The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-11-01
BARNUM'S OLD PLACE
THE HISTORIC MUSEUM THAT STOOD
IN LOWER NEW YORK.

Facts About the Famous CuriO Hall
That Brought n Fortune to the En-
ergetic SbOwmnn-Forty Thousand
Persons saw IL Consumed by Fire.
1--WE will ascend to the top of st
Pauls skyscraper ana take New York
city I'm at glance" said my friend az
we passed the corner Of Broadway and
Ann street. Entering the doorway and
taking the elevator It took but few
moments 10 find ourselves at the top
where from the windows we not only
took I'm" the entire city, with its brick
walls and smoking chimncys, but as
far rs the eye could reach we saw
water AMI green fields As we de
scendcd we could not help thinking that
on this spot for many years stood Bar
NUNS museum. once the dream Of all
children and a place of universal IN
terest to every one.
Among the many sights and cur.osi
ties seen IN the museum some are fl.
millar 10 this day, as Niagara Fails.
with real water, trees. rocks. etc; Joice
IIeth, the aged colOrcd woman, ldl
years old. who had once been nurse 10
General Washington: the w0olly horse.
said to have been captured by the Ere
mont exploring party In the Rocky
mountains: the Indian wedding dance;
the club that killed Captain Cook;
Tom Thumb. the dwarf who drove
around the city in a stylish little coach
and WHO married Miss Layinia War
rem. the wedding taking place before %
vast assemhlagc AT Grace church while
multitudcs lined the sidewalks outside;
the living whale that was kept in a
tank Of salt water pumped In from the
bay: the hippopotamus, the tropical
fish. Commodore Mutt, known as the
$4,000 Mutt: the two dromiOs; the
lightning calculator who could add
SQUARE Of figures at glance, and'Who
became Il Methodist minister; the fat
boy; Anna Swan. the Nova Scotia
giantcss; the tallest man I'm the world;
the fat woman: Pashasharend. the
what is IT," no one knowing whether IL
was man or a monkey; the boa con-
strictor. seen inside large glass case;
the cherry colorcd cat; the happy fam
ilv. n collection Of cats, rats. adders.
rabbits. parrots birds. etc, all In one
cage: also two vast alligatOrs, the lly-
ing skeleton. the baby mite that
weighed only three pounds, the fish
with legs. the FIJI mermaid, the
giraffe. the rhinoceros. with the tropi-
cal birds. parrots. cockatoos, hooking
birds. humming birds. vultures and
eagle. and the well remembered dog
and baby shows.
Then there were the wax figures OF
pirates ana murderers. Franklin
Pierce. Patrick Henry, General Wash
mgton. James Buchanan. General Mar
ion. General Lafayette, James Madi-
SON. Governor Morris, Prince Imperial
Of France. Nine Roland, Mol Pitcher,
Nathan Hale. Poor Richard. Daniel
Lambert. the Yelled Murdercss, etc.
In many Of the plays thrilling scenes
were produced, as in THE Storm at
sea-" where a vessel was struck by
i-ht.in- aul the crew rescued by be
ing drawn by a rope up rocky sum
NIT and the army ascending through
the narrow dcalcs Of the Swiss Alps.
The museum was burned on the aft
ernoon of July l3. lSGJ The fire, II
was thought. originated in the engine
room. it being necessary TO keep up
steam to pump fresh mir into the wa
ter Of the aquaria and 10 propel the
fans that kept the heated halls cool
The flames began In the managers
Office and extended to all parts Of the
building. The manager showed great
presence Of mind by deposlting several
thousands Of dollars in Il safe before
he escaped from the building. Fully
10000 persons witnessed the fire, who
saw the tail woman lowered by means
Of ropes 10 the sidewalk and heard the
shrleks Of animals In the mcnagerle
and the grows Of the Bengal tiger
The lion and his mate, who had IS
capped from their cage. were seen walk
ing along the floor and an encounter
beneath the roof between the eagle
and serpent. when the victorious ca.
gle l,ore OF his enemy in his talons
amid loud cheers. The polar bear,
escaping from the building, walked
through the streets TO the custom
house. where. ascending TO the bal
cony. he fell and broke his neck. 9th
er animals. jumping from the win
dows. caused the crowd to stampede.
when some lost their hats, others had
their coats torn, and many became
awfully dlsfgured by falling I'm the
mud. The remains OF the two whales
the kangaroo and crocodile were found
in the ruins. The loss of no other
building in the city could have caused
so much excitement and regret as Bar