Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-15
DANCE ABOARD SHIP.
Novel Ball Given on Prince Louis
Flagship Drake.

Admiral Prince Louis of Battenberg be-
came host at New York last night, and in
return for the hospitality which has been
showered upon him during his stay in
American waters gave a magnificent dance
ON board his flagship, the Drake The
thousand or more invited guests included
officials and society people in Annapolis
Washington, Baltimore and West Point as
well as in New York. Fortunately, not all
of this number came. or standing room,
even in the vicinity of the Cunard er.
alongside of which the flagship is berthed,
would have been at a premium.
For three days past the work of inclos-
ing the whole ship in canvas and trans
forming the interior into a fairyland of col
ored flags and red, white and blue electric
lights has been in progress. Officers and
men have worked hard, on duty and off
duty and last might they had the salts
faction of seeing the fruition of their la
bors in one of the most brilliant affairs
ever seen in this country.
AT the entrance of the long pier fioated
a tremendous British flag. Passing through
the doorway, half way down the pier, the
guests saw curtain of red, white and blue
bunting inclosing the supper room, which
occupied the other half of the pier.
Shut in with heavy canvas, the interior
was all aglow with the light from the fes-
toons of red, white and blue electric bulbs
strung from the center of the roof which
was formed by canopy of bunting. Be
tween the round tables, aglow with red
shaded candelabra, were banked ever
greens and palms
Just outside the supper room was the
gangway by which the guests went aboard
the Drake The entire ship was inclosed in
heavy canvas. Coming over the side, the
guests passed along the port side to the
quarter deck, where Prince Louis received
n hn a vFar
hung with the flags of the nations, and the
stars and stripes and the union jack were
everywhere intertwined.
The vacant spaces between these national
emblems We're covered with the many col
ored ship signal flags. Overhead a red
and white striped canvas roof glowed soft
ly with light from garlands of electric
bulbs, winding in and out of the folds OF
bunting. From the quarter deck the guests
passed up a stairway banked with flags
to the brakes famous ballroom, the pride
of the second cruiser squadron and the
wonder of every guest at the ball.
Looking up-for that was what all did as
soon as they reached the ballroom-the
guests saw that this magic scene was COW
cred by "Old Glory From the main der
rick rising high from the center of the
boat deck, shone the successors of the orig
inal thirteen states, made of little electric
lights on a field of blue bunting. From
this central point We're draped the red and
white stripes of this mammoth American
nag. Beneath THIS armament OF the stars
and stripes stretched the polished ballroom
floor, built across the entire boat deck, and
extending aft TO the last of the brakes
four tunnels ,affording room for more than
200 couples.
Rising from the floor to meet the can
opted roof were walls of bunting ard ships
flags. At regular intervals around the
walls were American and British flags,
draped fanshape. and IN between were
round framed mirrors. These mirrors were
really the refectors of the ships powerful
searchlights framed In inflated life buoys
A divers uniform inflated, stood at the
end of the deck holding a basket of dance
cards on the extended right arm. Through
this wonderful garden of color strolled
nearly thousand guests.
Prince Louis hosts, the officers of the
first squadron and the fourth division of
the third squadron OF the North Atlantic
fleet, and their families headed the list.