The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-05-02
FAIR FLIES RED FLAG
Masons Auction Off Balance
of Their Stock.
END WITH DANCE TONIGHT
Another RecOrd-breaking Crowd
Buys bargains and Helps Swell the
Grand TotaI-Hau 40 BE Cleared
To-day for the BaiI-GrRnd Rail- at
D O'CIOck-Omcers JnbiIant.

The red flag hung at the masthead at
Convention Hall ali day yesterday, and
the auction which il heralded was held
on scheduled time. No true bargain
hunter was ever retarded in his quest by
rain or other unpropitious circumstances,
and there were 5000 or I0,Ooo members Of
the Chartered Association OF Bargain
Hunters in the hall when Director Gen
eral Standlford gave the signal TO begin
the sale.
Not less than a dozen volunteers Off
ciatcd in different parts Of the fair room.
They were amateurs al the game, but
what they lacked in experience they made
up in facility of sight. One young fellow
who was nodding an assent to a question
his best girl had asked him, found the
price Of an article he was interested in
run up about $ on him, and he was
obliged to cough up 10 save his face. And
he got the article cheap at that.
At the conclusion of the auction, about
midnight. the visitors went away happy.
if tired. with their precious bundles
clutehed to their bosoms. conscious that
they had performed a noble deed and
bought a brick or a row Of bricks. in the
new temple.
See, said one comely matron to her
neighbor i just got this lovely hand
kerchief for a song, my dear. I've been
waiting for the closing night. and /
would have been ready 70 cry my eyes
out if anybody had bought this hand
kerehief" And the neighb0r looked with
enviOus eyes upon the bargain,
Make Good on Estimate.
To relate all the monologues and dia-
iogues along this line would fiji a column
or so. and the one above is only given as
a sample. Qualification was apparent on
the faces Of President Smith and the
other officers Of the board Of control.
They didn't have the time 10 count up
the money last night, and besides, there
are a thousand and one details 10 be
wound up before there can be an ac-
curate statement OF the finances OF the
fair If 1901; but Il was said at headquaT-
tiers last night that there was no reason
to change the estimate of at least $4,000
profit All the returns won't be In for a
month or two, and there is even a pros
pect that the figure named win be ex-
ceeded.
The demand for tickets for the ball,
which is 20 wind I'D the fair tonight
: continues al fair headquarters. 1925 New
York avenue. and IL was steady al Con-
vention Hall last night Preparations
are being made TO entertain large mum
! Der Of people, and all the members Of
the board Of control are doing now is
praying for good weather tonight
The grand march viii be led by Presi-
dent 3. T. Smith and Mrs. Smith, who
be "a E-rra e
the board Of control and their ladies' The
march vii start promptly at o'clock,
and dancing viii continue until midnight,
when the fair OF 1907 viii be declared IN
officially at an end
This morning C. H. Roster, the contrac-
tor for the decorations, Will have force
Of men at work, clearing the center Of the
hall. The columns Of the booths viii be
sent to New York to be recovered. and
viii be used az Saratoga as part OF the
street decorations al the triennial con-
clave Of the Knights Templars in July To-
morrow the wrecking Of the han viii be
completed and Convention Han will be
turned over 10 the owners on Saturday
night empty as IL was three weeks or
more ago. when the board OF control took
possession.
Officers are Jubiiant.
AT the conclusion OF the auction last
night, Director General Stamford and his
assistant waltzed up and down the entire
length of the vast hail. These two men
have been az Convention Han every day
since the fair opened from early morning
until long after midnight and they are
congratuiating themselves that their Ia
bors are at an end. With the system they
/ devised az the fair of five years ago, all
goods entering the han were delivered
promptly and not q loss was reported
While the hospital was kept open every
night. tAe fifteen nights of the fair have
( passed without a serious ease of III
! ness being treated. DR.. John F. Walsh.
the chairman, and DR.. Clarence A. Wea-
Yer. the vice chairman of the committee
| on hospitals have divided the time Of
attendance between them, and each night
there have been two or more prominent
/ physicians in attendance, and at least
three nurses from the local hospitals.
1 Several ladies tainted on the nights when
the hall was most crowded, but on most
of the nights not a patient appeared.
The police are also breathing easier,
now that the big fair is practically at an
end Mai. Sylvester has had a detail Of
/ forty bluecoats at Convention Han every
night, under command of Capt. Sullivan.
and they have regulated the big crowds
without an accident Of any kind occur
ring At police headquarters in the fair
room Secretary Z. 3, Hesse has received
reports of losses, but none has been Of
an article of any considerable pecuniary
value.