The St. Louis Republic., 1901-01-01
Twelve Thousand Persons Attend
cd the Gorgeous Entertain
ment in Convention Hall.
OLD CENTURY DANCED AWAY.
Clever Electrical Conceit Por.
trayed the Dying Last Hour, and
Brilliantly Heralded Advent
OF New Cycle.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Kansas City. Mo. Dec. 3L-Kansas City's
Century Ball was q success, notwithstand-
ing its magnitude. Twelve thousand per
sons were In Convention Hall Tonight 2.O0J
Of them in the full dreEs Of to-day and
other days, dancing the dances Of all time.
For the sixty boxes around the arena
$3.50 were paid. Money has been lavish
ly expended I'm all decorations. Everything
but watch meetings has been sidctracked
for tho bail.
IL had been promised that the decorations
nnd electric lighting effects would be su-
perb. They could not have been surpassed.
The great ball. with its 200 dancers and
1OCJO spectators was a blaze OF crimson
lights. From the base OF the first balcony.
caught up 90 false ceiling. were run fifty
streamcrs Of ropes OF evergreens. THESE
were each 30 feet long and frelghted with
innandescent lights.
rba ,,Ise cerIinp 20 which thew were
anchored measured 100 feet bv about ~. he
Ing franavo-k covered with white shePt-
ing On ~. face were inscribed stars OF
,r,Ilax a-d flnciful fcsigns OF i7candescHnt
ic-nps kmnnP these ver" Some tw"h'V
rrourd-pias- v'hite lamrs. the only illurnl-
r,t,,g iigh,s ~ ~. building tha' wnra
90, cr,r,son F'rorr, the center ~ this cell
I,f hung +. great bell. 10 feet IN circum-
forc,ce i,s tab-i~ of srnilax instead NJ con-
re- and its oreat tongue OF mistletoe. IT,
TOO was outlined with crimson lam"s.
pehind the orchestra at the north end
~ che hnI tbo-r heing hnnH w ~
south che two a~~rdinC cont'nunn~ "uStr'
was frame holding incandescent iainps j"
design. ,-,,, ~
o,o ~ tbeee was IN hourglass. Univ ii
o,cIoct, all that could he seen on this frame
was n border Of FTeen liPhts ann 'hs -,
lines OF an hourcl9ss AT IL ociock III
ton half OF the glass flashed INTO Hsht'
srovino sixty lamps in II. At the expira-
at, "a tbe first minute one OF these lamps
went out and one flashed In the BOTTOM Paii
the glass as though n grain OF sand nau
fallen through the glass. At the expiration
OF the secoL minute second amp "eIs
out and a second one flashed IN peioM, =.
was also apparent that the figures My
u,ere Growing dim This continued until
al the supreme moment the siXtieth lamp
in the ton half OF the glass expired ana
the bottom OF the hourglass hlied. the
Xxx had entirely. yet gently faded away;
'leOi-A Happy New Year" chimes mane
of heavy steel rods ''rung out the odd. runs
in the new
Not a yard OF bunting was to be seen
I'm the decorations. on entering the avn
ing leading TO the hall. guests were In
forest OF young pines, smilax and ferns.
The box fronts and the front of the first
and second balconies were hidden in smilax
and bittersweet. The roof garden looked
for ali the world like a modern hanging
garden of Babylon, for IL could not be seen
for the foliage.
Until IL O'Clock the guests were left 20
feas: their eyes on the decorations as seen
by the aid OF arc lights. At IL, however.
when 1t became time TO run the last hour
from Father Times glass. the arcs were
turned on, and there flashed In two miles Of
streamers, with its 400 lamps and the bell
with as many more. The spectacle was en-
trancing, but enhancing as 1t was. its effect
was heightened by calcium lights. Operated
from a dozen places In the first balcony.
Simultaneously. attendants at these lights
put in colored screens. such as are en-
ployed to heighten effects in theaters. Flash