Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-11
/ lettings HEARD
- SEN 81

other more extensive tests are to be made
in England. While the invention is de.
signed for all sorts of ships, 1t is declared
1t can be carried to a still higher degree OF
efficiency by notifications in the form or
the vessel for which it is employed.
x = x X
st had a salendid view of the inaugural
parade" remarked leading merchant yes
terday, land it didn't cost me cent. Ex-
pecting to be out of town, I didn't secure
a seat anywhere, and at the last moment
concluded to take my chances on the ave-
nue.. My chances there were nil. could
not find a place the avenue where L
could see anything but the hats of the men
on horseback So 1 gave 1t up IN disgust.
and started for home. AS l reached the
corner of Connecticut avenue and X street
l heard the sound of an approaching Danu.
and stopped to see what 1t was 1t proved
to be the head of the parade following out
its plan of marching down K street LOT
final review by the grand marshal at 10Th
street. l had forgotten the route or marcn
until that minute There were very few
people on the street, and had my pick or
many excellent view points along the euro.
The sight was so fine and the place so COM
Portable that remained there until the en-
tire line had passed. 1t was the finest
sight of the kind 1 have ever seen. Even
the President didn't have closer or better
view of the various organizations. L think
most of them kept their places in the line
up to the end. Certainly all the best ones
did. To add to my pleasure, nearly all the
bands were playing when they passed me
1t will be good thing to remember at the
next inauguration that the avenue Is not
the only good place to see the parade
X X x
The arrangements for the protection OF the
pension office from fire during the last six
| inaugurations, covering a period of twenty
| years, have been in charge Of Chief Engi-
neer William T. Belt of the local fire de-
| rba nf npnSfOn
| building when the first inaugural ball was
held there twenty years ago was vastly diff
! ferent from what it was Saturday night
| said Chief Belt to a Star reporter. THE
| first time the inaugural ball was ever held
| in the pension office was in 1885, when
Cleveland was inauguraied President for the
| first term. The pension building was then
| in course of construction and the conditions
| for holding the ball there were far from
! ideal. The roof had not been placed on the
building and there We're no floors laid in the
offices or the lobby on the first floor; in TACT,
the only thing that made the place desirable
was the amount of space in the uncom-
pleted structure.
AT first it was decided to place canvas
roof over the building. but a few nights
after the canvas had been placed a heavy
storm visited Washington and the canvas
was ripped off. Mr.. Thomas w. Smith was
then awarded contract for placing tenn
in the meantime snowstorm came and the
floor of the structure covered with snow
and slush.
"A force of men was put to work to con-
struct a temporary wooden floor on top or
the snow and slush, and the inside OF the
building was mighty cold. I was in the
building with the detail of firemen guarding
the structure from fire. The men had no
comfortable places to sleep and the duty
was decidedly unpleasant. A great deal of
care had to be exercised then in guarding
the building, owing to the unfinished condi-
ton of the structure. But we were fortu-
nate in having no accidents.
AT the last inauguration the firemen had
more pleasant quarters, nice warm rooms to
sleep in, and, while great care had to be eX-
ercised, the duty was much more pleasant.
1 am sure the firemen who remember the
first inaugural ball in the pension office want
no further experiences of that kind
X X X
II happened to be witness to a number of
amusing incidents the day President Roose-
welt was inaugurated," remarked an indi-
vidual who came here to observe the cere-
monies. THE first of the series occurred
on street car last Saturday morning.
There was blockade on the line, and the
delay gave of the passengers in the
car in which 1 was riding, an old colored
uncle, much concern. He was unaccom-
parted, but he took all the other passen-
gers into his confidence. Uncle began
talking in loud tones, his utterances being
something like this:
Hope desc cyars will move along purity
soon, 1 does; hope dey'll move. 1 don't
care much 'cept dat mus git to de Capt.
toll in time to heah dat speech Of Mistuh
Roserfelts. 1 mus. I mus git thar In
| time, 1 mus. cause thar's goin' ter be
might good news in dat speech 1 tell yer
all thar is; thar'S goin' to be mighty good
news in that speech fer us niggars, / knows
| thar is
THE blockade was removed In short
order, and l presume that uncle reached
the Capitol in time to hear the Presidents
inaugural address, and to profit thereby.
The next incident of the day that interested
me particularly happened while that bunch
OF cowboys were passing along 18th street
as part of the big parade. One of them
lassoed ornamental sign and dragged 1t
from its place at the curb. A member of
the force of special policemen assumed
that 1t part of his duties to rescue the
property, and he started in pursuit of it.
Just the guardian of the peace, for the
time being, caught up with the sign he
found that he was prisoner. The moose
of each of four lassoes coming from differ
ent directions encircled him. and he was
helpless, much to the amusement of the
spectators. The cowboys promptly releas-
ed the prisoner and restored the sign to
him.
"a short distance farther up 18th street,
however, the police department evened up
matters with the westerners. One Of the
men on horseback threw his rope at
small colored boy. Just before 1t reached
the lad a man N uniform, who. bystander
told me, was Policeman Sampson, a man
born and raised on the plains, stepped for
ward, deftly caught the rope just above
| the slip knot and gave 1t a sudden twist.
| The moose retraced it's course and settled
about the shoulders of the cowboy to whom
| 1t belonged. The owner looked very much
| astonished and sheepish. as the folks
| watching the procession gave him tho
| merry ha ha with gusto."
No man knows his maximum reach up
ward. none should seek to know his mini.