The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-04-22
ouRuNEw foRK LETTER.

oURaNEw FoRK LETTER
Some New York Shows - Still
Another Walking Match-Our
"Greatest Show ON 1arth"--Very
Like q Whale--A Pretty Big Fish
story--Astonishing Figures.
NIw YORK, APRIL 10Th, 1880.
To maintain my principle Of writing on
subjects which seem to AL most fully the
public eye, I shall have to confine myself
pretty closely this week 10 the shows of the
city; for at this moment the various forms
of amusement quite overshadow other top
les not only In number but apparently in at
tractiveness. First of all there Is our six
with respectable persons walking match"
is-or ought to be-a lighting word, aud L
apologize for multiplying words on sub
In fact, every time mention pedestrisnism,
or anything connected with It, Iiustinctively
look round with the expectation of having
to dodge something, very much as a man
doe: when quoting Pinafore or referring to
But what is q veracious correspondent to
do when q crackbrained public will turn out
by the ten thousand, as they have done
through the past week, to witness the same
less crippled men chasing their own shad-
ows In dreary monotouy, mainly for the ben
eft of hackers and the betting fraternity?
Had any one asked my opinion as to the
ceeding here, should have said that money
would be safer invested In wildcat mining
stock than risksd In 30 played-out an enter
prise- But the result shows that this pc
as the Old Man of the Sea bestrode sinbad
Of old, for the lessees Of Gilmore's Garden
are making money hand over hst. There is
one point, and one only, In connection with
this match which 10 really worth notice, and
that is the manner In which the African ele-
ment is looming up In this form of contest,
the two darkies, Hart and Pegram, covering
themselves with glory IN inch thick, and
couclusively proving that the sons OF Ham
are fully as strong ON their pins as their
cousins of the Japhst family, previous pop
ular opinion to the contrary notwithstand-
ing.
Another show thst absorbs Its full share
OF attention 10 Baruum's new turnout for
1850. Whether old Phineas has discovered
In his roamings the veritable fountain of
youth, or whether he is merely doomed to
reach the age OF Nethusaleh, is perhaps not
material; but somehow or other he con-
rtves with each successive Spring to come
| brisk and smiling with . more outrageously
| unheard of combination Of novelties and
curious attractions than ever before. This
year II 10 what one OF the papers facetiously
| styles an "Eight-clown-power circus" from
the large number Of those venerable jokers
| squad Of trained stallions, flock of trained
doves, Q pair of oxen who dance q waltz, a
wonderful leapiug stag, and an intrepid
young lady in tights, who for . presumabe
liberal compensation consents to be shot out
Of cannon twice each day to the horriied
delight Of the gaping multitude
Yet another spectacle has been afforded
the Sightseeing New Yorker this week,
which 70 my thinking is better worthy the
interest It has awakened than either of those
above referred TO. All Of rs can remember
II we do not now experience, the wild en-
| thusiasm OF our youth over the exploits oi
whalers, and have probably all of us-those
Of the male persuasion mesn-hankered a.
such life and the chase of these great
kings Of the deep, who seem like living rel
les ct that remote age which produced tho
| monster mastodons and plesiosauruses and
zeuglodons and multitude too numerous
| to mention OF creatures with endless nance
and frequently still more protracted tails.
When, therefore, I saw advertised an exhibit
ton OF . big, dead whale down at a certain
cock on East River, grasped at the chance
Of yerifylng-or otherwise-my youthful
conceptions Of Leviathan, and went down
forthwith. To tell the truth rather expect
ed to be disappointed In the size and general
appearance Of the animal; but on the con.
| trary I was snrprised at both. In fact
stood for while like tho veriest rustic and
| gazed in open mouthed astonishmcnt at the
critter. Not, however, half as open mouthed
a. the critter gazed at me, for his mouth
measured II feet by 10 or IL, while mine is
mage's. The great mass of blubber lay upon
| q couple of dry docks, which were sunk un-
der II, and then raised by pumping the wat>I
out OF them. Most Of It's surface was COW
that looked for all tho werid IKE India rub
Der, but along the sides near the head the
| color was whitish and the surface SO regu
larly corrogated that 1t looked exactly like
the overlapping boards on q boats side
The eyes, no larger than those Of COW, were
hardly to be found In the broad expanse oi
its lcathery hide; but perhaps the stranges'
| thing about the uncanny creature was that
the throat, which had to convey all the
nourishment from that vast mouth to th,
yet more c.pscious NAV, was barely tw.
which consists mainly Of small fish, is takei
into the mouth in great quantities, ground t.
pulp by the action Of the enormous tongu,
against the fringe Of whalebone in the uppe
Jaw, and then sucked down this microscope,
needed to prove the proposition that tn,
Bible is to be spiritually and not literalll
understood, the story of Jonah and III,
whale would suffice for the purpose.
After taking In these points by my owl
observation, questioned an attendant an,
obtained the additional facts. The whal
which is of the s'humpback" variety, wa
killed of Cape Cod and was sold by it
captors for $500. The purchasers towed i
to this city at q cost Of $50, after cutting
opeo and taking from its stomach twent,
barrels of herring, which they replaced b,
fifteen empty oil barrels to help float tn
CARCASS. The latter measured sixty-iiv fee
, In length and forty.hve feet In circumfer
ence st the largest part and weighed sevent
tons. The width Of the nuke from point {,
point vss about tan feet. The carcass i
now being cut up and 10 expected to yiel
some 800 gallons Of oil. On the whole tn
, dead giant was . wonderful sight. 'If
. hadn't q seen 1t myself" - the sailors sa
when getting Oh sea-serpent yarn, ~
wouldn't ha' believed it."
, But don't know as am much better thai
! l. q sailor myself; for hnd have been spin
ming out Q big hsh story till my space is al
filed and moro too. 30 I shall have to lcay
this letter to be continued RAnrN