The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-11
CROWDS SEE THE FISHES.
THE NEW AQUARIUM MAKES 4 DE-
CfDED HIT.

HEIR to jam the Opening DRy-The
Seals Hot Favoritea, the Sharks n Close
Second-Fino Sights in the Glass Tanks.
Tho new Aquarium Is adecided hit. and Their
are nearly $4,000 unbiased critics. mon, wo-
men, and children, especially the children. who
will testify TO that fact That there were not
moro than $4,000 persons last night ready to
ring the praises of the reiuvenated Castle Gar
den is due chiefly TO the fact that not moro than
that number were able to get inside It yesterday.
Those that did succeed in doing so accomplished
the feat at the expense OF much crushing and
crowdinG, much treading on feet. and were re-
warded by only q short glance at the Hnny In
nabitants of tho tanks. Such being the case,
their favorable testimony is all the moro valu-
able.
Yesterday was the first day that the AQUA,
rum, after going through alternate stages Of
construction and destruction for several years
was thrown open to the public, and the tax,
payer who has been growing for mon this owe
what no considered q wicked waste of money
OH a foolish thing fastened to Battery Park
early In the morning in order that he might be
the first to say II told you so" and indulge In
more grumbling. His grumbling vanished
when he entered the place and saw the circle of
massive white columns, the great floor tanks Of
water with their big inhabitants. and the
long line Of glass-fronted tanks built about
tho sides OF the garden filled with the
strange. beautiful and ugly beings that
are found In the lakes, rivers ana seas.
He became so engrossed with all he
saw that he forgot his grumblinR, forgot the
pain from his pet corn. rudely assaulted by the
heel Of the man in front OF him. and took his
place in the long line and walked past the
tanks and wound up by watching the seals
scoot around in their tanks. All day long not
q single grumble or criticism was heard. All
the spectators seemed bent on outdoing one
another In praise OF the Aquarium, DIR. Bean,
its superintendent. and Park Commissioners,
past aud present, who have contributed to its
success.
After all the talk about the Aquarium In the
last two years, about the slowness of its con-
I struction. about mistakes in its building, broken
tanks and faulty lighting. the New York public
had almost begun to think that It existed only
In the minds of reporters who for lack of some
thing else to write about, seized upon the Aqua
rum as n last resort. So many announcements
had been made OF its early opening and so many
disappointments had followed that when last
week IL was again said that II would be opened
TO the public within a week the people merely
laughed. And so 1t was not until they read in
yesterdays papers that Secretary William
Leary OF the Park Board had held a fish soiree
on Wednesday, a kind of a private view to pre-
cede the formal opening Of the building on
Thursday. that they realized that New York
really had an Aquarium, and when yesterday
morning came they came too. by the hundreds.
Long before the doors werc opened. at 10
O'Clock. there was a big crowd waiting outside.
Tho early crowd was quite different from that
which came later. There was a large represen-
tation of those who live to sun themselves on the
benches of Battery Park in summer and winter,
and tho soles of whose feet have long since
grown hard and calloused under the gentle
bastinado of the sparrow cops club as he re.
quests them to wake up and move. The opening
Oh .ne Aauari lasi WAS xins a red as ,hsv event 30 IL, I'm th Ihs
benches looking at the ships, pass by. they
would gaze longinEly toward old Castle Garden
aud wonder IL IL were true that some day they
could find shelter in there from the rude blasts
of winter and be safe from the gray-coated
the line yesterday before the doors opened.
They were weary and ragged. battered and torn.
Pete said one. dis is a cinch. amt it,"
"Mebbe So" answered Pete. YEARLY: "bnt
freeze yer nose. Den we'd know better rot a
cinch IL wuZ."
ousle.headed boys, most of whom were prob
ABLY playing hockey and were In danger OF get
sn"s 4 up , Iarreig e. id Mhs m fsst MANY al TIVE Mi, fr Child Tas
In their arms or leading little boys or girls by
the hand grandfathers most likely who brought
to circuses, not because they care to see the
fshs. of course, but because the children do.
In anticipation Of the big crowd Sergeant Dill
lon OF the Park police was on hand with fifteen
men to keep the crowd in order and the Police
i the doors were opened the crowd surged In. the
Kids with a whoop.
oh. CHIMNEY. look at de ~toitles.' screamed
an %ecstatic youngster as he rushed to the big
pool. He started to climb up the railing and a
big, copper grabbed him by the nape of the neck
Keep to the rIsht.' shouted the policeman
The tanks; called out others to The long line
that began to go around the uihdinG,no to
ns VIM can ~ WAS the OrnaF thnI SprQHaut nillDn
gave, while he wondered how he was going TO
dispose of tho crush If 1t kept up all day in tho
Apoliceman was stationed at the entrance
with a register. aud as the crowd went in he
the first half hour showed 3,4l2. and at the end
of the hour It was 4.9e7; Al 3 o'clock he had
a great many, so that It is safe to say that be-
tween 10, 900 and $4,000 looked at, the fishes
and easily, for the people were very ~good-na-
tured. AS they, entered the Garden a double
tanks. 1t was kept moving continually. and
unless one was willing to go around two or
Aside from the crowd, looking at the fish was
not a very satisfactory, procesding YESTERDAY.
was impossibie to tell What find Of a nsh one
was looking at. The printers who ere making
the piacards disappointed DR.. Bean. and he was
obliged TO manufacture paper letters and paste
the names OF the fish on the wood work under
the tanks, and in an hour the crowd had rubbed
Before the doors had been open an hour 1t
wasn't difficult to see what we're going to be the
favorites. All day long tho crowd was four
deep about III pool in which the frollcksome
! seals di,ported themselves. There are only two
seals. but they made fun enough for Il dozen.
Whether they APPRECIATED that they were
strong favorites cannot be LEARNED. but they
gave every evidence of so doing. The way they
darted about In the water WAS II caution, and
\khere wasn't a youngs;er there who couldn't
\Avs got from them some very good
points on tho ancient game Of, tag. The
men and the women. Of course, and the little
children focked to their pool, the latter scream.
ing with delight at the antics of The graceful
creatures. But there was only one place for the
boys, the small boys, the shark pool. The nrg-
inRs of the policemen could not make them
move on, As fast as they were driven away
from one side they would appear 1T another.
The sharks are not big ones. but, they are grow
ing and In due time will exceed In size any that
Capt. hlayne Reid ever told about. 1t was their
size that Worried most of tho kids:
"W'y. say" said one. dat shark couldn't
swaller me and sharks do swaller. Dcnchu
member wen Blue-eyed Pete wuz sailin' dc
rnkish black schooner. Skull n Bones, cross de
main he was knocked overheard and swallered
hy de shark. and his blood made dc sea red 7
Saw d,a in "A huncp ahnrk- dis ish