The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1901-09-20
FLYING THE GOOSE"
TRIP THROUGH THE MIDWAY OF PAN
AMERICAN EXPOSITION.
Life In Many Lands There Repre-
sented-A Confusion of Tongues and
Discordnnce of Music-It is Cos
mOpOlitan Comm unity.
Especial Correspondence. ]

Especial Correspondence
BUFFALO, Aug. 2G.-Let us enter the
Midway and fly the goose" | don't
know the origin of this bit of slang.
but it is In common use at the Pan
American exposition and has evidently
come to stay. Flying the goose"
turned into plain English means a trip
through the Midway.
This is wonderful Midway, with its
great variety of shows and confusion
OF tongues and dscordance of music.
No one who has ears to hear will fall
asleep on the Midway. 1t is very
noisy place. Various devices are used
to attract the attention of people to
the concessions. There are brass bands,
reed bands, fog horns, music boxes,
bells and other noise producers all
going at the same time and creating
babel the like Of which has seldom
been heard before. These are situated
on platforms, where also the free per
formances or "ballyhos" are given. The
term ''ballyho," though an old one, was
not in vogue at Chicago, Omaha or At
lanta, but was resurrected for use at
Buffalo. The purpose of the ''ballyho'
IS to attract q crowd.
Strong lunged, glib tongued men stand
in front Of the concessions and dilate
upon the wonders within. They are
called "spielers." At Chicago they were
"barkers." The man who has only a
few words to say, but says them over
and over again throughout the day, is
called a grinder" 1t is interesting to
listen to the "spielers." Their variety
of talk is almost infinite.
The Midway Of the Pan-American is
superior to former ones in several re-
spects. The attractions have been Sc
lected with great care. They are new
and clean. The concesSiOnnairesa are men
who have won brilliant success and
good regulations in the amusement
world. At the beginning the cheap
fakirs who fOcked to Buffalo to rent
ground space on the Midway learned
that the exposition officials would have
naught to do with them. They were
shut out completely. The architecture,
decorations and grouping of the build
ings are commendable. The buildings
are close together, and in making a trip
through the Midway one passes quickly
from concession to concession.
There are some 40 shows in the Pan
American Midway. Life in far lands
is well represented in the Hawaiian
village, the Philippine village, Darkest
Africa, the Beautiful Orient, Streets of
Mexico, Fair Japan, Venice in America,
Alt Nurnberg, the Eskimo village and
the Royal Gypsy camp. There are an
an animal show, an Indian congress, an
Infant incubator, a gold mine, an ostrich
farm, a scenographic reproduction Of
TIE JohnStOwn flood, a house upside
down, Moorish palace, several costly
paintings and moving picture machines
a-plenty. The newest novelty inaugu-
rated at the Pan-American is a trip to
the moon, the conception of Frederic
Thompson, who also designed the prio
cycle, which may be described as the
"tceter" of the Omaha exposition with
a miniature of the Ferris wheel of the
Chicago exposition affixed to either end
A large number Of experienced show
men saw the opportunity for making