The record-union., 1893-08-07
AN OuTRAGE
How the People Were Abused on Sat-
urday Night.

Two thousand persons attended the cir
Gus performance Saturday night at Agri-
cultural Park. The tents were pitched
far over in the paddock. TO reach it it is
necessary to cross the main and the train
ing tracks. Just at dusk tie sprinkling
carts were turned loose upon the main
track, the surface of which IS clay,
brought from a distance to make the su-
perstructure. When this clay is wet it
sticks closer than brother and stains
worse than bad character.
The sprinklers actually flooded the
ground at each side OF the passage
across The track into the paddock. The
people, unsuspecting and because of the
darkness, plunged into the mud ankle
deep, and slid and sprawied in great
shape. one well-knoWn business man
gave circus exhibition on his own ac-
count in the mud and slush, and had to
be stood up against the fence ana cleaned
OFT with hOrse-sCraper. He lost a suit
of clothes by the operation and fine silk
nat.
Hundreds of ladies and children had
their shoes ruined, and many dresses
were badly soiied. Whenever that clayey
mud came in contact with kid, glazed
leather, tan-colored or cloth shoe the shoe
was ruined.
An eyewitness to the flooding Of the
track declares that the men with the carts
not only to their best flooded the track,
but one of the carts made point to turn
every time exactly on the crossing and
give it double and treble dose.
Some citizens finally procured boards
and made temporary bridge, but when
the circus was over these boards had
been removed, and there was nothing for
it but to paddle through the slush sec
ond time. The indignation of the people
was expressed in a manner that would
have been unpleasant for the perpetrators
OF the outrage if carried into action.
Willard Gardner is lessee of the park
A RECoRD-UNIoN reporter asked him
yesterday what he had to say about the
outrage.
He replied that it was shame, and no
terms were too strong to express the
truth about it.
"Whose fault was it?"
mot mine," he replied. 81 have no
control of the track"
But you have of the PADDOCK"
"Yes."
"You lease it?"
"Yes.'
Don't you have the right of way then
into it?"
81 suppose So"
But, Mr.. Gardner, you let the ground
10 theicircus people for pay?"
"Y es, SIR"
"And you have right to do so under
your leaseY"
Hes sir"
Then, why did you not see to it that
the right OF way was not obstructed %
II was In the tents, and didn't know
of it.'
But you knew that the sprinklers wet
the track each evening, did you not?''
II did"
And yet it never occurred to you to
see to it that your right of entry to the
paddock was not broken by a mud
stream?"
We'll, was in the circus, and did not
know of it,"
"But you knew that the water-wagon
came ont every EVENING""
YES"
Nv hose fault was it. then?"
Ihe employees, new men, who put on
the water"
Superintendent Hancock of the Agri-
cultural Society, having charge of the
park, says the affair was an outrage, but
puts the blame on sprinkler, Gilbert,
hired by Patton, who has the contract for
sprinkllng. Mr.. Hancock says he gave
orders TO skip the passageway in sprink-
ling. he thinks the flooding of the track
was bit OF malicious mischief; that it
looks to him as if it was done to annoy
and injure.
The public will, however, get small
consolation out of this shifting of re-
sponsibility, and will hold Gardner re-
sponslble for not doing his duty and see
ing To it that his right of way was kept
clear, instead of squatting in the circus.