Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-01
ENDS IN CAIETY
Midway Revels Run Their Expected Course
Quite Harmlessly.
SEVERE wINDsToRm HlNDtRS THE FUN
Crowds Throng Grounds During
Early Part OF Evening and FIJI
Auditorium for the Last
hand Concert.

Hand Concert.
With no more and not very much less ADD
than was generally expected the Greater
America Exposition officially closed its
gates last night and passed into memory.
High revelry was the order of the night,
but the winds blew from the four quarters
Of the earth, bringing binding clouds Of
sand and dust, and it was only the most
tireless who braved the elements until mid
night.
AS was natural, interest centered on the
Midway. The crowds there we're almost an
even match with those of last year, at least
during the early hours and the fun, while
shade more orderly and more nearly free
from rascality, was furious whirl while it
lasted. The fierce cold wind and the dark
ness took away some of the spirit OF the
jolly rioters, though there were plenty OF
times when to venture across the Midway
was hazardous undertaking and was
severer course in wrestling than the Ter
rible Turk ever went through.
The forms of amusement were the same
old ones that were used on the Midway last
year or on the streets down town the nights
OF Ak-Sar-Ben week. Groups Of two, six
or dozen people, arm-in-a arm, went thickly
up and down, jostling one another and sur
rounding the unfortunates who happened in
their paths. People threw things at each
other and hit each other on the heads and
shoulders with punches of long straw,
wooden paddles, strips torn from muslin
signs or any old thing Strangers joined
each other in playing silly tricks on other
strangers and the others were too good
N a Tn
retaliate in kind
The wind nterfered with the use of the
so called confetti and other forms of hilar-
ity had to be substituted. One of these,
enjoyed more by the perpetrators than the
victims was a rope in the hands of four or
six boys, used to encircle any group Of girls
found unprotected. Once In the meshes the
girls took a forced but giddy spin so long
as the boys strength held out This joke
was carried so far in one instance that two
women Were thrown to the ground, but they
suffered no serious consequences beyond
sadly ruffled tempers. To an onlooker not
thoroughly grounded in the ethics of a last
night on the Midway things might have
looked a bit too boisterous, but those who
were thoroughly in the spirit of the occasion
and were not pushed over and trampled on
at least twice felt neglected.
Bellstedt's Last Concert.
The auditorium was crowded early in the
evening by the friends of Bellstedt and
his players, who came to hear them for the
last time in Omaha this season. The pro-
gram was rather a popular one, only two
numbers being exceptions One of Belstedt's
own marches opened and was followed by
a really new arrangement of Hot Time"
The audience rose at once to the suggestive
ness of the piece in connection with the
occasion and remained in a happy mood
for the rest of the concert. The finale was
the Star -Spangled Banner" and it aroused
in the audience something like the en-
thusasm with which 1t used to be greeted
last summer. ,,tat
An amusing incident happened just before
the concert began. Mayor Moores walked
out upon the stage and announced that it
had been the intention OF the management
to charge an admission of 10 cents to the
auditorium, but that on account of a mis-
take the doors had been. thrown open and
the people allowed to rush in. He asserted
| that he was going to make every man and
woman present pay 10 cents and immedi-
| ately set eight or ten men to passing the
hat. The crowd was taken by surprise, but
willingly paid up. After several numbers
had been played, Mayor Moores appeared
again and said that an expert estimated
/ the number of people in the hall at $500
and the collections amounted to just $780,
He told the people they had done their duty
and that they should go and enjoy them
selves.
The police handled the crowd exceedingly
well. Once in while they found 1t nee
essary to break up a too lively "free-for- all, "
but they did this with as much gentleness
Dossihle and bOre in mind the fact that
any one en- the Midway was willing to jostle
and be jostled.
The failure of the lights was a feature
of the evening. The arc lamps were burn
ing, but the incandescents on the buildings
which were relied upon to great extent
for the lighting of the grounds were bright
for but a quarter OF an hour. During the
afternoon the fremen at the power house
meeting a refusal OF their demand for theil
October wages, drew the fires and walked
out They were replaced by others in time
to start the lights a little while, but il
was soon found that some one had shut of
the water supply to the boilers The new
men failed to locate the right water mair
and so there was nothing TO do but draw
the fires and let the lights go out
The Final Round-Up.
There were few accidents to mar the fes
tivities of the last night Eddie Smith O.
the Red Wind Mill fell from a stage wher
the lights were turned out and received
bad bruise on the head that will lay him W
for a while. Several other minor matters
were attended to at the hospital, but thu
night was comparatively free from unpleas
antness of this Sort
One OF the best features OF the CLOSING
was the extremely able manner in whcl
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