St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-26
THE ARENA.
Sketch of the Building Where the
Fight Took Place.


JACKSONVILLE, Jan. 5.-The arena
i'll which the gladiators faced each other
is II rough unIiressed pine structure,
four-s ded and beautifully situated OH
the outskirts OF the city, with a beanti-
full landscape whichever way you turn.
1t Is difficult OF access. and herein it
differs from the two clubs in New
Orleans. within square or TWO OF
whose doors half dozen street cars
pass. Two lines of cars run in the
direction of the battle ground, but
neither passes within six squares of
the big whitewashed fence that sur
rounds the arena, and the sport UNI
provided with the cash necessary to
hire a cab or Il hack had long tramp
through the heavy sand. ankle-deep,
before he reached the narrow entrance
through which the crowd was
FORCED TO PASS.
The arena Is i'll the fair grounds at
Fairfield. d couple of miles from the
center Of the city by the tortuous line
OF cars, but scarcely more than half
that distance as the crow flies. Lap
ping turn of the race track. there used
IN be high old building used for any
and all purposes, and having broad
and slipping shed on either side. Around
each side OF the building the club threw
up high fence without a crevice
through which any Peeping Tom might
glance. There was no attempt at
Recommendation i'll the construction Of the
arena. An unchaTitable executive had
stubbOrnly blocked the club at every
turn until yesterday, but the club
pegged away at the arena. and when
the announcement OF the favorable
decision at the hands of the Court was
RECEIVED the Iprce went to work with
InceaSed activity, and the rude arena
was ready for Its crowd when the
vanguard OF boys and sports began to
lille towards
THE FAIR GROUND.
The Arena Is large enough to seat.
with some degree of comfort, 5000 or
5000 people, and the seats SIRE built
around four sides of the arena at cir
Gus pitch, running almost the maximum
height Of Il tWenty-tiye-fee fence all but
flush with the ring. The low sheds that
s!Oped down from the sides of the long
building were lifted up with props, and
there was fairly clean view from the
upper tier of seats down into the ring at
the foot of the boxes, filled with sport
Ing celebrities from all points of the
compass. Originally it was intended to
shelter the crowd with canvas covering,
but gubernatorlal opposition cut down
the force of laborers. impeded the prog
ress of the rearing of the amphitheater
and modified the elaborate designs at
first prepared for the scene of
THE BATTLE ROYAL.
Today the only shelter for the crowd
that gathered to be in at the birth OF a
new champion, or welcome with loud
acclaim the triumph of the old one, was
the blue and gray-canopy Of heaven.
The gladiatorS themselves and their ret
inue of seconds. trainers and attendants
were somewhat differently provided for,
however. for the roof OF The old fair
grounds building, with its long, gaunt
rafters. shaded them from the sun.
The ring, as has been noted already,
was in the center OF the arena. 1t was
a conventional affair. not round. but
square, raised few feet from the floor,
with stout-looking posts to support the
substantial ropes tenSely
DRAWN AROUND IT.
- There was another row of posts like
wise supplemented with ropes, leaving
narrow and unobstructed alleyway all
around the ring, to be used by The sec.
OndS and the helpers who are the lieu
tenants in every fight. The floor was
of heavy pine boards, nailed securely to
the jacks beneath them and covered of
necessity. The entrance to the arena
was block away from the gates OF the
grounds, and the aisleS penetrating the
long, narrow rows of seats enabled the
crowd to fad ready access to points of
vantage where they might look down
with complacency upon the fierce
struggle for supremacy between the
1.-THE and active opponents, the pugilis-
tic color bearers OF the two great Eng
disappearing peoples of the globe, and
probably the greatest living opponents
OF the manly art.