Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-23
THE KANSAS CITY JOURNAL WEDNEsDAY.JUNE %, 1897

facade picked out In lights OF purple anu
fine gold. radiating from a medallion por-
trait of her majesty shown In cut crystals.
Marlborough house instantly caught, the
eye. Across the four pillars at the en-
trance to the grounds was noticeable a
large branch in the form of laurels in vari-
Gus shades OF green with natural berries,
scrfbed "V. r. L." the Prince OF Wales
feathers and badge figured in the design.
the whole being Of the most beautiful crys-
tai Around the corner at York house; IL
Illuminated crystals formed a large heart OF
rose petals and May blossoms.
Passing out Of Pau Mall, the .,n eeilul1id thd
incandescent glow lamps hidden In flower
petals suggested nothing so much as
Childs dream of Titania'S court. tIeet
street from the law courts to Ludgate cir
Gus was a dazzling vista OF prismatic ana
radiant devices. ending up on Ludgate m MI
in the massive dome of St. PauIs, brill
iautly lighted by searchlights, standing
with its huge golden cross beacon 10
greater London and beyond
Nothing in all London or elsewhere ex-
ceeded in artistic beauty and brilliancy OF
display the scene from the Wellington
side and the Mansion house on the other.
The official home of the lord mayor was
| bathed in so much light that all the beau
ties of the day seemed to fit In and charm
ingIy mingle with that of the night. On
the top Of the pediments a splendid star
of India burned its brilliant points INTO
the sky. Prismatic gas globes outlined
the facade and a portion of the side. while
the royal crown encircled by wreath OF
laurels in incandescent lamps stood out
prominently in front of the building, en-
circled by a wreath of laurels In mean
descent lamps. The crown was tianked on
either side by crystal gas lamps, with ~:
r. l." at the top of the side elevation of
the Mansion house. Twelve farfng TRIPODS
adorned the roof, and two notices STOOD
out boldly in letters of light: Long Live
our Queen" "God Guard Your Throne"
The Bank of England, that hotbed OF
old-fashioned British loyalty, had a super
structure or frame Of amber lights along
the Threadneedle facade, within wntcn
hung festoons of white lit globes fastened
at short intervals with illuminated deep
red bows. Here and there set pieces OF cut
crystals broke the frame and added their
multi-colored CLEANS in loyal devices;
The corner at PrlncesS street ana anu Ihe e
crystal device THE Grecian Honeysuckle,
sixteen feet wide. Right across the front
of the ugly building. significant OF so much
England's last poet laureate, burning in
undisturbed glare as if forever, She
Wrought Her People Lasting Good.
Turning from the bank 10 the Liverpool,
London and Globe building. at the apex OF
Corr Hill and Lombard street, the
structure from basement to root was OUT
lined in red and blue and gold. The clock
familiar to all Americans who ever came
10 the city was surrounded by six circular
boxes OF flame shining through colored
glass. The windows and roof were also out
lined in exquisite gold settings. Old
sightseers pronounced the scene ne, as .3ir one
passed even by the fetes Of the car IN
Paris or for him at Moscow.
Father Thames tonight furnished an
impressionist color scene. The sweep sea-
ward from the pool, myriad lights here
and there just touching into ghostly form
the shipping. the tower, the heavy lines
beyond on the long necklace of simmer
ing gems away towards Westminster, with
st. Pauls shadows of the silent waters,the
small string of colored lamps on some wan
dering tug or cumbrous barge, lines of lu-
cent color on nearby bridges, the stream
ing rays darting skyward from the daZ-
warehouses, dark patches OF almost impen-
etrable shadow that on the rivers edge
seemed to fringe the glory of it all.
Among the many displays Of one sort or
another between Westminster bridge and
the Horse Guards, one in particular de-
manded nOtice-that by the London &
corner of Bridge and Parliament streets
the most extensive illumination by electric
light to be seen in the metropolis. There
are 1900 16-candle lamps arranged TO out
line the building. The chief feature was
large crown surmounting the dome at the
corner containing 4VO lamps. Ihey were
mostly white, but the jewels In the crown,
the orb and cross. were shown by clusters
of colored lights. The columns support
ing the dome were picked out in white and
there were horizontal lines of light over
each floor with lines vertically on the
large letters of white light, initials in ruby,
the words:z fIsOngest, Noblest, WiSest
Reign" stretched around both frontages.
Enormous gas haTes over the parapet or
each frontage completed the scene.
Out of the PROFESSIONAL streets there were
thousands OF devices scattered through
greater London of every kind and descrip-
ton, from the gorgeous electric and gas
glories in cut crystals of West end squares
to row of tallow dips in Deptford slums,
or among the laundry colonies of Acton.
The railway stations were well cared for,
the loyal tradesmen were lit up as usual
and hotels were equally to the front.
Victoria street was notable for the IL
Elimination of the United States embassy
and the offices of the colonial agents gener-
oil Tha iy1aT n nd nj M
these was that erected by Sir Donald Smith
at the Canada office. in which the shield
surrounded by the names of the provinces
painted on white glass and Illuminated so
as to show a bouquet of color.
All the stately houses in Carlton House
terrace. including Mrs. Mackay's and Mr..
William Waldorf Astor's, are a blaze of
light. but the two splendid mansions, oc-
cupied by Americas two ambassadors,
Colonel Hays house on one side and Mr.
Whitelaw Reid's on the other, were es-
approving comments. The two houses were
illuminated in the same design, the familiar
big ". r. L. surmounted urn BY a crown and
the dates, '1S37-1S97." On either side of the
center of the design was a large American
shield. surmounted by the eagle and with
the signitcant number OF thirteen stars in
the field, and from both houses large Amer
lean flags hung.
With illuminations which are universal
in every town and hamlet of England.
Wales and Scotland. and in some parts of
ireland, with fireworks in countless places,
with illuminations following the fall of
night in every part of the empire where
the queen has sway, there yet remains to
be mentioned the final touch-the lighting
of the empires torch-the ancient form of
giving warning or sending joy, the beacon
fires. As 10 o'clock struck at the Green
wich observatory, a tongue of flame shot
upward from Great Malvern, "the back
bone of the Midlands." It was the jubilee
beacon fire. Hardly had the spectator time
TO look on 1t before another fared in the
distance on the right, then again on the
of n Cf md was
Peak answered to peak. until from Ber-
wick-on-Tweed to Rough Tore and Brown
Willie in Cornwall, from the cathedral
towers of Htchtfeld, Worcester Ripon, Lin
| coin and Durham. from Skiddaw to st.
Heliers, from Hastings to Caderiris and
across the water TO Donegal and Dublin, a
| thousand beacon fires blazed up their mes
sage Of loyalty to the sovereign. Half an
hour later. the lowlands. the highlands the
wild Hebrides. even to Netima Thule, sent
| answering signals to the sky. And then
slowly, as the light failed from day to
| evening round the world. the empires
| torch was lit. From St Heliers the signal
| leaped to Gibraltar. to Malta, to Cyprus. to
Ceylon, to India, where II blazed trium-
| phant on the Himalayas, to China. to
| Australia, TO Canada. to the West Indies
the empires torch shed its radiance over
| the universe.
| IRISH RAISE THE BLACK FLAG.