The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-01
FIGHT FOR SEATS.
Unprecedented Scramble For the
NOrdica Concert.
Line Began to Form in Street at
Midnight.
WORKED by RELAYS.
Three Young Men by That
Means Got No. 1.
Wyatt Sisters Use Same Plan
and Secure s and 8.
At z O'clock Line of Humanity
Was Block Long.
Every Seat in the House Gone
Before Night.

The sale of seats for the Nordica song
recital March 5, which began here this
morning at Stansfeld's drug store, is
the most phenomenal seat sale ever had
in Topeka.
People stayed up all night and stood
in line from midnight until o'clock
this morning in front of the drug store
in order to get the first numbers. This
morning when the numbers were given
out there were nearly $50 people in line.
The line reached from the door of the
drug store to the curb line at Seventh
street and doubled back nearly to Sixth
avenue. Everyone who secured a num-
ber bought as many tickets as each per-
son was allowed to, the limit being TO-
w. H. McKirahan, who works in a
clothing store, held No. 1 and secured
the pick of the first ten tickets. He
secured tickets for three people, and
the three to whom the tickets belonged
worked in relays in keeping their place
at the head of the line. Harry Lydanne
had the first shift, and waited from
midnight until 2;30 o'clock in the morn
ing when he was relieved by Harry
Saxon, who remained until o'clock,
and who was in turn relieved by Nc
Kirahan, who kept the place at the head
of the line and secured No. 1.
Nathan Thompson reached the drug
Dennis Hope, the porter at the First
National bank, was No. in the line,
and Walter Smith was on hand at 8
o'clock to get the regulation bunch of
ten tickets on the number.
Harry Woodhall, a Washburn student,
was No. in the line. He went down
town at 2:30, intending to get first place,
but found himself No. 4. He secured
the fourth group of ten tickets.
The janitor in the store of d. ]. Green
wald was No. 5. He secured ten tickets.
Two colored men were Nos. and
in the line and they secured 20 tickets
for George Crane.
The Misses Wyatt were No. and in
the line. They held their places by
working in relays. Four girls took turn
about in keeping the two places in the
line. They arrived at the drug store
at 2:45 in the morning and while two
remained at home to keep warm the
other two remained at the post of duty.
Each hour they would change places
and enable those who stood in the cold
for an hour an opportunity to return
home and get warm.
Miss Barnet, an insurance solicitor,
was No. IL in the line. She arrived at
nearly 4 o'clock and showed her perse-
verance by remaining until the numbers
We're given out. DR.. Harry E. Lyman
was No. u.
After 4 O'Clock people began to line
up rapidly and at o'clock the waiting
line was a block long.
This sale is away beyond our great
est expectations" said Major Anderson.
I'VE will have to arrange with Fire
Chief Wilmarth to place more chairs in
the big hall and to have special force
of firemen in the building to attend to
the safety of the audience. I imagine
standing room will be at a premium
1t now develops that about three
thousand tickets were sold in advance
to be exchanged for reserved seats. 1t
is now a puzzle to the managers of the
song recital to provide reserved seats
for those who hold the white tickets.
c If discovered that this
situation existed, the sale of reserved
seats for cash was stopped. The white
tickets were then at a premium. People
who had waited in line for hours began
change for reserved seats. A few of
the members of the Choral society who
still had some of the white tickets that
they had not yet sold saw an oppOr-
tunity to speculate and it is said some
asked as high as 81 so each for them.
Agreat many people bought tickets
for speculation. They were selling at
from 81 to $4 at ten o'clock. People
who were so unfortunate as to not get
in line early enough to get a good num-
ber were offering handsome sums for
small numbers in order to get good
seats.
one man had three people in line and
with three numbers bought thirty
tickets.
The sale of seats outside the city has
been exceedingly large. Nearly seven
hundred seats were reserved for this
purpose and at noon today nearly every
one was takena
At 2:SO o'clock this afternoon only a
few scattering tickets remained in the
chart.
The. Nordica prices went booming to-
day and all sorts of fancy prices We're !
offered and accepted for seats
A man who secured ten tickets on
number As heard a woman in the store
say she wished she could buy three seats
and he disposed of three of his ten for
SIS.
Boys hired to stand in line half the
night sold their places for anything tLey
could get and dropped back. DR.. Swan
hired a boy to spend the night in line
and this morning he turned over Ne.
227.
Numbers as high as 200 were disposed |
of for So, and people were hired for
what they would take to get enough
tickets to make out the ten they were |
allowed to get from the chart
There are many people who will not
be able to secure reserved seats. More |
than enough numbers We're given out |
by 7:30 to fill the house.t
Temperatures of Large Cities.
Chicago, March IL a. m tempera-
t1lreS. New York. 4S. washington. so: |