The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-22
NEWS OF THE STAGE.
Another .Urania- Performance
at the 1heatfr Tonight.
"ous REGIMENT" At coRDaAs's


The THREE 81 r1n&A spectAGsES. "a tfip
20 the Moon, = Wonders Of AHerica" and
Chaos TO Nans have delighted small but
intelligent audiences at the Seattle thea
ter daring the three closing nights Of the
week, with ; matiree yesterday. The
people Of the city do rot appear 70 resiizs
the character Of these entertainments, for
IL tney did they would turn ont IN such
numbers that the theatcf would not have
standing room Jeff. Tonight last oppor-
tunity of seeing this splendid production
in this city will be offered. the bin being
Il Trip 20 the Mooa" sHd two OF the best
scenes from The Wonders OF America
Pixies peak and the Gsrssen OF the Gods
aud New York hsrbor and brooklyn
bridge. Popular prices, -. 50 and - cents
and 81, will prevail, and the unlimited re-
sources Of the Music Hail. company OF
New York will be utilized TO make
this performance red letter one in the
history Of stage entertainment in this
city. Scenery Of magnificence and eiec-
trio light effects which are pronounced
slmply marvellous will be employed
10 illustrate the mysteries OF the
moon. the eyoiusioBs of the cath and the
majesty OF tile North American continent
through its scenic grandeurs. uarret T.
serviss. a man Of sterling accomplish
menss IS q scholar. writer. orator and
traveller. delivers the explanatory dis
course accompanying the spectacle. and J.
G. MayrhoGer. celebi ated electrician. has
charge Of the stage production. To paint
q rainbow were an ifnpossibility, but Dir.
Mayrh Offer can crea to rainbox or half
rainbow. or any given segment of q rain.
bow at a moments. notice py casting the
concentrated rays Of one of his giant
stereopticons through an arc-shaped orIfce
and thence on an ordinary prism. A
prism, as is we'll known, cuts up every ray
Of white light into It's component scale of
colors inst as we sec them in the rainbow.
By using two prisms he contrives to throw
the arc Of light across the transparent
curtain in any gwen spot and thereby Gre
ate q Perfect iiciai rainbow. Another
phenomenon of apparently inexpIicable
realism Is the vivid portrayal OF
storm scene on Pixies Peak. First
the mountain looms up fair and clear
In the bright sunshine of the day, aud
then by SLOW degrees the scene changes.
The blue sky darkens, the brillianey fades
out OF the day. biackness creeps over every
thing. giittering fash of sheet lightning
for an instant iliumines the landscape and
then darkness falls again, and through the
darkness echoes distant peal of thunder.
Another flash. another and a nearer thun-
der roll. Another hash-this time forked
tongue that sewers the darkness with
quivering brightness--a streak that cuts to
the rock-bed from the sky. As quivers il
dafzies and then all is dark. and again
through the black OF tornado's night
through the swishing of the rain, through
the bowling ofthe mpest--comes a crackie
and a roar as once more the thunder clap
reyerberates through the mountains and
on high. Ii is awful, stupendous. The very
air in che crowded theater seems TO grow
chill, the whistling winds are almost palpa-
bic. Behind the scenes ali is tranquility and
bliss. A large shallow cylinder like drum
stands in one corner and stage hand is
turning ii round and round on its axis by
crank just as though he were turning a
grinds,one. lts inner depths are filled
with the ordinary peas whereof soup is
made in the kitchens and their rattle is
the pelting of the rain. Another wheel
With paddles on its onter surface, has a
breadth of alpaca silk stretched over il so
that the paddles rasp the silk at every
turn. and this creates the bowling fright
fuiness of the winds. The forked lightning
is built on even simpler principle Pho
tographs OF lightning flashes have been
taken on glass negatives time and time
again. and nothing Is easier than 10 cut
out the lines of these flashes on thin sheets
of brass. The condensed rays of the
stereoscope are cast through this per-
forated sheet OF brass on the transparent
curtain from behind. The wiggly and
jagged effects Of the flash are produced by
the operator wavin & his hand between the
slide so TO speak. and the curtain. These
are but few of the devices which, In the
hands of one of the cleverest stage cleo
tricians in the world, aided by scientific
appliances, many of which are his own i'm
vention, create the realistic views seen by
the audience.