Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-05
SEVERAL SHOWERS INTERFERE,
But Many Thousand People Stay Through
the Wetting to Witness the
Magnificent Sight.
CHILDREN ASLEEP on CURBSTONES.
Waiting Until Early Morning to Get on the Over.
crowded Traction Cara

wonderful than the display. For three
hours 100, 900 people stood in the shelter OF
Bigelow hill, and feasted their eyes on myr.
lads of dancing lights. A great halfcircle Of
humanity, half a mile long and quarter
wide, filled the amphitheater in the hills
until it seemed that scarcely another body
could be packed in. On the stageofthis natural
play house a spectacular, with characters
of fire in all conceivable colors, threw the
vast audience into ecstacies. A row of
footlights of many-colored fires across the
front of the monster stage made the black
ness of the night above seem more intense.
Up in this inky space million little
sparkling stars, rainbows, cascades, rockets,
asteroids, wheels of fire, fountains, batteries
and bombs twisted and twirled about in q
great fiery whirlwind. An orchestra OF
whistling rockets made up the perform.
ance.
Only One Little Intermission.
The curtain fell but once after the enter.
tainment was started. Black clouds drifted
over the park and dropped their drenching
contents down on the mass of people.
But the shower lasted only few moments
and there was no perceptible decrease in the
crowd. Hundreds started for town, but
they were not missed. From the main en-.
trance to the menagerie, a mile away,
people were clustered so thickly that it was
difficult to move. 1t seemed as though all
Allegheny county was there
The first disappointment of the evening
came at o'clock, when a heavy shower fell.
While the crowd had not fairly gathered at
this time hundreds were there and all were
murmuring about the weather. In front of
the grand stand space several hundred
feet square had been roped off.
Within this 20 men were at work erecting
posts and supports for the "set pieces" in
the display. Several of these were already
in place and were damaged by the rain. At
one side of this inclosure stood a
great pile of boxes filed with fancy
fireworks. These were hurriedly COW
cred with tarpaulins to keep out the
dampness. After the shower was over work
was started again and most of the pieces
were put in place.
Opening of the Great Exhibition.
At $50 o'clock the display was started
with "a signal rockets and four 1S-inch
Japanese bombs. In quick succession came
Is exhibition Bengo1as, the American
Eagle, "1776-July 4th-1S91, !" the explosion
of eight rockets, two parachute rockets and
two 18-inch Japanese shells; the grand
triple combination battery; the sdisplay of
fire wheels; the Vesuvian battery, showing
the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius; the kaleido-
scope; the flight of saucissons; the grand
discharge of rockets and bombs, and several
other smaller displays weretput off in good
shape. Suddenly the rain began to patter
down and in few seconds the most dis
tinguished figure in the enclosure was
Mayor Gourley. Clad in long rubber
coat and looking defiance at all the ele-
ments he stalked about among the boxes
of fireworks and refused to be comforted.
After such a fine day, with everything
moving smoothly, the drenching showers
sent chill through the Mayors frame and
made him mad. 1t was feared the rain
would last and spoil all the set pieces, which
were already in place. Messrs. Heyl &
Jones, who had charge of the display, at
once offered to reproduce the whole pro-
gramme, Monday evening without extra
charge.
"Shoot Up everything you can," replied
the Mayor, "and let the rest 90. Half the
city is here on the hills, and they had bet
ter have the benefit of all we can furnish.
1t would be impossible to get another such
crowd on Monday night"
Well Repaid for Waiting.
The Mayor then sat down on a wet box
and patiently awaited the end of the shower.
Itsoon came, and the dampened crowds
were cheered by the sight of men running
to and froe carrying tapers and
the enclosure. The regular order of
the programme was dropped here
and different features were given as fast as
they were prepared 1t satisfied the people
just as well that way, and they cheered long
and Justify as the showers of colored lights
went chasing each other toward the
clouds. Several of the most beautiful
'set pieces were either damaged by
water or delayed by showers until too late
for use. Bnt, in spite of all this, the dis
play was universally credited a wonderful
one, and passed the expectations of the ma
jority of the people.
AHard Job to Get Home.
1t was IL o'clock before the last of the
pieces were sent up. At the conclusion
thousands were in the park, though people
had been leaving all evening. An unlocked
for obstacle was met with in the fact
that the two rapid transit lines were
unable to carry the visitors. Every
available car was in service on
both the Fifth avenue and Duquesne
lines, but they were unable to accommodate
the travelling public. Though the cars fol-
lowed each other closely, yet when they
reached the vicinity of Schenley Park there
senger on them. Every one who
wanted to ride had to travel
a long distance in the opposite direction to
the one they wanted to go before they could
get car with room enough in it to allow
them to get on. Many went clear to East
Liberty before they could get on car.
Nearle all of the Duquesne Traction cars
were filled to overflowing before leaving the
Craig street carhouse. There was appar-
emily no end to the string of people leaving
the park all evening, though the crowd did
not seem to diminish until about II o'clock.
The crowding of the street cars continued
until q A. NJ.
Waiting for the Morning Cars.
As midnight approached dozens of little
children and girls were seen sitting along
the curbs at the park entrance fast asleep.
Young people who had spent the whole day
tramping over the hills were SO worn out
that sleep overcame them. Walking
long distance to catch cars was out of the
question, SO they rested as best they
couiu untll tne early hours OI tne
morning, when the traction lines at last be-
came reasonably passable. Mothers and
fathers who had taken little children to the
park were in the worse predicament. For
hours they carried their sleeping infants in
theft arms waiting for transit. Carriages
and cabs were not to be secured at any price.
Fireworks were not confined to public
displays by any means. All through the
East End private residences and clubs had
their own illuminations. Notable among
these was the Linden Club, where special