New-York tribune., 1905-11-15
PRINCE GIVES A BALL
roo COLD FOR DANCING.
p,;t;sb admiral Guest of 4lenanders
at T'unedo Park.


-,ser squadron. turned his flagship into ball
- t.s, night and entertained about one thou
,,,eons at a monster bail. of which actual
- was the most inconspcuous feature the
-, oold weather in fact. had disarranged th9
.a mans so completely that dancing was
,raos, impossible. Driven from the quarter
-, m the dancing floor, the only part OF the
80 where the guests could keep warm, they
sad in such number to the floor where the
too and Lady Susan Townley were receiving
,ns+ there was no room for dancing.
nevertheless the ball was great, ghtter1ns
- ,rbiob will be remembered by all the
,-,orican girls who were fortunate enough TO
=. ir,,itations. Gold lace and bright uniforms.
ss unusual atmosphere impaired by marines
= sailors instead of the usual black coated ser
- all tt1e strange surroundings of the war
40, and the fact that q prince was most
s-a.,rb+ life and zest to the social flowers Oh
.eral seasons while the buds were pursuing
with enthusiasm
Tho first of the nineteen dances scheduled-a
s,sa-began promptly at 9 o'clock, very lnIor-
rnarlv AT that time Prince Louis ana Lacy
crssn Townley. wife of the counsellor OF tne
rritish legation were shaking hands with the
,-,ests as they arrived The prince snnleo puI
did nat dance nor did he for several OF the IoI.
1owing numbers. He continued 10 receive MS
-rssts with a genial handshake and hearty
emile which set them completely at ease
Ahout fifteen hundred Invitations had been
ss,, ort for the ball. and at least two thirds of
those who received them attended People caiie
.oro philadelphia. Baltimore and Washington
and officers and their families from Annapohs
and West Point They began to arrive at
o'clock and from that time until midnight the
streets of old Greenwich village were thronged
with cabs carriages and electric hansoms car
wing fashionabIy gowned women and men in
evening dress down to the Drake
PIER ABLAzE WITH LIGHTS.
There elaborate preparations had been made.
husying the men of the flagship and relays from
all the other vessels for days. The long pier
was ahlaze with electric lights, its walls were
hung with flags. Gordon of policemen ana
marines from the Drake held in check the hun
dreds Of idlers who wanted to watch the arriv-
ing guests. At the end of the pier, a supper
-onn had been built and rooted in with tar
pauIin. covered with flags
Practically all the Drake aft was turned over
to the guests. The quarter deck. enswathed N
flags of many nations, was turned into a long
promenade while an informal buffet luncheon
was served TO the guests The gangway from
the Drake to the pier covered by a heavy
canopy of varf-colored ensigns- The lower end of
the pier itself was a blazing mass of bunting
IN which the Stars and Stripes predominated
Electric lights flashed everywhere on the pier
while the Drake itself was glnting, simmer
ing blaze of electricity.
The ballroom was a gorgeous affair. The
dancing floor itself was rather small. capable
OF holding not more than hundred and fifty
or two hundred persons 1t was like glass. how
ever. waxed and polished to perfection. Over
TacrS for oar
side of the square. hung canopywise so their
unions came together The stars were electric
lights while down the stripes at the corners of
the room were strings of muti-colored lights.
Hung around the sides Of the dancing room
really balcony erected over the afterdeck-
were the international code signals and the
flags Of all nations. Outside the balcony railings
were highly polished field guns apparently
commanding the floor. AT each corner were
machine guns and small rapid firing guns
Around the sides were life preservers, their
centres fitted with mirrors. each labeled with
the name of the British cruiser from which it
was taken. At one end of the dancing floor
q divers suit stuffed to mammoth proportions
From its neck. suspended by a ribbon bearing
the brakes insignia. was a box labelled lost
property" A similar dummy at the other end
was used for programme receptacle.
WOMEN KEEP THEIR WRAPS.
The guests arriving were received by Off
GERS who directed them to coatrooms. The
women who parted with their wraps last night,
however. suffered. Mostly they retained them.
and it was rather curious to see women in
ball gowns and long. sweeping wraps, bow low
to the Prince and Lady TownIey. The early
arrivals passed directly to the ballroom The
later ones stood around the quarterback until
the cold drove them upstairs, where they
crowded into a dense mass.
The most brilliantly attired persons there We're
the consuls. The British officers by a special
order Of the admiral, their mess uniforms.
kind of half dress, with short coats and low
cut white Haistcoats. The full allowance oi
gold braid was there, however. The American
officers wore their full dress uniforms. and the
blue and gold and flashing of sword scabbards
emphasized strongly the black and white of the
evening dress of the mere civilians.
The acute cold interfered strongly with the
contemplated pleasures of the younger officers.
On the quarter deck many snug little retreats
had been arranged in the classmates and along
&he gun~ales, where little booths of flags had
oeen erected for sitting out" Vain attempts
were made TO warm these with large oil lamps
ehc charcoal brazers, but they had TO be aban-
ooned entirely. The supper room on the Cunard
Pier was chilly that with overcoats,
heavily fur lined, stamped their feet as they
waited there
eii The after bridge. overlooking the ball
fe9il, was the band of the Drake. which fur
hshed music for the dancing.
MI and Mrs. Douglas Robinson were among
The early arrivals Miss Alice Roosevelt was not
able 70 attend. Lady Townley and Miss Durand
were both honored by the prince with dance.
oui mos or his evening devoted TO receiving
TIE long lines of guests that poured over the
ede o. the Drake. President Rooseveits mil
itaFy ala. Colonel Bromweli. and Mrs Brom-