Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-08-25
WAS A BIG CROWD.
The Host Which Celebrated
Prairie State Day.
NEARLY A QUARTER OF A MILLION.

The Wonderful Procession from Midway
That They Saw-A Motley Throng That
Could BE Seen Nowhere Else in the
worid-Description of the Parade-Cold
Storage Heroes Honored--Fair Finances
Looking Up-stock Premiums.
CHICAGO. Aug 25-The expectations of
a crowd at the Worlds fair which were
excited by the way people Were going in
during the morning of Illinois day were
justified by the returns from the turn
stiles When the totals were in the ag-
gregate of paid admissions was $4,000
there were those who expected the at
tendance OF the Fourth OF Jaly to be
equaled, but yesterday was not a national
holiday. and 24l,05c people IS big crowd.
and the way Illinois responded does her
nc discredit, for il was a Prairi state
crowd which made the park black with
people yesterday.
The Plai>ance Parade.
The parade o; denizens Of the Plaisanoe
was something 20 remember for life
time. There never was such motley
and az the same time interesting process
sion First came the Bedouius riding
came!s and high spirited Arabian horses.
They were allowed nearly 200 feet Of
space, and as the parade moved along
these wild horsemen rode back and forth
at full galiop with their snow-white robes
futtering in the breeze, whirling their
spears about and displaying wonderful
feats OF Craftsmanship. Ate the Bedouins
came the Lapianaers from the frigid
zones with their reindeer. and then CINE
the cannibals OF Dahomey. They were the
most vicious and ferocious looking War
riOrs in the parade They were attired IS
il going into brittle.
The King an Object of Terror.
The king, huge black fellow in fantas-
tic attire, was in the lead On his head
was sort Of helmet surmounted with
pair Of rams horns. He carried a great
war club which he fiourished about as he
pranced about shouting in a savage frenzy,
while his followers sang a wild war song
and beat tom-toms and acted like demons.
Hanging down the front of the cannibai
kings breast was peculiar looking pro-
tector made of polished human bones. and
around his neck was an ornament of hui
man teeth.
All Sin Escorts q Dragon.
The Chinese, with an awful-looking dra-
bOA S4AAg ASCA AOl4Ss NdAll4c ucAN. II WAS
was made of rice paper on a BAN boo frame
and carried by twenty Mongolians. Moth
ing but their feet could be seen and the
horrid thing moved along in wonder
fully life-like manner. Strangely attired
musicians, with instruments no less
strange, accompanied the dragon and the
music, If such it can be called, was ear
splitting in the extreme. a band of saw
age Sioux from the wilds OF the west in
war paint aud feathers followed the Chi
nese, and after them came the South Sea
Islanders.
Civilization in the Rear.
Then in turn came the Hawaiians, Per-
SLAMS, the Egyptians with .Leir came.s
and donkeys, the Turks, the Moors, the
Swiss horn-blowers, Hagenbeck's lions.
the natives of Johore, the Algerians and
the inhabitants of the Irish and German
villages. In the main grounds they Were
Joined by the Italian marines and the
West Point cadets. Further than the Hi
nois building this wonderful procession
did not venture, but couuter-marching i'm
mediately returned TO their Plaisance
homes followed BY an admirins- crowd