The San Francisco call., 1897-03-17
HAS DAN STUART BEEN
BITTEN ?
The Peculiar Agitation OF the
Examiner" Causes Wide
DistruSt.
TEN DOLLARS WOULD HAVE
BEEN PLENTY FOR SEATS.
The Fight Promises to Be- Complete
Failure From the Standpoint
of Attendance.

After all that has been said for weeks
past of the prospective enormous attend
ance at the big prize-tignt the affair prom
.ises, in theatrical parlanoe, to be "a frost.
From the latest and most reliable infor-
nation to be obtained last night from rail-
road officials it seems that less than 1000
persons have gone TO Carson from all Cal
ifornia.
1t was estimated also at railroad head.
quarters that not more tn an 800 men had
come or were on their way from cities and
towns east of there.
The total exodus from San Francisco,
all told. has been only 626 And this is
the city that was expected to send thou
sands TO the ring side. Thoughtful esti-
mates had ranged between 1000 and 5000,
and Others had gone much beyond these
figures. The conservative had not pre-
dicted less than 1900 from this City alone.
This State was counted on to furnish the
majority of the visitors to Dan Stuart's
arena. Very probably it has done so, but
with only a scant thousand. According
10 the railroad com panies the estimated
attendance from points outside of Nevada
is considerably less than 1000. If that
little State, with its depleted population
of less than 10000 souls. equals the num-
Der that have gone from California the
modern coliseum, with its seating capacity
of over IL 000, is destined to present rather
bare appearance this forenoon about the
time Corbett and Fitzsimmons enter the
ring.
Dan Stuart. the promoter OF this fight
and the builder of the arena, is said to
have lost heavily on similar venture in
Ell Paso, Tex. That he expected to even
matters up at Carson is indicated by the
extensive preparations made for great
crowd. Little by little, however, esti-
mates of the number that would occupy
those seats have been reduced from 10000
TO $1,000, to 1900, to 5000, to $500, and
latterly to 5000.
The recent decision of Stuart to have
the three contests take place to-day would
indicate that he suspected the frost,
and shaped his plans TO corral as big a
crowd as possible by com mining all the
avais bic attractions.
The kinetoscope privilege may prove to
be Stuart's salvation.
Anent the facts given by the Southern
Pacific yesterday it was stated that the
crowd had dwindled away and fallen
down till but a mere vestige>ef what was
to show up at Carson was actually ma
terlalizing. 1t was the impression that
Dan Stuart must be very Ill. He had con-
structed great amphitheater, and with
all the men he could pull together and
get to attend it threatened to cut very
lonely figure there.
almost nobody is going compared with
hn
General Superintendent Fillmore. There
won't be 1000 people from all California,
and from the East ar exceedingly small
number promise to be on hand. Where
they were taking of four or five special
trains from Chicago few weeks ago. 9TH
srs from New York aud hundreds OF peo-
pie from the South, there is next to no.
body coming. The trains dwindled to
two or three cars. One noted sporting
man who had telegraphed US he would
bring $50 people finally was able to get
all the people he could rake together into
single car.
THAT is the way 1t has been all over.
Dan Stuart must be sick, l should think.
The fact is, those seats were too high.
The idea of paying $40 for seat is not to
De thought of. People can't stand it. At
his rate it would cost man $100 to see
The contest, and that's good deal of
money these times.
"If Stuart had sold those seats for $40
instead OF $40 he would have got great
ieal more money"
Other things have contributed to make
the attendance small. An impression has
cot abroad that the Examiner and Stuart
are toeether engineering the fight. and, as
:hey have no confidence in the Examiner 8
methods in conducting fight they are
perfectly willing TO let it alone and call it
quits. There will no doubt be grief over
The fiasco, but it appears that it will ac-
:rue where it is needed the most 1t is no
wonder that people have decided to stav
1t home and hold on to their money.