Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-19
PRIDE OF THE COUNTY
The Washington Fair Attracts q
Large Crowd of Visitors.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE DAY.
Live Stock Exhibit Attracts the Greatest
Admiration.
WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF SHEEP
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrsPATcH.I

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATcH-l
WASHINGTON, PA, September lS.-
Cold and gloomy, cloudy and threatening
was the weather for the second day of the
big Washington County Fair. All day
long a bitter wind swept over the fair
grounds, making him who was lucky
enough to have an overcoat smile with in
ward satisfaction, while his less fortunate
peighbor tucked his hands in his trousers
pockets. and silently swallowed his misery.
Quite crowd assembled on the grounds,
however, and oh! what a conglomeration
was there! The business man, interested in
the prosperity OF the county, was on hand
to witness what showing it could make; the
farmer with his pleasing talk of crops and
last years colts and promising cattle, could be
seen on all sides; fakirs of every description;
ordinary curiosity seekers, visitors from all
quarters and even suspicious-looking charac-
ters, were as plentiful as apples in rich or
chard.
Still, the fair can scarcely be said to come up
TO that standard, which should be expected OF
q big event of its description. No fault, 1t is
true. can be found with the live stock exhibit
He would ne hard to please indeed who
could not appreciate the beauties OF tne
poultry collection, or the number, quality and
proportions of the swine there penned up, OF
especially
THE ADMIRABLE APPEARANCE
of the many horses, of all breeds and descrip-
tions, in the stables; and the sheep! There,
indeed. was Was hington countys peculiar
pride. for it is the greatest all-wool-and-no-
shoddy county in the United States. These
dear, woody creatures were the darllngs OF the
ladies. They petted and watched them. and
said, 'Now, amt they too nice" in the most
approved fashion. and the exhibit was worthy
OF il all for it was magnificent. And what
babel of sounds broke OD the car of the visitor
SIS he entered the park The bleating of sheep,
the cacking of hens and Growing of roosters,
the grunting of swine the believing of cattle
and neighing of horses. the confused hum of
hundreds of voices, such as you only hear at
the live country fair, and the uproarious out
cries of the noisy fakirs, all were united in one
confused medley
Although the live stock exhibit answered
everyone's expectations the same cannot be
said of some of the other departments. The
collection of farming utensils would hardly be
large enough to stock a couple of well-regu-
lated Western farms. Even the other things
which generally form part of good country
fair were somewhat disappointing.
The crowd on the grounds was extremely
good-natured. There was plenty of chance for
amusement. The worst gambling devices
have been excluded from the grounds; but the
man Win the Dig muscle could try MS SCrengtn
as usual on the striking machines; and that
other one with the stronger lungs could ex-
pand little of his force on numerous lung
testers.
WITHOUT AN UMPIRE.
Two country lads approached one of these
muscle-testing machines, and. after agreeing
that the one striking the weaker blow should
pay for the trial, exerted their strength to the
utmost. The bargain was just the opposite of
the one usually struck, and the crowd watched
to see the result Everything goes at a fair.
No surprise was manifest when the one strik-
ing the weaker blow paid for the trial, although
he had previously protested against the word
ing of the bargain.
Trials of skill, in which the chances were
very much in favor of the fakir, and trials in
which not skill, but chance. was the supreme
factor, were as numerous as could be desired.
Washington is crowded with visitors and the
interest in the fair is very great. The enthusi-
asm was somewhat dampened by the rain and
the cold weather; but the fair will be continued
till Saturday night, and as the weather is now
clearing, a more comfortable time is antiei- |
pated during the remainder of the week
The races were necessarily postponed, on ac- |
count of the weather, and so the first series |
will be on Thursday. Some very fast horses are |
here for the trotting and running races, and the
free for-alls will be very lively affairs The de-
cisions of the committee appointed to award
prizes for exhibits are already assuming form.
and it is not at all hard to tell how the wind is
blowing for the exhibitors, by the appearance
OF the judges countenances.