Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-09-20
BARNUM'S OLD PLACE
THE HISTORIC MUSEUM THAT STOOD
IN LOWER NEW YORK.

Facts About the Tn mou Curio Hall
That Brought a Fortune 20 M En-
ernctfc Showman-FOrN Thousand
Persons Saw II Consumed by Fire.
I'VE will ascend to the top OF st.
Paul's skyscraper and take New York
city I'm at 4 glance" said my friend as
we passed the corner of Broadway and
n street. Entering the doorway and
taking the elevator It took but n few
moments TO find ourselves at the top
where from the windows we not only
took In the entire city. with Its brick
walls and smoking chlmneys, but as
far as the eye could reach we saw
water and green fields. As we de-
scended we could not help thinking that
on this spot for many years stood Bar
NUNS museum, ono the dream Of all
children. and n place Of universal IN
terest to every one.
Among the many sights and curiosi-
ties seen IN the museum some are IA
miliar to this day. as Niagara Falls,
with real water, trees, rocks, etc: Joice
Heth, the aged colored woman, 1G1
years old, who had once been nurse to
General Washington; the woody horse,
said to have been captured by the FIRE.
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 Il stylish little coach
and who married Miss Lavinia War
rem. the wedding taking place before a
vast assemblage at Grace church while
multitudes lined the sidewalks outside;
the living whale that was kept in n
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 n
square Of figures at a glance, and who
became n Methodist minister; the fat
boy: Anna Swan. tho Nova Scotia
giantess: the tallest man in the world;
the fat woman; Pashasharend. the
what Is it." no one knowing whether it
was n man or n monkey; the boa con-
strictor, seen inside a large glass case;
the cherry colored cat; the happy fam
lily. a collection of cats, rats, adders,
rabbits. parrots, birds. etc. all in one
cage; also two vast alliCators. the liv-
weighed only three pounds. the fish
with legs, the Fiji mermaid, the
gira fTc, the rhinoceros. with the tropi-
cal birds, parrots. cockatoos, hooking
birds, huinming birds, vultures and
eagle. and the we'll remembered dog
and baby shows.
Then there were the wax figures Of
pirates and murderers, Franklin
Pierce. Patrick Henry, General Wash
ington. James buchanan. General Mar
ion, General Lafayette, James Madl-
| son. Governor Morris. Prince Imperial
of France. Nine. Roland. Mol Pitcher,
Nathan Hale. Poor Richard, Daniel
Lambert, the Yelled Murderess. etc.
In many of the plays thrilling scenes
were produced, as in The Storm at
Sea" where 4 vessel was struck by
lightning and the crew rescued by be
ing drawn by Il rope up a rocky sum-
NIT and the army ascending through
the narrow defiles of the Swiss Alps.
The museum was burned on the aft
ernoon Of July IL, 1865. The fire. II
was thought. originated in the engine
room. it being necessary to keep up
steam TO pump fresh air into the wa
ter of the aquaria and to 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 depositing several
thousands Of dollars in a safe before
he escaped from the building. Fully
10000 persons witnessed the fire, who
saw the tall woman lowered by means
of ropes to the sidewalk and heard the
shrieks Of animals in the mcnagsrie
and the growls of the Bengal tiger.
The lion and his mate. who had es-
capped from their cage. We're seen walk
ing along the floor and an encounter
beneath the roof between the eagle
ana n serpent. when the victorious ca
gle bore off 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
err animals, jumping from The win
dows. caused the crowd TO stampede,
when ON lost their hats. others had
! their coat torn, and many became
awfully distisurcd by falling in 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
NUNS museum.-Brooklyn Citizen.