The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-17
SUCCESS
Street Fair Opens With a
Boom, a CIang and
a Glare.
THOUSANDS OF STRANGERS
Were Here for the Opening
Big Parad6S Wednesday
and Friday,
THOUSANDS OF STRANGERS

seven hours after the street FAN
and Carnival opened IL had the stamp
OfsUecess upon it.
No one expected such quick fruitiOn
OfeffOrt. No one had fOreseen it.
There was in this case no slow, grad
nal, initial movement to give the
event momentum. liz started with 3
Whirr like an electric fan.
A crowd awaited at the gates at /
o'clock yesterday afternoon. From
that moment the whole thing was in
full blast, keyed high and vibrating
with tense life.
Wichita has never seen anything
like il. Probably no city, positively
no western city, ever saw its equal.
The manner Of Initiation, the turn
ing loose Of Thousand noises is spOk-
en- OfeIseWhere.
Last night the fair was in its glory.
OpaIescent, translucent almost against
the night.
Beneath a great crowd, and this on
the first night, streamed, a crowd out
for merriment, not rude but mirthfuI.
Inside the mingled briIIiancy 0
bunting and lights, the gorgeous dis
play OfgOOds, kept the crowd in a hur-
ricane Of ejacuIatOry obs and abs
and delight.
At Nine o'clock the Midway. around
which the brilliant fair coils, was
opened aud a vast crowd poured in to
see its gayeties and fOIIies and frivOI-
ties.
tits success, a success at the mo-
ment of its birth, at the beginning.
The Yellow pine has disappeared
and nut fort oil n INIT s,ffx "
springs into siIken spIendOr from the
incandescent lights riVaIing the very
stars OF the armament, twinLIed in
endless multiplication to the four
points Of the compass from Main and
Douglas, the avenue and street, their
pavements and walls rejecting back
the light, simulated the day. The
arches through the streets receding in
their fiery spIendOr into the midsts Of
an autumn evening gave the Peerless
princess the most beautiful aspect it
had ever before worn.
The arch, the entrance to the Street
Fair, was a thing of living, Ieaping
beauty. The crimson bali Of fire which
Whirled and flashed its liquid Grim son
dazzle OfIight in the midst of the great
blue star seemed a thing of surprising
more perfect world. The Roman COR
nice of the gateway stood pearIy,
brown chrysaiIis.
The effort has been made, and the
result is here, a brilliant. gorgeous
overwhelming result, greater than
any one dared anticipate.
SO great has been this first half day.
SO Unreasonable its development, so
great the crowd which attended from
outside the city and within it, and no
man in the city cared last night TO
predict what the. next four days will
bring forth.
1t Is wonderful, dazzling, beautiful
show, and Wichita is deservedIy
proud and happy.
At o'clock yesterday afternoon pan
demonium got up on its hind legs and
relgned in the most riotous extravaganza
ever known in Wichita The cannon of
Battery A led out at just three minutes
to one. The whistle on the Union Mills
began to slide up and down the gamut
other whistles piped in and just then
Dolds big whistle doomed down from
the packing house. This Jared a hundred
more whistles into screaming. and set
all the school and church bells in the
city a changing viciously. All Wichita
that didn't go TO the Street Fair gate or
climb upon a roof went 10 a door OF q.
window. Some yelled; some stood agape.
Sanford's band struck up Georgia Camp
Meeting" the Eagle chimes broke in and
Mayor Ross yelled. Then the Street Fair
was open-was a real thing. The booths
and the blocks enclosed for the fair We're
a merry dance all the afternoon and
evening. 1t was a mass march till II
o'clock last night. In the afternoon 1t
was more quiet and business like. but in
the evening II was revelry gorged with
glitter.
There were probably 5000 strangers in
the city yesterday and the crowd will
Increase today. Wednesday and Friday
crowds will mash even a healthy eSu-
mate to death. And it Will get Hvelier
every day.
Bows were throwing rubber balls hung
lo rubber strings last night They were
monkevdng with all sorts OF carnival
buster. but the show is not half COM
menced.
The streets Of Cairo opened at o'clock
and the camels were in trim. The other
shows will he open promptly at o'clock
today. Prof. OuTel. who bur1es man
alive in a hypnotic sleep. viii give an
hX1lAlU0n OF MS NRlltltAAA.A t'S't aga lAA~t~N
TODAY and this evening. The American
and Turkish theatres will open and the
whole Midway will be going.
The booths. which are all very fine, will
be described each day in the order they
are built from the Main street entrance.
ENTRANCE ARCH
The entrance arch is a wonder OF beau
~, probably the prettiest electric decora-
lions ever got up in the city. II IS Gov
BRED with white and red and green
lights In the big star OF blue lights on
top is a revolving hub Of red lights. and
below are rows Of white incandescents.
X is the work Of City Electrician Nc
Vay and Is as artistic and dazzling as
could be imagined Il IS certainly an
eloquent introduction 10 the big fair. and
an achievement that the city is proud
Of Mr. McVay deserves much credit
Tor the plan.
KING CORN.
On entering the arch the first thing one
nSEF