The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-04-10
Grants Second Inauguration.

iOUUl VI JIG " lICdoQty Dc PAi NA'Ni~
in which the inauguration ball that fol-
lowed Gen. Grants first election was
held, and says in note: 'Many recall
that upon his reelection large struc-
ture was erected in Judiciary Park and
plans for the ball laid on a gigantic
scale, with admission tickets selling at
500 each. \ blizzard came up, the place
could not be heated and the affair was
failure. -
Perhaps something about this event OF
40 years ago may interest the readers OF
today. Boss Shepherd was then reign
ing in Washington, the "District ring
was in evidence and later called for
Congressional investigation that sent
Shepherd into exile, practically penni-
less, although he was not found guilty,
criminally, but he was held up to public
condemnation as the head of ring. He
engaged in mining in Mexico and was
successful, and later the great work he
had done toward making Washington the
beautiful city it is today was recognized
and found express sion in a statue erected
at the National Capitol in his honor.
This mention of Shepherd is necessary as
it is doubtful if any other man would
have undertaken the erection of build
ing expressly for the inauguration ball
at a cost of nearly $50, 900. wholly con-
tributed by citizens of the district. 1t
was $50 feet long by 100 feet wide. The
roof was supported by arches and the
ball room was 300 by 100 feet. The sup
per room was 300 by Is feet, and along
one side was table the whole length 4
feet wide, back of which were the pan
tries. An addition to the main building
for the use of the press cost 81, 500 There
We're three rooms for the Presidential
dressing room, reception room and a
dining room; ladies' parlor a ladies
dressing room, guests room, etc. The
decorations of course were very elaborate
and it would take too much space to de-
scribe them in detail This was before
the day of electricity, but gas was lavish
inglv used, with colored shades and in
various namental designs.
The supper was great feature. Five
thousand dollars worth of china and glass
was hired in New York. There was not
enough in all the china shops of Wash
ington to supply the demand. Ten chefs
and many cooks came from New York.
The game. etc, was cooked in that city
and sixty cars were chartered to convey
provisions, cooks, etc, from New York
to Washington. Here is list of the
edib!es provided for this supper: 100, 600
fried oysters; 5000 scalloped oysters;
5000 picked oysters; 65 boned turkeys
of 10 lbs. each; rs roast turkeys, about
u lbs each; $50 roast capons, stuffed
with truff1es; Is saddles of mutton, about
100 lbs each; 40 pieces of spiced beef,
10 lbs each; 200 dozen quails larded and
roasted; 100 game pates, SO lbs. each;
300 tongues ornamented with jelly; 80
salmon, baked, Montpelier butter; 100
chickens, chaud ct froid; 400 partridges,
w dSiIilG Lon sly It, ~ DodIS ICdus, sum
ed and ornamented; 40 pstes de fois
gras, ten pounds each, 1000 cheese sand
witches; 300 ham sandwiches: 5000 beef
tongues; 1880 lunches celery; 800 bar
rels salad; 1000 pounds of Holsters boil
ed for salad; 5000 eggs boiled for salad:
| barrel Of beets; 2, 800 loaves Of bread;
5000 rolls; "a cases Prince Albert crack
ers: 1000 rounds CT butter; zoo char
lotte russes, | 1-2 los. each; geo moulds
of wine jelly; 200 mollds blanc mango;
300 gallons ice cream, assorted; 200 gal
$50 large cakes, ornamented; 60 large
pyramids. assorted; Is barrels Malaga
grapes; Is cases oranges: 5 barrels APP
pies: 400 lbs miXeC candies; 10 boxes
raisins: 200 lbs. shelled almonds: 800
gallons claret punch; 300 gallons coffee;
200 gallons tea; 100 gallons chocolate
In addition to this formidable array of
edibles were condiments and trimmings
OF all sorts. The baking and preparing
alone cost $40, 900: SIS, 200 for the hire of
dishes and breakage.
While the reader is digesting these
statistics it may be we'll to say some
thing of the incidents Of the day itself,
of which the ball was the closing fea-
lf,e. George W. Adams, the head of
the Washington bureau Of the New York
World, Edmund Hudson, his assistant,
and the writer, were to report the inau-
guration for that paper, and at my sug-
gestion it, was made continuous story,
taking up each feature in turn. The
New York Herald had Charles Nordho1f,
the chief of it's Washington bureau, Don
Piatt. then resident of Washington, and |
Edmund Yates, a London journalist and |
author. to describe the Inauguration from
their individual standpoints, and neces-
sarily each covered much of the same |
ground. Of the six writers thus engaged I
but two are living today, Edmund Hud- |
son. who is on the editorial staff of the |
Hartford Times, and the present writer.
OF course plans for reporting this event
were made some time in advance and
tbo nf mart