New-York tribune., 1901-04-03
An IHPROTED WILD WEST.
NEW AND INTERESTING FEATURES ADDED
TO BUFFALO BILLS BIG SHOW.

1t Is by easy to find new features for
the Wild West. Neither is 1t easy decide which
old features to cut out of the show when new ones
are found Recent wars are of some assistance TO
Colonel Cody. but. after all. the scenes never
Were the really most attractive parts of the show
Colonel Cody has had two schemes which seem like
inspirations since hi, career in the amusement
business began. One the Wild West and the
other the Congress of Rough Riders.
Nevertheless the show given at the Madison
Square Garden last night beginning it's annual
season, improvement the show OF last
year. for there were two new points IN It
which were of real interest and which brought the
cheering thought that Buffalo might still have
a fut we'll present. The best OF these
doubtless. the Hfe-saving service drill 1t can
be made little better still by allowing the life
TO a shipwrecked mariner, instead OF
of their number.
A mast up in the middle of the Garden
and rocket carrying light line shot at il.
and the line caught the yard. Then (and this
was the unconvncing parO one Of the life savers
left the beach, walked 10 the ship, climbed
the and secured the line. He drew in a
larger line with II, and made the larger line fast.
His comrades the shore sent him a breeches
buoy. into which he got, and they drew him ashore
1t would have seemed more lifelike if he had been
on the ship at first: or was it feared that the
rocket would hit him? But probably there were
few persons present who had ever seen a breeches
buoy. and the audience glad to see it.
The battle of Tien-Tsin has taken the place OF
the battle of San Juan Hill, and IL is improve
ment. The soldiers of the various countries give
color to the scene the battle itself is equally
desirable. and there Is a pIeasing amount of pow
der smoke and noise.
The old things in the show-the real things-are
the same The buciing horses will prob
ably never be surpassed element of amuse-
ment for show of this sort They were as frantic
and frisky ever before. and the cowboys had all
their old troubles in riding them The men of the
9Th United States Cavalry and the 5th Artillery
gave exhibitions which were much more precise and
satisfactory than those given recently the mill
tary tournament Their quckness of evolution and
the exactness of touch of the artillerymen is by
turns admirable and amusing. while the riding OF
the cavalrymen makes Americans proud of them
Much applause was bestowed the Canadian and
the BOer horsemen. who in the show but
they exhibited no horsemanship which was for a
moment comparable with that of the Americans
The real horsemen of the show are the United
States CavaIrymen. the cowboys the Indians the
CoSsacks and the Arabs. There is a strange effect
the COssacks. They have the air of being quite
SOulleSS. and there is unhuman note in the song
wherewith they ride which makes shudder
think of meeting them enemies.
The expert shooting Went uncommony we'll last
night. Colonel Cody himself made few misses in
his horseback shooting exhibition. and Johnny
Baker and that kittenish young woman, Annie Oak
ley, were quite In their best form. On whole IL
may be said that The Wild West better
than IL was last night. There a large audience
for a hrst night, and all smoothly IL
the show mad been on its road for half the