The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-21
HIGH
And Hot Old Time in the City
Last Night.
BLAZE OF CARNIVAL LINE
Set Forty Thousand People
Into Foot JuggIeD
BLAZE OF CARNIVAL LINE

Spaniard in green silk with a pronounced
Chinese brogue came down Douglas ave
nue..
At S:o1lz Denver time, a 36-calibr'
cavorter drove a rubber ball into thL
Spaniard's shoulder blade
The spaniard showed fight There wai
then meteoric shower Of. comeback rub
Der balls, and friends carried the Span
lard away on a shutter and read him Pill
grins' Progress to soothe his nerves.
That started the Wichita carnival, and
1t kept up until the sky sagged in tn,
middle and the moon went down behind
Kos Harris building, double
The bands Of cOnventionality that bind
men and things down to q twelve-month's
decorum were snapped in twain. as by q
sabre stroke, and the severed ends went
flying, flying into carnival abandon, and
festival merry making, such as no west
ern city ever saw before. and such as
would have made a Venetian dog go of
and drink soda pop to drown Nile green
envy.
After a good deal OF preliminary Skin
mishing among the maskers, George Berg
man, at S:15, carefully turned his watch
back 20 7;30 so that the parade could
start exactly as scheduled.
1t then came on amid the calcium glare.
glare that struck up Douglas avenue
and Main street and finally fell upon the
features Of the Queen OF Sheba, and
broke.
Large, obstreperous features cut through
the dazzling light ard masks that would
curdle red ink passed in review before
crowd that yelled it's sentiments
through tunnels and horns and fired a
hail Of rubber balls at everything that
passed.
The hits were timely and well-put. The
caricatures were splendid. The Calithum-
plan features have never been surpassed
in this country.
The crowd was magnificent. 1t was
out for good time, and il had it. Every
float and feature was given a terrific blast
hot from the furnaces of bedIam BY the
way OF ovation, and If Nature did things
that way good many people this morn
ing could lay their ears OF for repairs for
week, and have uproar stored I'D in
thelr memory to last them for years.
Inc winding procession Of comicalities
and music and fun had a brilliant re-
ception- As it forged down Douglas from
fourth avenue, calcium lights were set
on every few feet, turning both avenue
and street crimson. Fireworks Of great
beauty were set off along the street and
avenue at various points and added to
the high tension and grandeur of the
scene.
Apparently the crowd was as great as
1t had been in the afternoon. 1t looked
1t at least. 1t was a hundred per cent
holsler. But it was not rowdyish. and
the whole affair reflects credit on the
men who originated it, who took part in
II ana engineered it to such successful
conclusion.
Jhe procession was introduced with a
Hare OF red lights from East Douglass. out
OF winch sky rockets doomed and spurted
ana flashed. The murky dust clouds that
drifted up from the street created 4 SORT
OF haze, and enveloping the calcium glow
IL added 10 the sombreneSs and splendor
OF the scene 1t was like fire map of
Gettysburg in the twilight 1t was a
great accomplishment for Mr. Bergman
and his assistant, J. A. L. Pinto the two
men having gotten up the display.
The parade was led by Chief Of Police
Cuobon in a wagon that looked dummy
and dilapidated enough to have chased
AgulnaIdo across all the jungles in Luz
zon. Opposite Herman & Hess place the
hind wheel Of the chiefs wagon ran clear
stop and get sledge hammer to batter
down the scrap. Next came a platoon OF
mounted police, followed by the head guy
of the parade, Chief Spieler and Kicker
George Bergman
Grand Marshal George Bergman headed
contingent Of hobby horse riders to
whom he frequently referred with evident
pride as My mounted aides" The
aides were attired in carnival garb Of
particularly ridiculous description, and
rode chargers constructed with broom
sticks as a basis.
Ssnford's band swept in playing "a Hot
Time In the Old Town Tonight" With a
vim and a tremor that threw the whole
crowd Of forty thousand people into a
clog. A brigade of cake walkers sham
hled in after the band with a series Of
double seared antics that could be guar
anteed 10 worry a December blizzard into
a steaming sweat Then there was Queen
LIS float Her MurSy Highness stood up
AT the banister Of the throne and with a
stick Of stove wood in one hand and the
other one clenched like a fence fiattenei
squash. assumed a defiant and consequent
tal attitude Of a 81 a week hotel por-
ter on a strike. Around the queen. Mr.
Geo. Walker by real name and profession.
stood q group of her slaves. chief Of
whom was Doc Sawyer Considering the
averdupois of the queen she selected her
slaves with an artists eve. Dock Hough-
land. Gus Wells and Ed. Rosser. riding
camels. skipped along behind the queen
with s. freshness that would have made
a young man Of Gladstone at eighty
The take-of on the houchie-couchie
dance was well painted. The spielers and
ticket sellers. John Crib and Frank Gid
day, almost induced the crowd TO climb
up on the wagon and mob the curtains in
their anxiety TO get inside.
one OF the cleverest t3ke-0fTs IN the
whole parade was 4 burlesQue fire depart
meut Heading the department was a
canvas house. At frequent Intervals great
volumes Of smoke would issue from the
Interior. Then the make-helsve fire lad
dies would have their inning. Ohlivi0uS
OF the binding smoke they would rush
hravely 70 the rescue Of the occupants
who by this time had appeared at the
roof Then the department would reioin
the other .paraders. There We're three al
legged fire wagons. a broken down CHIEFS
wagon harnessed 20 diSCrepit mule
bringing up the rear.
Nine neople ont Of ten among those who
witnessed the parade were taken in by
mock animal cage that formed one OF ne
entries When the crowds would hrSt
catch sight Of the ponderous looking We
hicle with the sign "FTaEeuhaCk's AMI
mails adjoining il. people would eTc!aifn-
''Oh. here comes an animal C0se. Atter
the make-bclieve Gaze had nassed they
would get the horse laurh. The cage con-
tanned a peaCeahle looking dos. a1 al
legged animal trainer and q man or hob
by horse.
Ed Vail did the ticket stand act FOR the
show The Halstesd band Tiae5 IN AZ
this iuncture with some good carnival
harmony. and SCI the Turkish 1oat a Vi
hrating next 20 II. The Turkish float,
which was good. was the Scottish rite
ronsistorv's addition n the carnival
FiIlnino and American batteries iostIei
e. +ha T-1,rlssh a-.- ,-r inst