The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-05

WASHINGTON. y. G.. March ~
The decorations OF the inaugural ball
room in artistic beauty and harmon
ious treatment overshadowed anything
Of the kind hitherto seen IN Washing
ton. About $4,000 had been expended
by the committee In the lighting and
adornmcnt OF ,he great court Of the
pension buildings and IS result 1t
had undergone a complete trNnsforma-
tion and presented Tonight rare
scene OF beauty and brllliancy. fast
errors In the general design OF the dec
OrutlOns were c1refuliy avoided. Inc
armor and shields and such meoleNal
adornment, together with the EreaS
areas az rcd. white aud blue bunting,
and the familiar feature ut the hasS OF
an nHtIOns which largely predominaled
in the decorations In past years We're
discarded and an entirely new scheme
OF treatment adopted making every
thing subserVient 20 the ioral decora-
tons which were in charae ot J. II,
Small & Sons. Of Washington ana
New York. This change from the old
10 modern methods. by which bleud-
ing OF effect was secured In place OF
garIsh and startling results, WAS
A0fFInlGkNluA HuNEEsEH VI AAAN
work Of the finral decorations ana Tor
The great canopy above. about htty
tlSousand Yards Of while and Snld
chaillp was used. The great court was
dIVIded into three nearly equal sec
lions by two rows OF massive columns
which cross Il. and to obscure The ROOF
ana materially reduce the heighth OF
thereon, three immense domes OF
white and gold challle were suspended
with fine effect In the centre OF Ihese
sections about seventy feet from the
loo- From the outer edge OF the
dnnes. which We're encircled with
small electric lights canoPes OF white
were gracefully draped to the tops OF
the surrounding galleries. a number OF
pleasing electric light features were
introduced 4 large American nag
composed OF colored lights. was suS-
r,ended on the west wall above the Sec
ond gallery and by a clever mechan-
icll contrivance the nag was given
the appearance % waving IN the
blGcze.
east band-stand was suspended ON
black background and In deep shadow
j single brilliant red electric ilGit.
Hich IN of the south wall was an
American eagle. with wings outspread
rmtching IN It's tal6ns an electric
shield IN colors and from Its beak de-
nendel two floral scrolls. bearing the
words. MCKINLEY aud Hobart made
from fairy lights. on either side ana
iust below ,the eagle were large lol-
den cIrnucopias filled 90 overfiowinS
with American beauty roses. the whole
entwIned with silk American nags'
Alabaml wild smilaX and asparagus
plumosa, The stand iOr the orchestra
81 one hundred and twenty-five muSi-
clans on the south side and centre OF
the court and that for the brass band
NJ the east ard each highly artistic IN
construction, we're handsomely decor
a;ed The band stand II fashioned az
ter the famois golden gate at the
Chicago Worlds Fair Semi-circles OF
electric lights outlined the from. ana
above It was draped handsome SUN
burst OF silk American aags. whose
brilliant cnlorS stand out In full reliet
against a dark background. Masses
OF palms and other pO;ted plants and
quantities or large stemmed American
beauty roses filed the corners ana
every available space in both stands
and placques OF roses, tulips m1rcls-
Fus. etc, with a number OF Gilded RO-
man wreAths with tracings OF 1spai-
Rgus vine completed their 0dOrnment.
Broad satin ribbon bows and stream
ers were introduced among the flowers
wherever It would enhance the ehect,
The fountain in the centre had been
made a thing OF beauty. Around ana
through the spray picturesque grot=
10 OF corI; bark and moss covered
rocks had been built and planted with
ferns, lilies, vines and aquatic plants.
Surrounding were maSsed blooming
piants vines and tropical palms. \
thousand electric fairy lights sparkled
in the falling spray and among the
rocks and plant leaves. The eight tow
ering columns which support the roof
were treated In an original and novel
manner From a temporary base
about ten feet from the floor sprung
graceful growing palms. which reach
ed-to a height OF twenty or twenty-five
feet. AIassed at the bases and com
pletcly encircllng them were quantit-
les OF genestas, acnclaS. 1onqulls ana
other rich yellow blooms The upper
NORTON OF the pillars which In color
harmOnlEe with the prevailing tints OF
white and gold. were left unadorned.
Oyer the balconies and about the
smaller columns were tralled southern
EmIlax, and in front OF the balconies,
at intervals to conform to the flag dec
Orauons were PLAQUES OF sable palm
leaves and flowers. alternating with
artistic effects OF Louis XVI wreaths,
caught up with the national cOlors, on
Inc top OF the galleries were large
vases filled with luXurianE tropical
plants. On the walls in the rear OF
The balconies were frleze effects Ia
laurel festuonH. fastened with green
leaves and tracsrics OF southern smi-
lax. The stairwaYs were thatche1
with cVergreens, producing an arbor
in which singing birds hung among
the branches The Presidents and the
Diplomatic rooms were arranged with
palms, asparagus. plumosa, and 9TH
er greens: ochida, American beauty
roses, tulips and jonqulls. acIcia,genes-
tas. etc, using victor wreaths With
artistic results of ribbons and placques
Of flowers on the side walls. In the
FOUR corners of the court were massed
towering palms based with growing
nIAnts the whole raised high above the
floor. The street approaches were
tastefully decorated with green's. The
lighting OF this immense ball room
was accomplished by the use Of ifty
arc lights, three thousand, two hun
dred incRndescent lamps, with tinted
globes and 1000 miniatures In white
and yellow colors These last Were
scattered right among the plants and
flowers In "A manner most pleasant t.
tho eye. The IncnndcsCent lamps were
attached to the capitOls Of the one
hundred and tlfty-two plllars who'll
Avoid An Ear1V Grave.