The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-10-02

way at $50 p. m.
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Notwithstanding the tremendous crowd
at the circus. three or four acres of
people were in the street fair and mid
way from till Il o'clock last night. It
was the biggest secondary crowd in
street fair ever given in this city. So far
as the fair has progressed it is popular
and the indications are that it viii be
great financial success.
1t is the warmest midway Wichita has
seen for a long time. The different at
fractions are very handny arranged in
oval shape around about three acres OF
ground There IS nothing ragged about
the place. All the play houses are nicely
decorated in front, and while the meth
DDS OF inducing people to enter are most
sensational there is nothing vulgar about /
anything so far as outside appearances /
80, and so far as the reputation of the /
plays inside are concerned, taking APP /
pearanoes altogether. the midway IS a /
very decent looking place.
Everybody seems to be having fun ga
lore-confetti is there in showers. Peo- /
pie get it in their hair ears. mouths. /
pockets and down their back. Everything 7.
IS good natured and the spirit Of farce /
comedy enters into all the fun. For in /
stance, q girl has just come out of a 1
shower bath Of the confetti, some young /
gallant comes forward, excuses himself. /
takes a brush out Of his pocket and dusts
her off. as it were. BY the time he has
done this she thanks him and thinks he
is one Of the most genteeI fellows in the
city He then gives her another shower
OF confetti and turns her over to the
next gallant, who goes through the same !
program If a person is good natured
be or She can have lots of fun in the mid
way. 1t seems to be foolish 10 be III hu-
mored; at least it does no one any good.
The spielers who are ia the midway this
year are noisier than ever The agile.
dark skinned Egyptians who run the
streets OF Cairo make d fearful racket
racket that is rather interesting They
come out in front with their tremendous
swords and get ia such mix-up all al
once that nervous people look for them to
be cut up into little pieces before they
get out of it. And how they do talk Ba-
bel did not compare with them for unin-
telligible sound. They may know what
they are talking about themselves, but
the average American can learn as much
from the rattle of a drayload of tin cans.
Evidently noise paws. or they would not
make so much Of it,
The other spielers have to use mega
phones TO be in it with the chaps w.o
wear the fez. There is megaDhone in
every spielers stand, and when a man
gets up TO the center of the midway he
gets his ears so mixed up in the relative
merits Of the attractions that his brain !
swims. Certain it is that there are at
fractions enough for every man ]
But they all stop when Daredevil XII
patrick comes on the ground with his
auto He is the boy that drives them
out OF business for ten minutes or So
His act is the chief attraction Of the
midway. It is certainly very thrilling
The chute which ne uses for his daring q
automobile ride is 40 feet long and so :
feet high at one end It is q polished
plank road, lighted all the way I'D ana {
down with myriads or incandescent 3
lamps. 1t is about eight feet wide. with G
no guards on the sides Mr. Fitzpatrick s
not only rides down the chute but he Il
rides UP. and while mis- downward ride is e
the most sensational. his upward ride is 3
certainly most interesting and probably {
more dangerous. Three or four thousand n
people are waiting for him at an times o
specified. three times cay. ne rides T
into the midway like an express train 2
and before half the people realize what [
he is about to do ne is rolling up the in Z
cline ike mad. lie turns at the top and n
cou5r- down with vhirr. That's an
there IS to tia whirr. n
Before he can STOP The automobile he is a
clear ont OF the midway under an arch IL
which leads to an enclosure adjoining
the midway II requires a mighty STEADY
nerve to guide that automobile for 1t
goes so fast that an instant's mismanase- q
nent OF it would undoubtedly mark the
asst day Of Mr. fitzpatrick. no matter
where he would fan. the momentum Of q
he machine being So great that he would y
be dashed 70 pieces. =
There are real live camels IN the mid :
q dozen Of them. Young men /,
specially young men from the country =
axe their girls FOR q ride on the backs =
f these patient, durable bumped animals =
# the desert and they court as they go
dong. Ii is rather odd 70 see such scenes -
p Wichita even in q street fair. II gives =
NJ place a kind Of cosmopolitan tone
ANtfe are q ltLc over twenty Inherent o..
md distinct attractions, each group hav-
ng from one % a dozen things that ara :,
worth seeing. The Fcrris wheel is quite =,
"a attraction in itself 1t is NOT as large =,
s the Ferris wheel which was M Paris. -
y a good deal but ii gives q person -
cry good idea Of it, 1t is beins wen pat -
onized.
The midway has every thing in it that =
ras advertised ana as advertised Il is -
ding wei; every attraction is making -,
money. OF course some or tire things
here are vastly better than others.
at thar. however. is largely matter OF q
ersonaI taste They are an probably a
,orth what people have To pay 10 Sc :,
hem. :.
The midway IS well pouoed and the or y
e-s say that The crowd IS very ORDERS rs
rhen the fun becomes too violent tr- --'
articfpants arc warmed TO "cut il oat-
Washington, D. c. VI