Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-13
REALTY AND BUILDING.
An Effort Being Made to Secure q Grand
Attraction for Fort Worth.
Working for RlrIl Transit Ii1o 10 the Fort
Worth and r'nv shops Addition.
Car shops IN View
WILL HELP FORT WORTH.

the Last Days OF Pompeii, produced IN
Fort Worth some time in October. 4
committee having the matter in charge
will wait on citizens to secure the $1,000
guarantee required. This exhibit would
bring thousands of people here, would
give employ ment TO Il large number or
our people and would help the city in
every way.
The following is description of the
great spectacle:
The most magnificent and realistic
spectacle ever produced in any country
This gorgeous representation shows tut
ancient city of Pompeii with its streets,
bath houses, temples and smphitheaters
with Mount Vesuvius IN the distance.
The entire work, covering over 10000
square yards of oil painting upon wood
iron and canvas, reproduced In mar
yeIously artistic manner, 10y Joseph
Harker, from special designs taken on
the spot. The great subject containing
real buildings from twenty to thirLy-sve
feet high, while Tesuvius towers above
in the distance nearly seventy five feet.
The entire work beng 200 feet long, eG-
tends back some $50 feet, with an i'm
meuse lake of real water in frout
275 feet long, seventy-tivs feet wide.
The whole covers an era of nearly tive
acres. This is inclosed by hign fence.
A grand stand is built within 10 accom-
modate 10 600 persons. The dramatl2et
work is from Lord LYttou' g immortal
novel, the Last Days of Pompeu, AM
depicts as accurately as possible one Of
the greatest events recorded in history.
The streets are filled with soldiers,
priests and priestesses, flower girls
and vendors, while upon the lake
are numerous gondolas filled with ottt-
zeus. Four hundred people in correct
aud picturesque costumes take part IN
this wonderful and never to be forgotten
entertainment. All the sports of the
Roman amphitheater, including races,
boxing, wrestling, fencing, gladatorlal
COmbats, etc. wildly reproduced, with
the solemn procession of priests and
choir boys, grand march and drill of the
Roman guards, etc, form nucleus OF
the entertainment. 1t is not the
story so beautifully told IL
the novel of the last days of POmpeii;
it is but the catastrophe of that story,
for the spectator who sits in the grand
stand viewing this work across the artih
cial lake looking upon the miniature citv,
witnesses not only the play and the play
ers, but the complete destruction OF that
city. The Pompeii of the spectacle Is the
Pompeii of the excavations; the Pompen
as revealed by the workman g pick, and
not by the novelist's pen. The
ceremony of the worship of Isis is
strlkinglY effective. A procession forms
while the silver suarling trumpets chide,
and the famous old Roman Standards are
borne in front of the thrOng. Men OF
honor lead the way to pay their respects
to Arbaoes, the insOlent powerful Egyp-
tian noble, by bowling the knee TO the
golden calf Isis. Arbaces is the center
of attraction, the axis around which the
luxurious world of Pompeii revolves for
the time. Glaucus and lone and blind
Nydia have no sppreciable part in the
drama. Their story has been told and Is
in the memory of men, they are here to
await the end of the tragedy which ap-
proaches swiftly. The image TO which
all Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Pagan
and Christian must pay homage Is
brought forth, il is the feast of Isis, and
the epicurean world is literally dis
posed towards the gods, it bows to all
alike, but Glaucus, stout Greek and de-
vout Christian, cannot bow TO idols. He
throws himself upon the image at the
command to worship and uplfts his
sword to strike. Nydia averts the blow
by herself overturning the golden calf.
Never had heather god so awful VEN
geance. Vesuvius answered the desc
crations by thunders aud showers and
fire poured upon the devoted city, but
believers and unbelIeVers meet common
fate. Glaucus and lone escape, they
push out into the lake and into the sea
hey ond. Nydia falls a victim and
crawling TO the lake cools her parched
lips before she dies, then all
is confusion aud uproar, the crowd
surges from side to side, crushing one
another under their struggles to escape.
As they rush toward au avenue that in
vites them to safety, crash and eXpIO-
sion, and the palaces crumble and flames
and lava pour into their path, and so
from the temple of Isis to the palaces OF
Arbaces the frightened citizens rush back
and forth. Beyond in the rear of this
scene of terror, VesuvIus-lolg nursing
gathered lava of 1000 years.
The spectacle is awful. volume
Of smoke bursts with terrific sound from
the throat of the crater followed by q
fountain of burning lava. Ashes rise in
an enormous column, driven By the force
OF explosion and hang over the city to
shower down slow but inevitable ruin tbs
streets are filled with hot ciuders,
stones, and the houses take fire, and oil
is involved in destruction. The realism
OF the picture is such as was never pro-
duced by the brush of Titan or Raphael,
80 far as the spectator is concerned
Pompeii is actually destroyed for him
while he watches the most ter
rlble Of natures forces at its
most terrible work of ruin. When every
thing is in total darkness, James Pain
and son g produce $1,000 display OF their
fireworks, producing the
equatio novelties of which they are SO 4
celebrated, including flying fish, dol
phins, swans, geysers, submarin explO-
sions, fountains, water devils, tc. also
aerial works which include
their latest novelties in shells, rockets,
bombs, etc., with gigantic set pieces,
IRE protraits and mechanical devices, iu-
GLIDING their celebrated jocko, the
monkey gymnast and Jumbo their per-
forming elephant, which lever fail TO
create roars of laughter. And thus the
spectator after witnessing the terrors de-
picted in the picture and destruction OF
Pompeii, Is sent home with a smile to
tell the tale of when l was ut PompeI.
NOTES OF PROGRESS.
W. A. Barter and others are at work
TO- MI K