Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-05
CELEBRATING AT LAKE MANAwA.

Great Crowds of People Spend the
Day at the Pleasure Resort.
"You amt mad, Bill, are you?" No, Will
liam was not mad. On the contrary, he
was decidedly pleased with everything he
saw and heard at Manawa yesterday. And
all the people were with him.
Manawa has seen big crowds in times past,
but yesterday the multitude that poured
through the gates of the Grand Plaza and
swarmed around all the other Fairgrounds
was the largest in the history of the lake.
The day was delightfully."- pleasant, and the
people appeared to have made up their
minds with one accord to spend a portion of
the day at the lake. The train service was
taxed to the uttermost. Each train was
equipped with five coaches, and from l
O'Clock until 4:30 every foot of room was
occupied. Between 2 and 3 o'clock the
crowds struggling to get on the trains were
so great that triple the train service would
not have been sufficient to have carried
them. Ninth street was lined on both sides
with people as far down as Eighth avenue,
waiting to jump on the empty trains return
ing from the lake. A stop at a street cross
ing meant a rush that filled all the cars
before the train could start again. Many of
the trains carried between 600 and 1000 pas
sengers on each Town trip.
The multitudes that went by train were
but a part of the whole crowd that reached
the lake during the afternoon. A number of
private carryall lines were doing active
service. and there was a continuous process
sion of carriages and vehicles reaching from
the city to the gates of the Grand Plaza.
The train record for the day shows the
transportation of nearly 10000, and fully
as great a number reached the lake by
other means. Two-thirds of the people car
ried by the trains were from Omaha.
At the lake the grounds were black with
people. The Grand Plaza has been enlarged
to twice it's former size, but it was none
too large for the comfortable entertainment
of the crowd. 1t required time and plenty
of good nature to get near the pavilion,
where the Ladies' Military band was the
chief attraction. Many requests were sent
up for last seasons great fayorite, you
Amt Mad, Bill, Are You" which soon grew
into a demand. When it was finally sung
the people almost broke down the pavilion.
Encore followed encore, until Mrs. Munro
and the chorus grew hoarse, and the peo-
pie, out of pure charity, permitted the band
to play something else. But even then the
strains of the popular air were being
whistled and sung all over the grounds,
Miss Pearl Bradsden rendered several solos,
and her sweet, flexible voice found thousands
of new admirers. There were other attrac-
lions In other parts of the grounds, but the
band held the attention of the crowds and
kept the pavilion jammed throughout the
afternoon.
20 libhN hiS"Oih No u PNhN 'P a'SAA -
platform built on the point of the island,
Fifty shells were fired during the afternoon
and the figures they contained drifted about
in the air until they finally settled down
upon the water. floating until they sue
cumbed to the waves.
The cool breeZes made sailing delightful
and every sail boat on the lake was skimming
the waves, laden with thoroughly happy peo-
pie. The water was in a delightful condition
for bathing and the beach In front of the
Grand Plaza was lined with people in bath
ing costumes. The water is nearly four feet
higher than last season, clean and clear, and
the sandy beach is perfect.
At Manhattan beach the jam was fully as
great as on the north side OF the lake.
Every steamer that crossed the lake carried
It's full limit of passengers, All OF the spe-
eisl pleasure resorts there were crowded
but the great attraction was the splendid
beach and the 20O-foot toboggan slide. Dur
ing the afternoon daylight pyrotechnics
formed one of the attractions, There was a
great scramble for possession of the dainty
little parachutes when they fell.
One OF the great redeeming features OF the
lake this season is the absence of intoxicat-
ing liquors at all Of the resorts. The disso-
| lution OF the town organization q AaRaWa