Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-07


of the orient and the new world, the inter-
polation of wire-walking, tumbling and
ballet dancing in a display of fireworks
were all so well managed that the enter
tainment ranks above any similar eX-
hibition ever given here.
The equipment is a scale proportion
ate to the attendance. Over 21OOO seats
have been constructed on the long hill
which reaches from B street to the Mon
ument These seats afford the most COM
plete and satisfactory view of the show.
They are sold at prices which range from
% cents to 81, and are reached by entrances
numerous and wide that the tens of
thousands gathered there yesterday even
ing were seated without the slightest fric-
ton; every one saw clearly, and the whole
concourse was dismissed without the
slightest delay or discomfort.
The Presidential Party.
In front of the regular seats are two rows
of boxes which center on a box built apart
from the others and designed for the use
of the President. In view Of his present
illness President Roosevelt could not at
tend the performance of last night. But
presidential party of considerable size was
there, as follows: Mrs. Roosevelt and Ker-
nit Roosevelt, Attorney General and Mrs
Knox and their son, Secretary and Mrs.
Shaw, Postmaster General and Mrs. Payne,
Assistant Secretary and Mrs. Loeb, Coz.
and Mrs. Theodore Bingham AS car
riages bearing these special guests entered
the Enclosure the occupants were greeted
with hearty and prolonged cheering.
Many of the boxes nearby were occupied
by Washington business men who have in
terested themselves especially in this en-
campment: Mr.. w. Clifford Long, chair
man of the committee on fireworks; M
Frank K. Raymond, chairman Of the COM
mttee on finance: Vice Chairman Louis l..
Shoemaker, Secretary Barry Buckley and
I a., o.,o
mittee invitation Mr.. A. D. Albert of
the committee on the pension bureau re-
ception, and many others
The general attendance numbered well in
the tens of thousands. AS far as the mag
nesium bombs enabled one to see, expect
ant faces were upturned toward the high
wall Of Pekin which bounded the incloSure
on the north. Outside there were many
thousands more. No one accustomed to the
measuring Of crowds would attempt to esti-
mate the total. From 18th street to the
fish commission ponds and northward from
the driveway on line with the bureau of
engraving and printing thousands and
thousands stood patiently in the dark wait
ing for the spectacle to cease and the gen.
eral fireworks display to begin. Their great
pleasure in the latter feature of the pro-
gram indicates the great beauty of the
bombs, rockets, blazing starfish. floating
chains and other aerial features of the
program.
Vaudeville in Pekin.
But such as saw the entire display were
much more enthusiastic. A dull and OBJ
scure view of the golden city of China
grew more and more distinct as the per-
Torrance progressed. S5ldiers of every ma
tionality moved about before the walls,
manifestly guests of the emperor at a fete
to which the whole city had been invited
Dancers glided out to a platform and
swayed back and forth in vari-colored
lights. Tumblers fell and caught them
selves from invisible wires or swung back
and forth, turning over and over in the air
Slackwire performers tripped back and
forth, lay down and even stood on their
heads on a support which most of the
audience could not even see, and to the
sensuous strains of Strauss waltZes Half
a dozen ballet dancers. robed like Loie Full
Ter and the whole school of serpentine terp-
sichoreans, swayed and waved their gar
ments back and forth Ike so many beauti-
full flowers or human fire wheels
The climax aroused the assemblage to
enthusiastic cheering. The emperors fete
developed into a quarrel. Soldiers who had
manifestly enjoyed his vaudeville to the
full now quarreled with his retainers. In a.
moment battle was on. Troops appeared