Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-05
MIDWAY THING OF The PAST
Gay Festivities With Walled City Become
Part o; Csrs.vtl History.
CLOSE LAST NIGHT BEFORE THHoSGs
Despite Much UnfavOrabIe Weather
Attendance Has Becn Large and
Nearly All Have Enjoyed
Prosperity.

The Midway which did service during the
coronation period Of King Ak-sar-Ben VIII
is a thing Of the past. 1t became such last
night, dissolying into the history OF this
splendid carnival season under a darkened
canopy from which beating rains had but a
few hours before ceased falling. Thousands
Of people were on hand to witness the tran
sition and during the early part Of the night
there was nothing to suggest that the great
smphitheatcr Yves on the verge OF shutting
up shop" for the din and turbulence Of tho
gay festivities and the happy crowd did not
want v~ivacity.
Notwithstanding there have been only
I'VE carnival days out Of the ten with car
nivsl weather. the attendance will reach a
higher number than any previous year. The
total number who passed through the turn
stiles. the pass gate and the wagon gates Is
not known, and II Will be several days be-
fore the checking up is concluded. yet II Is
almost a certainty that 1t will be much
larger than on previous occasions.
While the exact figures are not available
except for the nrst few days, safe esti-
mates place the total paid admissions in
the nelghborhood Of 100, 900. The high water
mark was the hrst Saturday, when over
3 1000 was registered at the turnstiles, and
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Of last
week, which went over 10000 each. The
Ak-Sar-Ben management gets not only the
gate receipts, but a percentage on the con-
c~essions and Midway attractions, and al
though the expenses OF the fair are expected
to mount up over S15, 900, a surplus Of sew
eral thousand dollars is sure to be dis
closed when the accounts are all settled.
The committees in charge naturally are
feeling good over the result.
Midway f. damned.
The last night, usually the banner night
OF the carnival, was not so slow, consider
ing the downpour Of rain which began Fri
day night and continued internationally until
late yesterday afternoon. At 1880 O'Clock
the crowd began to arrive and within an
hour the Midway was damned, the Banda
Rosa was very popular and thousands
strolled the streets and listened to the
spielers giving their last dying wall.
Yesterday. though, was marred by the
rain. Spielers spent their time spelling
at each other; the Cherry sisters played to
empty seats; the ossiied man called on Ike
Miner and the fat girl from Missouri; the
diving elk took their plunge to keep in
training; a smoker was held at the opium
Joint to which Buck Keith and Spud Parrish
took their Esquimaux; the Abyssinian
grounding went In his hole and refused to
come out; the streets OF Cairo was a de-
serted village and Roltair tried to make
the absence OF the crowd an Illusion; II
was a day during which the entertainers
took leave Of each other.
The Midway will scatter to the four winds
Of the earth-the Cherry sisters and Nello,
the snake charmer. will go to Illinois. as
will also the Streets Of Cairo; the Old Plan
tation and Pearl, the product of Missouri
corn, and the Esquimaux village will go to
Atlanta. Ca; the opium joint possibly will
open at Hastings, as will several other OF
the attractions. All the concessions have
made money, with possibly three excep-
lions.
Much favorable comment is heard from
the recipients of the souvenirs issued by
the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben this year in
connection with their invitations to per-
sons residing out OF the city and to mem
bers Of the order.
The souvenir is a solid silver paper knife,
made as companion piece for the inkstand
issued last year. 1t carries upon It's han
die the we'll know symbol Of the order, an
ear Of corn, while a mounted knight car
ries a pennant with the word Omaha upon
II. The souvenir Is the work Of the Reich
enberg Smith company Of this city and is
EOnaidAFoA n HnaaNARntaaa