The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-09-01
THOUSANDS VISITED
PARKS ON SUNDAY
Camp Meeting and Band Con-
cert Drew Immense Throng.
CARS DID BIG BUSINESS
Carriages and Pedestrians
Brought Hundreds of Others.

All the streets and roads in this Sec
tion last Sunday led to Riverside park
There were probably twenty thousand
people who visited the parks during the
day.
The chief attraction outside of the parks
themselves was the Holiness campmeet-
ing and the concert given by the Innes
band
The campmeeting was a great success.
They had good weather during the entire
week. Large crowds attended the meet
ing during the week. which eliminated in
the immense throng Sunday afternoon
and Sunday night.
All day Sunday and up to late in the
night all the streets leading to River
side park were thronged with people.
People from all parts of the city drove
to the parks and the farmers in carria ges
and some in farm wagons helped TO make
the procession in the streets.
The electric cars running TO the parks
were filled with people, and they seemed
to be running down Central avenue be-
tween two files of an army of people. for
the sidewalks were crowded with people
from the city going to and from the
parks. The collectors on the electric cars
took up over 5000 cash fares and trans
fers.
The great tent in South Riverside park
in which the services were held was
crowded day and night. The side curtains
were taken down and when the tent was
filed people crowded around the outside
Those most remote from the preacher
could only hear an occasional word, but
they stayed for the occasional word The
tough citizen was conspicuous only by his
absence, and there was the best of order
all day.
Hundreds and thousands came and
went away after seeing the big crowd
for they could not get near enough TO
hear the preaching. although they could
hear some of the most enthusiastic
brothers and sisters shouting. People
could hear them half mile from the
camp ground.
Hundreds and hundreds of people came
prepared to stay the most Of the day.
and they brought their lunch baskets
with them. 1t was an inspiring scene
shortly after noon to see the people sit
ting down IN the shade of the trees TO
eat their dinners The ground inside the
half-nlile race track is covered with trees.
but there was not shade enough and the
people went outside and spread their
feasts under the trees along Central
avenue and over in Central Riverside
The people of this city seem to be get
ting good deal of comfort out of Riv-
erside park, and the people all over the
beautiful spot by attending the meetings
that are held there and coming TO it at
other times.
S. J. Johnson. who recently came here
from Abertlea, Minnesota, and bought
residence on Washington avenue and
bought other property on Murdoch ave
nue., was enthusiastic yesterday when
talking about the big crowd at Riverside.
He said:
Il was engaged in banking for many
years. and after quitting and before COM
ing here | was in twenty-seven states,
from New York TO Mexico, and | never
saw town of its size that can match
Wichita. Those parks out there are
worth hundreds Of thousands of dollars
to this city in the years to come.
The city building the court house. the
churches and the school houses are rev
elation to me. These things tell palmer
than any words ever spoken about this
country what kind of people have taken
possession of this fair land. In the cease
less battle for the almighty dollar they
have not lost night of the things that
make life worth the living. Wichita is a
wonderful city