Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1901-03-09
GORGEOUS DECORATIONS.
Washington surpasKes Itself In Its
Wonderful Street Display.


The whole route of the parade was
gorgeously patriotic sight. But it
was at the Court OF Honor, construct
ed on Pennsylvania avenue, between
Fifteenth and Seventeenth streets.
that the decorations fairly sur
passed in pretty and effective display
ANYTHING ever before seen here in
street ornamentation on large scale.
Here the scene rivalled that of an
Italian carnival display in the era of
the Medici Probably no other public
thcroughfare in the world of equal
length ever lent itself more readily 10
artistic decoration than this stretch
from the treasury to the state, war
and navy departments building. For
almost a quarter Of mile the mag
nifcent stretch of asphalt runs
straight as an arrow due east and
west, the 150-foot roadway and paral-
lei stone sidewalks almost half as wlde
again, shaded by many trees whose
planting antedates the civil war. On
the south side of this court its length
is shaded almost equally by the grey
old treasury building, massive and inn
pressive in its severe simplicity; the
executive mansion, half hidden, out
cleaning, snow white, through the
j surrounding trees, and the state, war
= and navy building an artistic pile
of granite with row upon row of bal
( comics and columns towering above
t all the surrounding buildings. On the
north side of the court, two-thirds Ct
: its length, is occupied by Lafayette
square, with its equestrian statue of
jackson set as the central figure in
, mass of shrubbery and towering trees.
| Within this generous setting the dec
t orators had wrought a transforma-
ton. Along each side from end to end
were erected a continuous line of COW
= cred stands with terraces of seats ris-
/ ing 30 feet above The level Of the road
Al way and Transforming the court into
a great amphitheater through which
!. the procession was to move. The low
er sections of the stands presented an
n unbroken band of white, save that in
/ front of the navy department, which
r was topped by a frieze Of crossed
anchors and cannon is recognition Of
't the allied branches Of the service. The
(, roofs of the stands were supported by
slender white columns, while in front
of the lower tier of seats ran lat
2 tice work railing Of white backed by
Il, old gold cloth that lent touch of col
or to the general effect, The only
other color was a drooping fringe of
n holly falling from the caves overhead
y and looped in sections below the rail-
I'd ing.
It. The setting Of the court did not
'55. stop with the stands. The roadway
was fanked on each side with a row Of
Il columns between which the troops
were to move Fight massive pilons,
: four on either side, marked off the
court in equal lengths. These were
II; copies of the decorations of the Alex
andrian bridge at the Paris exposi-
ng tion. and consisted of a pedestal ten
n feet on the base and bearing a square
M pillar, the whole 40 feet high, the top
on of each surmounted by bronze urn
At each angle of the square pillar was
imposed a small Ionic column OF the
ne same height, the whole topped by a
i. capital that carried the ornamental
urn. Between the pilons on the north
side were interspersed Il smaller col
led umns Of Ionian design with Tuscan
capitals. A similar row OF columns
~ fanked the whole of the Lunette II
go. front OF the White House. About the
ian capitals of the pilons and the inter
soll secting pillars were set crowns o
n frosted electric bulbs, while tht
spheres that topped the pillars were
= also outlined with incandescents L
W. aid in the illumination at night Al
-, ter dark the bronze urns mentioned
will play an important part, for eaci
am is to be filled with Greek fire which, il
Lpt burning. will give off heavy column
-. of white smoke. These smoke col
umns will be illuminated by search
ng- lights turned on them from the ROOT
of the surrounding buildings. The ad
c. iaccnt government buildings wer
I'm. ablaze with national colOrs except Tn
nE. executive mansion, over whose whit
eXpanse floated only the usual flag u
full mast On the other hand til
state, war and navy building was 81
'hl- most hidden from view by the lm
ion, mense battletlags draped from eac
,,,, of the successive tiers Of balconies
Above the treasury department at IN
ma east end of the court a great shea
apt of flags waved over the main porta
=, of the pediment, supported by its &
ON gantic monolithic columns was file
in with a solid facing of crimso
cloth. in the center of which rested
OF great shield of green in whose cente
' the treasury emblem of the scales wa
1ry- wrought in electric bulbs.
This same scheme Of decoration wa
~ carried around the east front. In
aul, columns here also were draped
r. flags. and under the portico ran =
ling. foot frieze of crimson stuff concealin
- = myriads of electric globes that
,luD, night are to spring into light an
ou- bathe the whole side of the buildin
bile in ruddy glow.
Down both sides of Fifteenth stree
on which the east front of the trea
al ala urv abutes, the same scheme of whit
stands was continued, the railing,
'om- in the Court OF Honor, being of un
Vjr- form latticework, but backed wit
,.,, crimson instead OF white and old gol'
At the south angle of the treasur,
90 where the procession VI ,s*led mort
Ind into Fifteenth street, there was
alti- large stand along the whole lin
Nearly half an acre Of seats arose {
AZ and d. gentle incline, covering the big parl
ing south of the department and e.
'N'' tending in L-shape around the ang
Va. of the street where the wheel in ii
70 line of march was made.
q The stand from which the preside,
reviewed the procession was on II
tion' south side of the Court of Honor, tw'
|. G. thirds towards its western end.
...,,, was a fag-shaped square ehelosu
COM capable of accommodating about hft
guests and extending forward Z.
and width of the sidewalk. II wcs pr
vided with glass sashes on every siC