A MILLIONAIRE'S FEAST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1625, 5 March 1884, Page 2

A MILLIONAIRE'S FEAST.

Mr Yanderbilfc gave a great ball last week in New York, which is said to have " surpassed anything erer done in that line "by the "Queen of England or the Prince of Wales, whether at Buckingham Palace or at Marlborough House." ■ A few days before the great event came off Mr Yanderbilt is reported to have said: " I have put my mind into this thing. It will lay over all Europe;", "Do you really hope to vie with, the English aristocracy's great'.balls f ; he was asked, f Wait and see," said Mr Yanderbilt, " Depend upon it, it will be a snorter." The entertainment seems to have been more elegant than, his The decorations, the supper, the musicj-the toilettes had .. all been discussed, and weighed and pondered over for weeks, The costumes worn by the ladies are said to have been very beautiful, A few hpdreds of them were ordered from Worth, Pingat, and other houses of [Parisian notoriety, but the great

majority of them were made under the supervision " of: our leading modistes." Every lady wore a new costume. The display of diamonds was unusual even for New York. Several millions of dollars' worth of the rarest jewels were worn, and at leas' half a dozen of our detectives, in, full evening dress, took part in the festivities to protect the gems, Mrs W. H. Vanderbilfc wore a Worth.costumo, trimmed with a lace flounco; valued at 2000dol. The :two large houses belonging' to the family were thrown open and appeared as one. They ; were so arranged when built, sliding doors being placed between the two large vestibules.. These vestibules appeared like a large hall, and were deoked on either side with flowers, ferns, and palms. The ball-room of each house had the floor highly polished so as to resemble a mirror, and flowers bloomed everywhere. It was Mr Vanderbilt's idea'to turn the house into a veritable rose garden. All the florists were busy buying and forcing roses for the occasion.' Several thousands of dollars' worth of flowers came from the far South, where they were grown to order. Magnolias, jessamines vines, orange trees, oleanders, and beautiful Texas roses, with their delicate perfumes mingled with. Northern roses* It was estimated that the floral decorations cost 20,000d01. The supper was the most elegant ever served in Amorica. Every delicacy, that money f could buy was on the tables, andbest cliefs in the city, worked for weeks' concocting tho dishes. The supper was* served by Delmonico, assisted by Vanderbilt's own corps of cooks and waiters. Over 200 waiters, the very best in the city, served,. Wines, the rarest and costliest, flowed as freely as water, and the china and silver were of the. finest. It is sail that each napkin used was worth lidol. The supper cost, including the wines, "in the neighborhood" of 40,()00dol. Tho tables were decked in masterpieces in fancy creams, pyramids of fruits, jellies, and bon-bons. An entertainment worthy, indeed of a millionaire.