Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
IN FESTAL BEAUTY
PENSION BUILDING ABlAZE FOR
INAUGURAL BALL.
SCENE OF MAGNIFICENCE
Function Eclipses That of Any Of Its
ecessors-FIoWer of Philip
pines a Feature of Decorations
Distinguished People From All
Official Walks Present.

Washington. March 5.-The culmin-
ating event of the inaugural festivities
was the inaugural ball held last night
in the vast auditorium of the pension
Office, with President and Mrs. Ne
Kinley leading in the grand march,
and with men and women distin-
guished in every walk Of life dancing
and mingling with plain American
citizens. AS a spectacular event It
was unparalleled in the history OF in
augural balls, in sumptuOusness OF ar
rangement, in beWildering SplendOr
of the decorations and of marvellous
electrical effects, and in the countless
throng taking part i'll the spectacle.
When the GcOrs OF the great structure
were thrown open at O'Clock an
eager crowd besieged every entrance
and lines of carriages stretched into
the surrounding streets and avenues.
PlatOons OF police officers, mounted
and unmounted, guarded the outer en-
frances, keeping back the rush Of cur
ious spectators, and bringing order
out of the tangle of carriages. The
presidential party was not to arrive
until $50 and early corners busted
themselves in viewing the exquisite
beauties of the scene.
The decorations of the ball room
had yellow for their predominant tone.
No umhersome effects of light or
color were III evidence, but above and
on all sides stretched a wavy, ripping
canopy of yellow bunting that covered
the walls and skylight, and was bro
ken only where the lining of the pres
ident's balcony at the west end stood
out white in bold relief. Myriads of
yellow electric bulbs glowed and
blinked like frefiies in the garlands
of green that entwined the scores of
pillars supporting the galleries and
shone out from the stars and bars of
the big American shields which, in the
midst of clusters of American flags,
hung high up in the center of each
side Of the immense crowded hall.
This scheme of decorating with
yellow as the all pTedominating color
was radical departure from the dec
orative plan at the last inaugural
ball Then three great floral bells,
studded with colored lights, were the
| most prominent feature Of the work.
This year the soft light effect given
by the broad eXpanse Of golden color
| everywhere was in sharp and favor
able contrast. The subdued yellow
glow from the thousands of frosted
electric bulbs made the great hall as
bright as at midday.
The big fountain in the center of
the hall held biIlowy mass of the
! purple bOuganvillea, the flower of the
Philippines. In the midst rose tall
| palms and ferns burying scores of vel
! low light blossoms and around the
| border fringed with the white spire,
were placed gilded urns of growing
plants and flowers.
In the extreme west of the hall
stood the presidents balcony, decked
with groups of Roman wreaths and
clusters of American beauty roses
| bound with bright colored ribbons.
Above the executives stand flashed a
big shield of hand embroidered silk
topped with a fine specimen of the
| great American eagle. Down at the
eastern end was the big stand erected
D.; for the musicians. 1t comprised an
| upper and lower story, the former for
the stringed ochestra and the latter
for the accommodation of the big in
augural chorus and the brass band.
| Back of the singers and musicians
was great gilded sounding board
which threw the strains of sound to
all parts of the big hall. In front
hung a beautiful design symbolic of
the muse of melody, in the shape Of a
giant green Tyre with strings of pur-
pie ribbon, and on either side crossed
musical instruments-On the left a
lutte and trumpet and on the right a.
guitar and pipe-all fashioned Of
green lencothe with strings Of purple
The balustrades and archways pre-
scented a brilliant scene. No less than
! seventy-siX stars formed each of
eleven frosted electric globes, were
set between the arches on the ground
floor and shown radiant through a net
work of greens against background
glinting with powdered glass. Sus-
| pended beneath each star, and below
draped festoons of smilaX, were shin
mering trailers of green and electric
bulbs, tipped with a yellow globe.
The gilt pillars were enshrouded in
vines and greens, and above the
! bright circIets of light that crowned
them were placed invisible boxes of
growing tulips, daffodils, azalias, and
jOnquils In the second balcony the
same scheme of decoration was car
ried out, excepting that in lieu of the
stars were hung electric lights in
clusters of three, covered with soft
yellow transparent paper and produc-
ing beautiful effect. Back under the
balconies on the ground and second
floors, wreaths of green were hung al
regular intervals, linked by loops OF
vines and smilax.
Seventy-six additional posts had
been placed on the top balcony, each
one surmounted by glowing bulb OF
light. Between them and bordering
the railing Of the balcony all the way
around, were boxes of cut and growing
flowers in great profusion of color
Two endless chains of light-studded
green below the balconies Topped and
swung completely around the immense
hall, each loop end a hive of brilliant
yellow globes, each trailing streame.'
alive with tiny glow lights.