Evening journal., 1890-09-05
THE GREAT FAIR CLOSING.
A SUMMARY OF TIE INCIDENTS
OF BIG THURSDAY

Yesterdays Races-over $4,000 People
There iIe-maker's Disastrous jump.
Another Multitude ON the Grounds
To-Day-rhe Indian Game La Crosse.
Big Thursday was mint for the vii.
mington Fair Association, and it will
not be equalled until the next fair. One
OF the directors said last night, that as
near as could be learned, "a 600 persons
had entered the grounds. The turnstiles
moved too slowly for some of the rushes
and the crowds we're limited through
the large gates Long before the hour
of racing the ticket offices of the grand
stand were besieged by long lines Of PEG.
pie. Here as elsewhere the turnstiles
were too slow. The stands and enclos.
ures were packed from the back of the
stand to the fence Oh the home stretch
The lower seats were very warm because
unshaded, and many parasols were raised.
This made it look like school of por-
poises on a sea OF faces.
The visitors came from all points in
the vicinity and Delaware and Chester
counties, Pa The carriages in which
many of them came filled all the SPACE
set off for them. The hacks were loaded
every trip
The crowd was good natured and very
few squalls occurred Chief of Police
Riley's effective force assisted by a squad
Of Wilmington police, kept good order.
-Four men were arrested for drunkenness
and confined in the van, where they
made racquet.
The crowd spent money fast and the
association, as well as the fakirs. got its
share. The razzle-dazzle man made solid
cash every trip, and the refreshment
stand perspired with business.
The horses, cattle aud sheep exhibits
together with the farm and garden. in
terested the farmer. His wife studied
the names on the cages in the poultry de-
partment, and inspected the pastry and
bread in the household department. The
daughter handled the fancy work, and
admired the flowers and paintings Her
brother. the old one. loDged for the
time he could buy buggy like those
exhibited, that he might do his counting
in the most approved manner The
younger brother rode Oh the razzle.dazzle
and spent every cent he had at the
fakirs stands. When the family was re-
united and had gone to the farm wagon
for their dinner. they found, not the
dinner, but that some hungrier man had
absorbed it, Funds being too short for
the length of their appetites, they made
a tour of the food dispensatories, so
called for lack of better name-and
their cravings were satisfied.
The crowd had to be fed.
The .'ush for dinner tickets was enor.
nous. Mr.. Ainscow shut down on the
sale several times, and his walters were
busy as bees, Persons went to the ticket
office and legged Mr.. Ainscow to allo
them merely to 90 in, but he would not.
A man went to Franklin B. Cotton. one
of the directors, and told how he had
come here all the way from Cleveland
Ohio, and could not get dinner 1t was
hard, but it was inevitable. Mr. Aims |
COW said he was afraid to estimate the
number fed at the restaurant.
The eating space in the annex was
almost impossible, the number of those
who brought their dinner was so great
The food dispensers among the exhibi- |
tors in the main building easily gave
away their specialties Ten thousand
hot cakes were cooked by the William
Lea and Sons Company, and eaten while
warm.
The Homeopathic Hospital restaurant
did big business ard its pretty sur
roundings made 1t doubly pleasant.
The warm weather caused everybody
to seek the shaded places and there the
air was cool. Lewis Horn, special officer
at one of the entrance gates was over
come by the heat and had to stop work.
He will recover
The grand stand spectators are startled
many times in the afternoon by the
changing of bell that sounds vigorous
enough to have once been in q set of
chimes. While it may be jsrring on the
nerves of those across the track. it is
narrowing to the unfortunate persons
who are forced to sit within ten feet of
the thing of torture They must lump
every time the starter wants a heat
started, or an announcement made. The
bell tolled 276 times yesterday afternoon
between l and Is o'clock, or an average
of nearly seventy times in an hour.
The reporter had good many guests
of the association yesterday when the |
association guests stand overfowed.
The conclusion of the races was the |
beginning Of the withdrawal of the grand |
stand spectators The trains from the |
grounds were loaded down. The Will |
mipgton & Northern ran specials until |
all the people were safely placed at their |
destinations. The hacks took hundreds |
of the visitors and so many vehicles used
the roads that cloud Of dust was raised |
anu hung above the marsh like wind
cloud. Market street last night was
full of strangers.