Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-26
GEN.. GRANTS SECOND
= 49,
WORST INAUGURATION THAI
WAS EVER KNOWN.
80
Cadets and Middies Nearly Froze on the
March-Ladies Dressed in
Eurs

vi
and the March eauinoxiai storms comes the
American Inauguration day. Naturally as
might be expected. it would not be reason
able to expect fine weather. In nine cases
out of ten it is preposterously bad weather,
but in all the memory of men within the
present generation there never has been
such an outrageously mean day for inaugu-
rating President as was the fourth OF
March, 1873. when General Grant began has
second term.
The day before that eYentful date had
been. at least. fair TO mddling In it's good
ness and about one hundred thousand
strangers within the gates of Washington
together with her own citizens, lifted up
their eyes. to the heavens above and dis
covered, or thought they had propitious
signs as far as the weather was concerned.
On that night came a change. Old Bo-
reas, the monarch of winds, awakened from
his slumbers and spraDs ierefrom In angry
temper. The coolest of cold winds swept
down upon the capital. Kicking up binding
dusts everywhere and freezing up every
thing freezable 1t was actually cold
enough and. as some people said. mean
enough to CONCEAL into solid ice the inaugu-
ration punch set aside over night in I'M
heated apartments of many mansions. But
this diversion of the winds did little to
check the enthusiasm of the thousands who
came here to hail anew the great captain
as ms own successor to the presidential
OuiCS. 1 ne great crowd put its over
coats and furs and went forth jubilant soon
after dawn. Every one was anxious to see
the great military pageant and the civic
parade accompanying it. This part of the
procession was under command of the late
wellknown William Dickson, who was grand
marshal.
Cadets and Middies
Above all every body wanted to see the
cadets from West Point and the little blue
jackets from the Naval Academy at An
napolis. And how those youngsters suffered
from the cold as did ali the army contin-
gent of the grand procession. They were
disciplined men, and under no circum-
stances could they leave the ranks whereas
the citizen soldiers in many cases did break
ana seek shelter from the relentless blasts
OF icy airs. One of the divisions of the
civic part OF the procession did not break
It's cover of warm houses at all This was
the division composed of members of the
judicial, executive and legislative branches
OF the government. These gentlemen made
up their minds before they had their break
Iasts that II was much more comfortable
within doors than it would be parading
down Pennsylvania avenue
The stands erected along the avenue for
spectators were absolutely iudicrous in their
emptiness. Such beggarly array of empty
Doxes On such an occasion was never seen
before. Here and there some hardy people
evidently acclimated. were located in knots
and scattered within the long array of seats
but even they were few and far between
Many who had bought tickets in advance
FOR enviable seats never thought of using
them.
But the procession moved on scbaduJe
time, and grand procession it was: the
wind kept on blowing harder and the atmos-
phere each moment grew colder. The peo-
PIE on the streets-the sightseers-had n
great advantage over the men in the pa
rade. They could jostle each other and keen
warm. even III there were no other ways of
warming up at various places. and so the
tod I'm IN
capitol and back to the White House and
dlsbanded. Then everybody made for a
warm place--all but the poor little mdship-
men, from Annapolis. They seemed IN he
out in the cold ali the time, and seemed To
be without a roof over their heads except
ing the ceilings of the railroad depot. where
they were taken soon after the parade was
over, and shook and shivered until they
filled the cars allotted to take them back to
the academy They didn't have chance to
go to the inauguration ball that night
Ihere was some blunder somewhere. and
tnere was much comment upon 1t at the
time. 1t will serve as a lesson maybe and
the middtes on this coming inauguration day
Will In all likelihood reap the profits of it.
Nearly Frozen to Death.
Beyond a doubt in all that element-defy-
ing pageant on that cruelty cold day the
embryo generals from West Point held the
center of the stage. They were the cyno-
sure of all eyes After the line of march
was broken and the parade was thing of
the past they marched to the residence of
General Sherman and gave a dress parade
in front of the mansion on street near Cd.
Then they went into the house and were re-
cuperated IN the usual hospitable- style of
the Shernans; then back to the Ebbitt
House. their quarters. where they remained
until it was time to attend the Inauguration
ball, and they made the welkin ring with
their time-honored .refrain of Benny Ha-
ven's oh" and The Army Blue though
some of them We're frozen and frost bitten
through and through.
Old BoreaS had h6Gn. keeping I'D his work
industriously all day, and before night the
streets had comparatively few of the
throngs that filled them during the day
lingering about them. Many intended COM
ing down again to view the night scenes the
carnival and the fireworks. which came off
in spite of the wea Their, The people couldn't
stand the cold, however and little of the
nights entertainments went long way.
OF course. the browning glory of the day
was the ball. This was held in structure
built of boards. about where the pension
office now stands Well. there never was
SO frigid ball room in all history. The air
seemed colder than ii outside, but the
great, hastily improvised hall was a thing
of beauty throughout. Fair women and
| brave men, including these gallant cadets
from the banks of the Hudson river. for
whom multitude of beautiful women sped
glances of adoring welcome. charming
debutantes walked through cotilons with
fur mantels on their shoulders, and whirled
through waltZes with those od-fashoned
headdresses called clouds over their heads.
General Grant was there and shiyered with
his surrounders. Every other person caught
cold and humorous correspondent writing
of 1t said the sneezing drowned the music.
And thus ended the coolest day, according
to all accounts, on which a President of the
United States was inaugurated. How will
the coming one be? Time will soon tell.
The "Good Man."