rather too
long range To be very successful. The
illumination of Pennsylvania avenue after
the snow at the Monument was much more
salts factory.
The operators had two stations, about
a hundred yards apart, both upon the
southwestern slope of the broad, low emf
nence where the immense shaft which is
the pride of Washington is set. one was
quite near the entrance to the en- gineer's
room, the other beyond toward the river,
at Seventeenth street. Both sets OF men
were at work at the same time. ana there
was no delay between the pieces, hardly
enough To allow an observer with program
in hand to tell where one piece ended and
the other began.
The salute of l0l aeria! guns was a sue
cession Of fine rockets, which gave only
a taste OF what was to come. 1t served 10
announce thai the pyrotechnics had begun
and to cali the crowds together. IL was
followed quickly with the illumination OF
the grounds and Monument with 300 color
ed fires, red. white and blue, in honor of
the patriotic character OF the occasion.
They brought every point within three.quar-
,ers of a mile OF the Monument into strong
but SO TT relief.
Then tie Copgreve rockets were poured
into the heavens / n a perfect storm, three
positions being used To set them off. They
bust above and about the peak OF the
Monumcntina storm Of red, white, yellow.
green and blue stars, floating in the air on
a h1r lstTV, of g. There
We're 100 OF these rockets, Weighing six to
eight pounds apiece
a tremendous brief cannonade, as if the
bombaIduent OF the city had begun, was
the signal that the next number was on.
This consisted OF fifty twenty-four-inch
bombs with Manhattan Beach tints. 1t
dropped flight after flight of colored
fire half way up the Monument shaft
The hundred tourbiilons following had
little color but made up for this by fountains
fcoruscating, gyrating, wriggling squirui-
ing fire that looked as If it were alive.
A cloud, gold-tinted in honor Of the vic
tory of the yellow metal, was next lung
into the air by hundred fifteen-inch bombs
and through its depths were knots Of
cleaning light like big electric lamps. In
quick succession there followed twenty
five OF Paine's eight-pound rockets, from
each Of which fell a chain Of colored lamps
which floatcd as if under a magician $
spell TO the westward, changing color as
they went, several volleys OF light artil-
lery fire caused by 900 SauCiSson mines,
let off almost in the same moment, and
twenty thirty-inch bombs, including some
effects never before exhibited to any
audience.
The aerial search light was effective in
making the entire grounds light, almost
as day. It would have been possible to
read The Times by it. IL was ac-
conplshed by letting Off fifty 6-pound
rockets. Then there was a promise Of
bilnetallism, international OF course, all
! things considered. 1t consisted of dis
play of gold and silver threads intermngiing g
as twenty-five mammoth rockets were cent
hustling into the air and unfolded their
contents.
An exhibit of ten 3-foot bombs that
woke the echoes on the southern shores OF
the Potomac, preceded the masterpiece of
the evening.
This was "Old Glory" hardly q mile
high, as promised by the program, but high
enough, far above the top of the Monument.
1t was a perfect success. The great ban
ner Of fire unfurled 500 feet long and
nearly half as broad, far above the Monu-
ment, hung in beauty against the sky,
while all that vast Concourse cheered and
cheered again. Its lowest folds did not
touch the Monument, and far In the frosty
deeps Of the armament it looked little
larger than the big banners that hang at
the north entrance Of the War, State and
Navy Department. 1t was held aloft by a
big balloon, whose sides were lighted up
by the restless lamps Of the flag as it
floated away This design has been seen
only few times 1t was first given at the
Worlds Fair at Chicago.
When this was completed considerable
numbers OF the crowd beganto move away.
As peacock's plumes were spread against
the southern sky by the use of fifty fifteen
inch shells, fired by electricity, the crowd
continued To thin out. But when twenty
five siX-pound rockets were sent In flight
and from each fell olt as many red. white
and blue national streamers, considerable
number halted, looked back, and stopped
to see if there We're other patriotic de
81 gns.
The pyrotechnics seemed to have gone
over to the Bryan faith when thousand
silver snakes were turned loose in the air,
but the crowd was satisfied when it was
found there were still few golden speci
mems, and they were not in the proportion
of 16 to L.
4 flight of fifty thirteen nd-a-halr inch
bombs entirely restored confidence in the
new administration among the gold advo-
Gates. 1t wound up in torrents OF illu-
minated gold.