The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-22

Taylor and vice-President Fillmore at-
 tended all of them during the evening.
 The ball which followed the inaugur- ation of Franklin Pierce took place in a building constructed on the same site. The rooms in the city hall were temporarily vacated. and were occupied as dressing. reception and cloak rooms. Communicating with the ball room representative throng of pleasure-seek- CTS assembled to do honor to, the occa- sion. and 1t was one of the most en- joyable that had yet been held.
 No Money in Buchanan Ball. Financial disaster met the efforts of l those who arranged the ball in honor of James Buchanan, the last President of the ante-bellum time. The deficit. however, was made up by the mem- bers of the committed. A temporary building was again constructed. The interior was decorated with the flags of all nations, the ceiling being cov- cred with white cloth and studded with golden stars, that twinkled as they moved in unison with the measure of the dancers" President Buchanan, accompanied by Miss Harriet Lane ent- cred at II o'clock and, after viewing the promenade, sat down to supper at midnight. while the dancing continued until morning.
 The threatening cloud of civil war hung over the nation when President Lincoln took up the burden of pre- serving the Union. Perhaps as a re- suit of this the ball was not a financial or social success, though Secretary Seward had spared no efforts to make If: both.
 It is interesting to note that Alex ander R. Shepherd was at the head of a committee to furnish the gas fittings from Philadelphia. MT. Lincoln did not attend the ball.
 Grants Inaugural Dance.
 When President Grant was inaugur- ated the ball was @eld in the north
 wing of the Treasury Department. Bar
 ring the crowd consequent upon the
 small quarters, 1t was an enjoyable af- | faiE, and all official Washington was l there. great many army officers be- l ing present. Two thousand tickets
 were sold, admitting one gentleman
 and two ladies. and 1t was estimated
 that there were 5000 persons present
 The jam in the passageways and on the
 stairways was terrific. The arrange
 ments for checking hats and cloaks were so defective that many waited for
 hours, only to go away coatless and hatless.
 The policy of erecting q temporary
 structure was again resorted to when | President Grant returned to the White House. A building $50 by 15o feet was erected on Judiciary Square for the | purpose, and the interior was beauti-
 fully decorated, being lighted by 2,50o
 burners, from which hung aprons of l crimson, blue and gold The wood
 work was entirely covered with the decorative material The supper room
 into which there were twenty en- frances, was profusely decorated, all | of the cooking being done in New ] York by a chef of Delmonico. The l baking cost $10,000 and the dishes $5,-
 200. But. all the labor and expense
 was to little avail, because of the very cold weather. the ladies appearing ip
 the. warmest wraps and the gentlemen wearing hats and overeoats on the ball room floor. Hot drinks were in de. | mand and dainties were neglected. An
 army of canary birds had been pro- l vided. but the sweet music froze iu
 their threats. In short the inaugural | ball of 1873 was fiasco.
 No Time for Feativlties.
 l When President Hays was inaugu- | rated there was no ball, as there was no time between the decision of the electoral commission and March to
 arrange for one.
 In 1881, when President Garfield was
 installed in the executive chair. an in-
 augural ball was given which sur
 passed all those that had gone before
 in point of attendance. The national I completion, was used and the interior
 was converted into a spacious ball l room. A plaster statue of Liberty was 1 erected in the rotunda, holding alofi | an electric light Rows of gas jets l ran from column to column. The l President and ex-President were there | with their families. Among those whc escorted the President into the ball
 was General Corbin. The reception | was given in the western hall, and op-
 posite a band of sixty musicians was | stationed in the galleries. The danc- ing music was furnished by another
 band of 100 pieces.
 l When President Cleveland, the first l Democrat to occupy the White House since Buchanan, became the head ot the nation the pension office building l had been completed, and was used for l the first time. A local paper the day | before the event said:
 'Tn years past there has always been l a dificulty in finding a hall large enough for the ball The new pension 1 building, with its vast interior court | however, affords an ample hall, and il is probable that, the precedent having | been established, that building will for many olympiads to come have the hon. | or of being the chosen place for hold ing the inaugural balls" Everything
 was arranged for the comfort of the l guests, and in brilliancy the affair sur | passed all the others. v
 1President Cleveland, then a bachelor
 attended.
 Ii rained all day when President Benjamin Harrison came to Washing l ton, but the ball was a brilliant affair At night it was damp outside, but the arrangements were complete and once Inside the disagreeable features were Forgotten. Twelve thousand people from every part of the country attended, and so great was the crowd that little danc- ling took place. the. affair being turned Into a general reception. The Presi- Ident entered the hall little after o'clock and remained for two hours A constant stream of distinguished wis Iitors being presented to him in the pri-
 vate room reserved for the purpose The decorations were allowed to re- main twenty-four hours after the ball
 At the inaugural ball of the second | CIaTyAHanA