New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-03-05

Display of FUe5oOrks FoIlO7cing In
dugUratiOn Includes 30 Numbers.

From The Tribune Bureau
Washington. March "A terrific battls between
aeroplanes. soaring thousand feet above the capt
tai, took place this evening just the inaugural
ball was at its height The monster arships at
tackled each other with huge bonts and the iu-
mination made by the exploding powder could he
seen :Or miles. The awful combat in the clouds
was witnessed by thousands OF persons and when
II was ended both of the aeroplanes had been
totally destroyed.
No one In the aerial ships Of war. No one
vas injured by the terrible cannonading- No prop
erty destroyed by the explosions that must
have been heard I'm Baltimore. forty-ffve miles
away. 1t all a fight for fun. visionary frolic
and when il over the spectators clapped their
hands and cried for more. And more was given
them, for 1t at the fireworks exhibition OF the
Inauguration, and there endless feast of
fire for nearly three hours. Pain quite outdid
himself. for he put up the greatest show that his
ingenuity, assisted by unlimited cash, could de-
wise.
There We're fifty numbers the pyrotechnic pro-
gramrne. and it would lie hard TO tell which was
best. The display given on the White Lot
the great elipse south OF the White House. with
the towering Washington Monument rising pure
and white in the darkness 70 the rear and the old
Potomac stretching its silver curves south and west
from the exhibition grounds. Beginning with an
aerial salute of 10l guns 80 p the flashing.
crashing fires were kept burning mostly in the air
through a programme which included stars ana
flags flowers and snakes. fountains and meteors,
Widow" hat.
Twenty batteries of tadpoles set of To 90
wriggng through the air. and the activity they dis
played spoke well for the antics they would perform
II they ever grew to frogs estate There was a
triple pillar Of light. 100 feet high. which ilum-
mated square mile OF the upper air and brought
the great dome Of the Capitol into bold relief
The battling airshps probably amazed as we'll as
amused the spectators most. for the largest
and costliest piece of the evening 1t began with
view Of a beautiful city In the Clouds showing
towers and buildings and streets. An airship was
seen to sail over the town, which soon followed
by smaller ones. Suddenly another airship fleet
ap2ears and attacks. Bombs hurled by the op-
posing, forces at each other. while still other
charges of high explosives thrown down upon
tn, phantom citv- The airships catch afire. burn
and crumble and as they vanish in the smoke Of
combat the city beneath them takes fire also and
disappears in simoom of flame.
The Silver Glory" produced by the electrical
discharge Of one hundred large bombs containing
translucent mean descent compound. made the neigh
borboo5 as light as day and the salute the
American Flag" released the Stars and Stripes from
n shower Of sparks OO feet in the air and held II
suspended floating over the heads of the audience.
Lines Of shmmeriug fire 900 feet long were desig
mated silver Falls" and four large gas balloons
that rose from the ground when assembled in air
spelled the name Taft In letters OF fire a block
long.
windows and housetops for miles in every d.
rection made fine reserved seats for thousands
of SPECTATORS In fact, except for some of the
smaller pieces and the portraits. the points Of
view half a mile or so away to be preferred
TO those nearer the President and Mrs
Taft witnessed a portion Of the display from the
south porch of the White House for half an hour
be fore they wen: to the ball.