Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-21
Realistic Rehearsal Was Given
Last Night.
SHOW WILL BE BIG ONE
The Greatest Pyr0technical Exhibition
Ever Attempted West of the
Mississippi.

Fizz! Boom! Bur-r-r-r! And the big
42-inch bomb left the mortar's mouth
and went hurting off into the air as
though it knew there had been a slight
delay and it was a few minutes behind
schedule time and was in a hurry. 1t
Whlrled and wriggled through the air at
meteor-pace and when it had reached a
tremendous height-"Boom!" it exploded
with a report that reverberated away in
the hills to the east, filled the air with
beautifully colored lights, and inciden-
tally knocked down a papier mache
statue of Alphonso XII. There was a
smile on the face Of the statue-it was
probably fixed there by the man who
made it. The Meagher guards, under
Major Deeney and Capt. Cleary, cheered
wildly as Alphonso fell, and one of the
attendants, a little ~black-eyed bugler,
who looked like a %Spaniard. ran out and
picked up the statue. There was mud
on Alphonso's face, but he was still smil-
ing. He probably realized that it was
only a rehearsal of the burning of Ma
Mia and that several days would elapsa
before he would be up against the real
thing, when he would have to quit play
ing king and ride back to st. Paul in a
box-car with the cener
Then another shell went Whirling
~heavenward, further than the first, and a
smaller mortar was fired several times
just to give the newspaper men present
a faint idea of what is to happen Monday
night at the Burning of Manila" and,
judging from what was lone at the -ace
track last night, Colonel Porter and his
kahki-uniformed men thoroughly under
stand their business and the show Mon
day night ought to be a tremendous sue
cess.
All during the bombardment the troops
had been held. When it was apparent
that no more shells We're to be thrown
Major Deeney ordered an advance. The
Spanish-looking rescuer of Alphonso
snatched up a carnival light, and,
placing himself at the head of the
troops, marched off to the east, executed
a flank movement, and to the tune Of
"Wearing of the Green the guards
, marched into Manila. meeting with but
little opposition save a Spanish guy-rope,
over which one of the corporals fell. This
was the only casualty. In the meantime
G. Q. Mcfarland, who has been scout
ing along the shore of the bay, out of
range, was signaled by War. Correspond
ent Julien that the city had fallen and
it was safe for him to come into the zone
of red light fire and join in the %reJoic-
ing.
The rehearsal was a success in every
particular, and by it the few spectators
p1SSNA "ShN @iNNiA oAii AtNd VI liz Wy
mendous performance that will take
place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
nights Of next week. The stage setting
occupies more than four acres. Arranged
on a series of telegraph poles is scenery
which is an exact reproduction of tine
city of Manila as it fronts on the bay.
The bay itself is in front of the city, a
miniature lake. comprising several acres,
in which will be several representations
of ironclads on Monday night. The
Meagher guards will represent the Fill
pinos. and members of the First Montana
will take the part of the storming party.
In all, there will be several hundre sol
diers on the stage, and. with the firi,ss
of the big shells and the big city abla2e,
the Burning of Manila" promise. to be
very interesting and realistic. -
Aside from the spectacle of the town
being consumed by red fire, While a
mimic battle is fought out in front Of il
and tremendous bombs burst high in the
air above it, there will be a number OF
set pieces thai will be we'll worth going
to see. Manager McLean said that
among others there would be a piece rep
resenting the medal of honor presented
to the volunteers n of Governor Smith
and other prominent men of the state.