St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-06
.SKETCHED ABOUT TOWN.
How Mammoth Panorama Canvas Is
Handled.
GIANT WORK INVOLVED.
Mourning for T. D. Skiles--A Street
nc Fakir--C Changing Around at
the Museum.

The big battle panorama is going,
other regions to delight, and will be
shown here for the last time on Satur-
day of this week. Already the piano.
rama officials are preparing for the
change of pictures, which will take
about month before everything is
completed. Its an awful job to go
through with, and to give you an idea
OF the work necessary" said Manager
Thomson yesterday, 1--WE will have to
take down all the passage-ways,
! in fact, almost all the in
! side part of the building to make
way wide enough in which we can
handle the paintings in carrying the one
out and the other in; then. before re-
opening, of course that has all to be re-
built. The first thing to be done is to
clear up the foreground, and separate
all the realistic matter from the can
vas; then the carpenters arrive and
the building will resOund with
their hammering as they prepare to
make the huge spool" upon which the
great canvass will he rolled and got
ready for the box in which it will be
transported. A good sized cottage
Soulu w uuilt IOl lut COSu VI IlcSc tWO
appliances alone, for they must be
spool is about two feet in diameter
and is made of strips of pine three
inches thick grooved together. Sections
OF oak plank bOlted together and fash
Toned into wheels six inches thick and
and four feet in diameter, form the
ends; and through these three-inch
holes are bored to pass the cable used
in handling the spool when the canvas
is rolled upon it. The cable must be
strong enough to bear the whole weight
OF the panorama and thus avoid pres
sure upon the canvas that would surely
injure the painting. When, after about
two hours work, if all goes well. the
panorama is safely rolled face in upon
the spool, by means of ropes and
windlass, the great roll is then lifted
clear OF the strong pins that held it
in place and is blocked up to permit of
spool. The ends of the cable are Sc
curely fastened, and the roll, a dead
weight of six or seven tons, is at last
lowered into the box in which it will be
removed from its present headquarters.
The general belief seems to be that the
canvas is in sections, but this is
not so, as it is one piece and
huge piece at that. Manager Thomp-
son expects to be fully month, if not
more, experimenting this job, piece
OF work that will require the greatest
care in performing, but he is satisfied
the change will cause financial boom
around the panorama building, as this
new painting comes with an European
prestige, and the very name of it,
"Jerusalem and the Crucifixion," will
have universal interest for the people.
w
1t has been said by the sage of the
Bible, "There is nothing new under the
Northwest and certainly could never
have come across fakir in his rambles
around the effete and ancient East.
There is man in the city at present
who is reaping harvest OF dollars from
a funny sort of fake he is peddling
around. 1t is nothing more nor less
than polish somewhat like pOrmade
that protects silk hats from being in
jnred by rain or any other cause. 1t
Obviates having to get the hat blocked
every once in a while and is quite a cur
iosity in its way. To prove the genu-
ineneSs of his article he will put any
silk hat under the hose, get it thorough
ly wet, and in twinkling the creases
will all disappear, the water will fade
from sight and the hat have all
the appearance of being fresh and new
from the hatter's band box. 1t is bon
he says the greatest surprise to him is
the number of silk hats that are worn
in Minneapolis.
The idle words of passing converse
hot frfn 1c Int
noticed in the ordinary course of
things, but when death intervenes
people invariably linger to recall
tenderly the last words spoken by the
departed one, and SO to-day, those who
spent the past week with Tom Skies
are sadly thinking of all the little things
he said, and the expressions he made
use of. One day in the earlier part of
the week Ed Barber was in Mr.. Skiles'
oftice complaining of being i'll. "Why,"
said the latter, 81 beat all you people
this winter; look at me, how we'll
/ am" Little did he then know
how fast he was rushing onward to the
end. Mr.. Skies was Christian gentle
man, and as such it matters little
whether he was member of a church
OF not. He was regular attendant at
the Westminster church, but had never
joined it regularly, though he declared
frequently up to very last his intention
of going through the form. He also,
last week, spoke very strongly
on the subject Of theaters being opened
on Sundays. He thought it was very
wrong because it was not Christian or
gentlemanly to desecrate the Sabbath.
He thought man should be happy in
staying home on Sundays with his fam
fly, or going for walks or drives, but
not to hot theater and stitle himself
there ON the one day he has for
exercise and open air enjoyments.
He spoke so strongly that all who
heard him were struck with his earnest
ness. If they had only known those
kindly lips would be stilled in few
short days, forever, how they would
have hung upon his words.
~
The fate of the museum people was
sealed yesterday. In changing hands
the house will be operated by new
agent, and he has refused to put on the
people who are here, and will engage
an entire new outfit from Chi
cago to open with next Monday.
Consequently the "Human'Anvil," Sam
son, Dockstader, Bert Ransom and the
rest of the gang will make hasty flight
southwark to-day. They say their chief
memory of Minneapolis will not consist
of one continual round of pleasure, but
rather that, much against their will,
s.EVery day was Sundayn had to be