The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-06-02
BIGGEST WORLD CROWD.
ASSEMBLIES EVERY 12 YEARS
At ALLAHABAD, INDIA.

hel&lOHS FESTIVAL AlteAuS0 w AAoN-
sands of Hindu Fantaics-some of
the Greatest Gatherings of People In
This COuntry-RecOrd Chicago at
Worlds Fair.
The greatest crowd that ever collects
is that one which comes together once
every twelve years at the festival OF
Kumbh Mela, at Allahabad, India
1t is a religious affair, this bathing
festival, and it is estimated, says the
Washington Star, that not less than a
million Hindus from the crowd that
comes from all over India to battle at
the juncture of three rlvers-the
Ganges, the Juna and the Sacrawati.
Do not be disappointed if you are not
able to locate the last named stream on
your map of India. Only Hindu
Fanatic can see this river joining with
the other two. 1t exists only in the
Pigments Of superheated religious mag
ination.
1t is proper to take dip in the
Gauges at all times, for the river is
sacred day in and day out; but every
u years ones sins are to be washed
away by plunge into the water where
the three rivers join; hence the crowd
that undoubtedly holds the worlds re-
cord for size.
1t doubtless also holds the record for
picturesqueness, noises, fanaticism of a
religious character and types.
On every side are to be seen religious
fakirs smeared with ashes, others do
ing penance for their sins on beds Of
sharpened spikes, While still others
torture themselves In the numerous
ways characteristic of the Hindu fana-
tic. Turbaned caterers to the wants of
the inner man are plentifully sprinkled
about; bargains are driven at the edge
of the sacred waters, and the noises Of
traffic mingle with the groans of peni-
tents the shouts of bands marching
to the bathing, the shuttle of hundreds
of thousands Of moving bare and
scandal covered feet. There are thous-
ands of sightseers, of course, many be-
Ing travellers to the spot through de-
sire to get a view of million people,
which is possible from the roofs of
building not very far distant.
India is indeed the land of big
crowds.
New York reads with wonder, the
morning after an important election, Of
the jam the night before along the
certain parts of Broadway and in news
paper row. Chicago is openly proud Of
the pushing crowds that surge in its
State and other central streets on
special occasions. They are remarkably
large crowds-for America-but they
would not secure even passing COM
ment In northern India There the
streets OF the cities are damned from
house line to house line from early
morning till Iate at night in the meer
transaction Of the days work. A view
of one of these everyday crowds go
ing about its business cannot fail TO in
spire one with feeling of awe at
thought of the vast, compact popula-
ton which makes such crowds COM
mon.
Northern India's real crowd collect
on the festival days. Then in the
words Of an English officer who has
grown weary trying to convey some
idea of the size Of these crowds, they
are fundamentally enormous" The
thousands of every day become tens Of
thousands, side streets as we'll as the
principal thoroughtfares are damned
and to an Occidental it would seem that
all the swarthy Caucasians of the uni
verse have been brought together In
one spot.
One of the worlds record breaking
crowds was that which assembled at
the Chicago worlds fair on Chicago
day, October 9, 1899 1t was the largest
crowd this country has ever known,
and this also holds true of Europe, at
least as far back as the records reach
The crowd began forming long before
dawn, and by $50 o'clock as many as
thousand persons were packed about
each of the gates to the ground BY
4 in the afternoon more. than four hun
bred Thousand had passed through the
gates and those who flocked fairward
after that hour brought the attendance
up to seven hundred thousand, round
figures; in fact, every Chicagoan who
could crowded into the great enclosure
to help along the celebration Of his city
greatness.
The Chicago worlds fair was notable
for it's great crowds. Illinois day
brought out nearly 244,0O persons: In
dependence day, $4,000; transportation
day, 231, 900; Polish day, $4,000; rail-
road day, 100000.
Prior to Chicago day the greatest
crowd ever at an exposition numbered
397, $50, to man, and it collected at
that Paris exposition made famous by
the Eiffel Tower. The record breaking
crowd at the Philadelphia exposition
numbered 217,526.
The most famous of all American
crowds assemblies once every four
years. 1t is the Presidential Inaugural
ton crowd, and an English writer who
beheld the patriotic tens Of thousand
massed about the inaugural stand and
standing patiently in a down pouring
rain during the ceremonies wrote that
it is lone of the most inspiring among
the events of the world" Many per-
sons who would fight shy of crowd