The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-09-28
THE GRUNDY COUNTY FAIR.
A Good Display. with Startling Additions by
TIL. Storm King not Down I'm the iSlls.

ruler thirty years ago. had or urea 10 nave thelr
oath Annual County Fair this week The open.
ing day was Tuesday, when John \, Logan,
i whom the republicans were wont to dub DIRTY
Work Logan" made speech but II was not on
politics and rings, &c, subjects about which
John is said to be exceedingly well informed but
was intended to relate to agriculture, iloricul'
turc, NC, matters whereof John is ignorant, ana
his address was not success.
On Wednesday there was a respectable atten-
dance. As early as So'clock four or five hundred
persons were on the grounds, including the Otta-
wa Guards Co. d., and Bachs 18th Battalion
Band, and about dozen citizens of Ottawa; also
the Strcator, La Sale and Joliet Military Compa-
MES attracted to witness the drill Of the battalion
which was set for one +. NJ. At about half past
10 AM Il heavy rain set In, which lasted till about
noon completely drenching everything and every
one out doors. Those who were under what was
supposed to be shelter, Jared but little better than
if outside. The buildings on the grounds are all
mere temporary shantics, thrown together, with
reference to the quickest and handest method of
tearing them down when the fair is over. Con-
sequcntly cracks everywhere revealed daylight
in abundance. Floral Hail, siiording about as
wa fair grounds, was filed with goods and most
of them valuable. 1t is needless to say that every
thing in this hall was more or less wet and dam
aged. Baum " Shobert the latter well known
in Ottawa, had fine display of silks and fancy
goods, and all were soiled and some Of the finer
articles ruined by the fosd ui water.
In the afternoon another storm came up which
was to the other as a mountain to u mole hill--a
tornado to zephyr. 1t blew down the amphi-
theatcr, fortunately vacant at the time, and
scattered the lumber of that and some small
stands nearly all oyer soyoraa acres of ground. 1t
blew down trees and scattered awnings and signs
down town. In one instance the wind lifted a
heavy wooden porch, thirty feet long and twelve
feet wide, up twenty feet above the building
from whence it had been wrcnched, and then
hurled it upon the sidewalk with terrific force
The porch was Of heavy timber and lumber and
could not have weighed less than 1900 or 1900 lbs
Some little children had been playing under it
and had entered the house only II moment before
it fell. They providentially escaped dreadful
fate.
The rain came in torrents for over two hours,
and was accompanied by vivid lightning and
heavy thunder Everything was flooded. The
women with bedragglcd skirts in floral hall,
(which has the ground only for floor, were seen
iclinging to the Shelves counters or sides of the
shed on tip toe, the water being everywhere
/ to ; inches deep. Everyone WAS wet, but as
good naturc1 as could be under the circum
stances. 1t real damper on the fair, which
in itself would have been success. OF course 1t
had no sort Of comparison with our many other
exhibitions held here recently, but il must be
remembered that Grundy Is u small county while
ours is very large.
Am2ng the articles on exhibition We noticed
couple of antelope shipped only a few. days
since to Sam'l Hodcrman of Seneca Joe Hattie
way, of Ottawa, had forty coops of bloodcd chick
ems: Rheinhard Meyer Il Co., of Morris, fine
lot of clothing; Strasberger and Allen ~ Robin
son each had Il case of Wines, &c; Geo. BARTLETT
an aquarium filled with specimens of the tinny
tribe Handwsrk Bros. and Goisen, a lot of stoves
10 varieties each; Louis Cook, IS carriages and
buggies Marllle Il Farnsworth, Ottawa, bug
gies; Jordan, of Morris, POS agricultural implc-
meats; J.. Z. Porter, Of Ottawa, by Jerry Arm
strong, II patent hay fork and carrier; Daniel
Shade, of Seneca, Norman Stallion, "French
Giant" and Clydcsdale stallion, "King Tom
C.. ia Green, of Farm Ridge, La Sale county,
Shorthorns as follows: ycarling bull, Lofty
Duke" two bull calves, "Pasha" and prairie
King" COWS, Lilly Louan" and calf, and 'Puri-
ty" and calf Strawn, jackson and Dunaway,
Imported bull "RDyai Oxford "Dutchcss
Agatha ID" hcifcrs, 'Faith,' Fanny Miller"
"Wcnona 9TH" ''Carnation;" bull, Lord Bicli-
crstafs," heifcrs, cred Rose" and Lady Bates
calves, "Carnation 18TH" "Ney Bly," Lord
Bly, and grade hefer,-l3 head in all Mrs.
4. r. Starr, of Joliet, exhibited $50 varieties Of
plants, and had nice button hole bouquet for
each of the members of tho two bands, but our
band lost their intended presents by hurryng
away sooner than the lady expected.
u The 18th battalion had dress parade in the
evening, where our company cclipsed all others
(therc were four companies on PARADE in the
correctness of their mancuvrcs. Our band also
distinguished themselves by furnishing excellent
music We heard "A promlaent officer of the
Grundy County Fair remark-not aware of our
presence-that the Dwight band (hired by the
society "madc more noise than music, but the
Ottawa band makes the sweetest music, "-l com
pliment which Bach's Band well deserves
The Ottawa Military ,ompany the band and
others all returned on the evening of Wednesday
not particularly satisfied with their days expert
T ence.
f The officers of the society at Morris did every
thing in their power to make their visitors happy
and would have had very grand fair had the
clerk of the weather treated them little more
, coureously. D. u. A
After all of its assaults upon the police Of OF
e tawa for six or eight months past it is not very
e consistent, perhaps, Notwithstanding it is right
c for the Times to acknowledge publicly the mer
its and worth Of the present police force. ltsays
4; thi. week. what 1t ought 10 have said long ago
, that
When a warrant is put into the marshal'S hands
il i served at once If il citizen call upon til,
police his call is promptly responded to. The
= police are vigilant. Very few tramps are above,
= to visit this c:tt. &fStspstanding that tbs
Z srfE ralhrr-