The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-23
THE BIG B0STOCK
SHOW HAS ARRIVED
ELKs' CARNIVAL AND FAIR TO
BE OPENED TODAY.
The Company Did Not Reach Here
Until Noon Which Rendered a For
NAL Opening Last Night Impossi-
BILE Grounds Were Thrown Open
to the Public, However--The Show
Is About the Biggest Thing in Its
Line Ever Seen in This City-some
of the Features 1t Contains.

The Frank c. Bostock worlds |
greatest aggregation" arrived in the |
city yesterday about noon. a day be-
hind time, and owing to this fact 1t
has been found impossible to formally |
open the Elks' great street fair and |
carnival until this afternoon at 1 |
o'clock when according to the truthful |
press agent. everything will be in COM
plete readiness.
The grounds were opened free to the
public last night and an enormous
crowd of people awaited themselves Of
the opportunity Of inspecting every
thing, despite the fact that said every
thing was in a pretty chaotic and
! mixed-up condition. 1t can be assert
ed, however, that the fair and car
nival will be one of the biggest things
| in the show line that has ever been
seen in this city.
The grounds at the corner OF Ash
street and Wyoming avenue have been
enclosed with high board fence and
| there are about four acres thus in
closed. They are divided into two dis
! tinct parts, the industrial exposition
| grounds and the Midway. The visl-
tor as he passes the main entrance en-
ters the industrial part of the show
first.
INDUSTRIAL SHOW.
Here on both sides are arranged
long rows of tastily decorated booths
occupied by some thirty or forty of
the leading business firms of the city,
and containing beautiful arrays of
various kinds of merchandise. Shoe
firms, cigar firms, carpet stores, bak-
| lai nthare all
have tasty exhibits. In this part of
the grounds is also located a small
sized Ferris wheel some fifty feet high,
which was last night filled with Wis.,
itors desirous of seeing just how
strong their nerves were.
After passing through this portion
of the grounds the visitor enters the
Midway, or star feature of the show,
through an exceedingly dazzling brill
liantly decorated entrance. The Mid
way is simply an immense fenced-ln
area about 800 feet long and $50 feet
wide, containing a large number of
special attractions on all sides.
In the centre is an elevated stage, on
which trick bicycle riding will be given;
a spiral incline, up which a daring BIZ
cyclist will ride; platform raised fifty
feet in the air. from which an acrobat
will make thrilling leaps, and several
new and novel variations of the old
style of merry-go-rounds.
The other attractions, which will be
opened today, are almost too manifold
to mention. In the first place, there is
a real, genuine wild west show, with
a troupe of real Indians and cowboys.
There is large tent, in which is given
representation in moving pictures of
the recent Jeffries-Corbett fight. The
principal attractions, however, are the
two exhibitions of trained wild ami
mails, one of which is given in an i'm
mense steel cage weighing forty tons.
Lions, tigers, bears, leopards and other
wild creatures OF the forest and the
jungle are put through marvellous feats.
STREET OF ALL NATIONS.
Then there is the Street Of All Ma
tions, where one may see foreign peo-
pies from all parts of the world in their
native surroundings. There is also the
Crystal Maze, the only and original
Streets of Cairo; Electra, the disap-
pearing lady; Blondin. the educated
horse, and a number of other "odd and
interesting exhibits" Admission to
these is, of course entirely distinct and
separate from the general admission
paid to get into the grounds.
The grounds were Illuminated last
night by upwards of fifty arc lights,
! which practically turned night into day.
. Here, there and everywhere, might be
seen the Elks, all wearing white caps,
, and all working energetically to have
/, everything ready for today at O'clock
, when the fair will be formally opened
) Offices have been established at the
main entrance, and from here the busi-
= ness of the whole show is conducted.
AS mentioned above, the show did
, not arrive in town until just before
. noon. 1t was to have arrived early
Monday morning, but circumstances
. arose which prevented this. According
to the management, the show left Rich
mond, Va, on Sunday afternoon at 23t
o'clock on it's special train ,of fifty-twC
f cars. 1t was the biggest train tn,
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Poto
mac railroad had ever handled. anC
trouble began soon after leaving Rich
mond.
; 1t was found that some of the wag
= ons could not get through the tunnel!
y unless their wheels were removed
:, This was done, entailing the expendi
y ture of several hours. Washington
u was not reached until Monday morn
. ing. The next difficulty was expert
enced at Parkton. Md, when ona o
d the camels gave birth to a younl
c camel, the first one ever born on
railroad train in this country. TIL
e train had to be stopped and a veterin
T" arian summoned which operation hat
to be repeated some fifty miles farthe
on, when Juno, one of the lionesses
gave birth to four cubs.
HAD TO DIVIDE TRAIN.
Wilkes Barre was reached yesterda,
morning at o'clock and the train ha,
to be split up into sections here T.
allow it to get over the curves betweel
there and this city, which proved t
be the last delay. All afternoon tn
employees of the show made desperat
efforts to get things in shape by night
. but when 6 o'clock arrived 1t was dis
= covered that this was impossible.
e A short street parade was given 4
the afternoon, which did not at al
G come up to the expectations of tn
general public, which was out ell mass
i but in justice to the show people
n must be said that they didn't hav
time to unload their wagons or sc
things in shape.
The feature of the parade was tn
appearance of the Lawrence banC
thirty strong, in their new uniformi
. which are the nattiest seen in thi
city in a long time, consisting of whit
duck trousers, black leggins and re