Evening star., 1897-02-19
How the Inauguration Ball Room Will
Be Decorated.
PROFUSE and ELEGANT ADORNMENT
Floral Beauty Will Run Riot From
Floor to Ceiling.
OTHER INAUGURAL NEWS

While expectation has been high regard
ing the adornment of the inauguration ball
room IL can be safely prophesied that the
result when the decorations are completed
viii surpass the anticipation of the most
optimistic. Ever sirce the contracts were
awarded the holders of them have been
exercising all their ingenuity TO secure a
beautiful and harmonious treatment of the
vast court of the pension building. The
members of the committee on decorations
Of the ball room when they approached the
important duty conflded to them detcrmin-
ed that the effects to be produced should
be in keeping with the real object of Inc
occasion. which is entirely social. and de-
cided 10 have nothing heavy or garish in
the adornment. On former occasions, 1t
must be trutnfully said. the decorations
were more in keeping with a coronation or
a great military occasion. Brass and iron
armor and shields and such medieval adorn-
nient seemed to be the order. This time
however. it was determined to make every
thing subserviept to the floral decorations
and 10 seek harmony rather than st2rtiing
color in the theme of treatment This plan
will be happily carried out, as the following
detailed description of the decorations will
illustrate:
White and Gold Effects.
The Crane company of Bridgeport. which
ill prepare the groundwork OF the decora-
tions. will a profusion of white and
gold challie in it's work. The ceiling of the
court Will be obscured by three immense
circular canopies, from which countless
streamers will float in all directions. The
balconies and walls and columns will be
artistically treated in white and gold, and
on the front of the balconies and against
the walls will be coats-ofarms of the
states and of foreign countries and other
appropriate emblems. The music stand and
the band stand will be similarly treated,
and from all this white ard gold will be
thrown out with magnificent effect the flow
ers and plants which ]. II. SmalFs Sons of
this city have been awarded the contract
to provide and arrange. These floral dec
orations will surpass anything of the sort
yet attempted in this country, and, as is
well known, the United States is far ahead
of any other country in the plants and
exotics applicable to decoration, as we'll as
IN the artistic arrangement of them. AZ
the inaugural ball these features will be
predominant to remarkable degree.
The Band and Music Stands.
The band stand will be constructed after
the style of the famous golden gate at the
Chicago worlds fair, and will be very elab-
orately decorated with plaques of flowers.
twin.ng asparagus and wreaths of rare
roses. From the front of this stand two
large ribbons will be draped from the wings
or q huge American eagle, and on the rib
bcns will be the names of Mckinley and
Hobart.
The gold-colored material which will
cover the music stand will be decora ed
MIN, ".th plaques or roses, tulips, narcissus,
HHums and other beautiful blooms and
artistic effects will he produced by am
pnlon wreaths composed of leaves of the
soiden andromeda caught up with varied
colored rlobons. Immense palms will be
grouped about the stand with a nice dis
cretion regarding their harmonious blend
ing with the bright-hued flowers.
The Fountain and Columns.
Around and about the spray that rises
from the center of the fountain in the mid
uie OF the ball room will be a grotto hui,t
VI rocks ana cork bark, and around this
VIII De ,plahted aquatic plants. ferns, water
iiiies ana thlck clusters of vines The edge
OF the fountain will be clothed with vines
pioomlns plants, palms, ferns and other
lovely things and the effect of the entir.
oDJeet VIII be at once imposing and eIe
CANT ana Tar different from any heretofore
produced. The eight large columns viii he
decorated at their bases with golden-yellow
noWerlng plants, such as genestas acacias
!ohquils, tulips, and so forth, and above
these, about ten feet from the floor will he
grouped galaxies of graceful grov,iny
palms, towering twenty-five or thirty feet
above. The upper portions of the columns
VIII not be decorated their own handsome
ornamenfation being deemed sufficient
over the balconies and about their COL
Glnns southern or Alabama smilax will he
tralled in every direction, and on the front
oil the balconies. arranged so as to conform
win tne nag decorations, will be shields
and banks of sabal palm leaves and bright
hued flowers, alternated with Louis XVI
wreaths, caught up with national coIors
On the top gallery will be vases filled with
tropical palms and such hardy growing
plants. whose blooms will keep fresh in the
heat that will rise from the apartment
below.
The walls in the rear of the balconies will
be treated In frieze effects of laurel fes-
toons, caught up with wreaths of green
and traceries of southern smiIax. The
stairway leading from the bah room to the
second balcony will be transformed into an
arbor. the walls being thatcned with ever
greens, among the boughs of which will he
singing birds, in cages.
Presidential and Diplomatic Room.
The rooms devoted to the President. the
Vice President and the diplomatic corps
will be decorated with palms, asparagus
plumosa and other beautiful greens. while
there will be profuse arrangement of or
chids, American Beauty roses, tulips ion
quils, acacias and genestas. There will he
Victor wreaths, caught with silken rib
bons. and plaques of rare exotics on the
Walls. lnueeu, Wherever tnere is ODDOrtu-
nifty offered for artistic adornment in these
apartments it will be taken advantage Of
and altogether they will be memorable fea-
lures of the great occasion.
On the ground floor. where the great null
titude will dance and promenade the same
beautiful effects will be produced. In the
four corners of the great court beginning
about ten feet from the floor, will be
groups of large palms and perfect jungle
of Towering plants. The approaches to
the ball room will also be treated with
palms and blooming plants.
Marvellous Electric Effects.
A perrsal of this description, complete
as it is. will give but faint idea of the
beauty Of the building when the ball be-
gins, because words cannot convey even an
impression of what the scene will be when
here, there, and everywhere, from grot
toes and recesses. peeping out from the
clusters of growing acacias, and gIeam-
ing among the hearts of hundred beauii-
full flowers, nestled among palms and cling
ing like diamonds and rubies to plaouss
and wreaths will be thousands of electric
in of