Evening star., 1901-03-05
THE FINAL SCENES.
erowds Hegan to Disperse Soon After
Presidents Departore

"hen the President and his party left
the ball room shortly after midnight the
crowd which had filed the floor space AL
most completely at the time of his arrival
Iiao ALREADY grown perceptibly smaller
LOOKING from the balcony as the President
leit one could see many square feet of
moor space which before had been occupied
me ball was not of long duration IL
was not formally begun until about 10 20
CLOCK and II was not quite haif-past I
CLOCK this morning when '"The Star
Spangied Banner burst forth as the con-
Guiding musical selection on the long prom
enade and dance program.
After midnight the crowds gradually dis
persed. Those who clung most tenaciousIv
10 the gllded palace We're the deyu-res OF
the dance. Those who had come IN soc
the President and TO enioy the sigh, y,
the magnificent ball room were content To
depart quite early. All who attended must
nave felt more or less the arduous deeds
OF the day-the review of the long parade
the trip to the Capitol. the impeded travel
etc The ball was indeed Citing climax
to the day. however. and while It sent Its
patrons home much fatigued. 1t also filled
them with a feeling of entire satisfaction
that the first American inaugural of the
twentieth century had been approximately
celebrated throughout.
As the early morning hours approached the
an elastic spring in every step began to
move about more slowly. In the cloak
rooms there were many signs and yawns
Moving out Of the building along the COW
cred approaches the hurrying hastIe that
had marked the influx of the crowds was
notably missing. The effluent procession
was staid and weary. Carriages ewere
hailed in lackadaisical sort of way and
homes and hotels We're reached by thor
oughly tired dancers.
After the last selection by the orchestra
those who remained upon the floor to the
end of the program disappeared very
quickly. The cloak rooms We're center
of final interest The guests departed rap
idly and in but a little while there
mained in the building none but employees
and a few lingering committeeman. One
by one the switches controlling the thou
sands of incandescent electric lights were
turned and a section of the brilliant bulbs
would fade away. A red glow remained
for an instant in each fiber. as though the
lights were reluctant to give up the very
prominent part they had played in the
beautiful scenes of the evening.
In the banquet hall there was a rattle
and a clatter of crockery and silverware
The walters were busy arranging things
for removal early this morning. for the
temporary structure Is to be Immediately
torn down. 1t was long into the hours OF
the morning before the caterers employees
had finished their labors. Finally, however
all was done. BY this time the pension
building had been deserted of all but its
guard of watchmen and the detail of fire
men who will remain on duty until all the
decorations have been removed
AS the supper room attendants passed OUT
of the doors a watchman made his way to
the electric switchboard and pulled out
the lever which controlled the last sec
ton of gracefully looped lights. coi9
darkness set in upon the place which mao
but a short while before been so gay and
brilliant. Along the first balcony glowed
a beacon gas lamp. All was STIFFNESS
within.