The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-18
BEFORE THE BATTLE.
The Crowd at the Arena-ChalIenge
to the Winner.

.
early as o'clock this morning there
gate Of the arena. No one was ad-
mitted, however, and the crowd grad
ually increased. BY o'clock probably
800 people We're gathered in front of
the gate, anxiously awaiting the signal
| to enter.
| There was also a procession Of people
along the quar- Ger of mile of street
leading to the grounds, and those con-
stantly increased the size of the crowd
| 1t was given out that the gates would
not be opened until 10 o'clock, and the
crowd became impatient. Cries of
| open up" We're heard, but they had
no effect.
About 9 o'clock a wagon containing a
nice new zinc bathtub drove up, and as
the tub was for the use of one of the
heroes of the day, the gate was opened
The crowd tried to follow it in, but a
hurly policeman pushed the hasty ones
back.
The crowd, in which were one or
two women, amused themselves by
teasing a wildcat confined in a cage
near by, and by going against the
roulette game in a tent close to the
gate.
Late this morning Mrs Fitzsimmons
changed her mind about not coming to
| the fight and decided that she would
watch her husband battle for the cham
pionship. She was in a box close to
the ring.
The gates We're opened at $50. and
there was rush to get in. The press
vas so great that it was impossible for
the gatekeepers to take tickets
Holders of pasteboards We're request
ed to hold them up above their heads,
and in that fashion 800 people rushed
into the Enclosure.
| There were three women in the first
burst, and they were as eager to get in
as the rest.
There were plenty of ushers on hand
and there was no confusion in seating
the people.
| Ffve-dollar standing-room tickets
seemed to be the most popular. and
SO preserved seats We're in great de-
mand at first. Holders of reserved
seats and boxes were leisurely in their
movements and came strolling in UP
TO the moment of calling time
When the crowd was first admitted
workmen were still busily engaged in
putting the finishing touches on the
arena.
Half an hour after the gates opened
there were about ! 900 people comforta-
bly, seated. They put in the time gaz-
ing with interest on the platform where
| Corbett and Fitzsimmons We're to fight
for the supremacy.
| The floor of the ring was of inch pine
boards closely dovetailed together and
sprinkled literally with resin. The
boards We're unpadded and comments
on the probabilities of the fighters
knocking their heads on the hard sur
| face in case of a knockdown were fire.
quent.
Bill Brady, Corbett's adviser. was on
! hand early and carefully tested the
strength of the ropes and the padding
on the posts. He did not find things
to suit him, and under his direction the
ropes were frightened.
Tom Sharkey, ready to challenge the
winner, ambled in early and examined
the ring with an air of a connoisseur.
Sharkey was respondent in a boiled
shirt, square-topped Derby hat and an
enormous green badge in honor of the
day.
At 10 o'clock the crowd was still slow
ly filtering through the gates, and the
spectators had but small effect in cover
ing The yellow pine boards.
| At 10 o'clock John l.. Sullivan entered
the arena and took a seat in a box close
10 the ring. His appearance was the sig
| nal for an outburst of cheers, but be-
yond a broad smile of qualification. the
lex-champion paid no attention to the
demonstration.
AS the day wore on the warmth of the
sun increased. There was no wind and
the weather conditions We're perfect for
the operations of the vitascope
No one seemed to have any definite
idea Of the hour when the fighters were