Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-09-22
Over One Hundred and Fifty Thou
sand Lights Will Burn.
CITY WILL BLAZE WITH GLORY
Kings Highway Promises Best Attrac-
tions Ever Yet Presented.
PARADEs WILL BE SURPRISING
Hotel and street Car Facilities Are
Enlarged and Improved 70
Accommodate Vast Army
of visitors.

High carnival is about to begin in the
capital city of King Ak-Sar-Ben. The plans
OF many men for a year and the labor OF
hundreds for many weeks are about TO cul-
inmate in the great ten days OF festival
which make Omaha the Mecca of all good
knights and of all people who delight In
beautiful. gay and wonderful sights
Wednesday is the day.
Throughout tho great corn belt In the
seven cities of Cibola and IN the territory
of the fourteen rivers, thousands of people
are preparing and planning TO make the
pilgrimage to the capital city to witness the
carnival and the parades and ball which are
renowned not only throughout the mmedi-
ate territory of the great king, but through
out the world.
The army of working men is still busy
completing the final arrangements, putting
the finishing touches on the city and get
ting 1t into its holiday dress. 1t will be
such a picture of beauty this year as II
has never been before The illumination IL
to be on a scale never hitherto approached.
More than 10000 incandescent electric
lights will blaze in the down town streets
every night These have been arranged and
strung over twenty-four blocks of street. In
addition to the strings of lights along each
this year in the way of great festoons OF
electric strings hanging from high in the
air and draping down to each side of the
street
These festoons hang from a height equal
to that of a four or fve-story building
When they are all lighted the scene look
ing down a street is one of SURPRISING
beauty.
Buildings More Brilliant.
Many OF the principal buildings are to be
lighted with a much greater brilliancy and
more beautiful artistic effect than ever be.
fore. The courthouse, city hall. Bee build
ing and New York Life building form a
group which will have their fronts one
great blaze of light while other blocks II
the business district Of the city will also be
shining at their best. - ts.-
The carnival ground is occupying small
army of men. Construction the big board
fence, the booths and display stands, has
been going on for number of days and
the big space is now nearly all enclosed
Men with the various concessions will get
10 work early this wee1t and the shows
will begin to pitch their tents and get into
shape for the ten days engagement. King
Pharaoh, the wonderful talking horse, hai
already arrived in the city in charge of his
owner, DR.. Boyd. There are fifteen other
/ shows beside this one Then there is to be
125-foot high dive by Charles A. Bigney.
champion high diver of the world; a peer
less ride for life by Mile. La Blanche, and
balloon races between two great balloons
in charge of Henry Latoria and crew of
famous aeronauts. These three thrilling
events will be free to the public.
Parades VIII surpass All Othera.
The parades this year to surpass
those of any other year. Out in the dark
ened halls of the coliseum building stand
the beautiful floats. The work of months
is nearly completed and on the night Of
Wednesday, October 2, they will be brought
out like gay butterflies from their dark
cocoons and will move along the brilliantly
lighted streets of the city in that blaze of
beauty which is the wonder of all who see.
1t will require more than 100 men to form
the living figures on the floats. These have
been selected and the measures have been
taken by Theodore Lieben, who makes the
costumes. Each float Is in charge OF a cap
tain, whose duty It is to see that those
under him are trained to do their part
, correctly and that they get their costumes
on time Thus on the float which repre-
sents that classic popular song. Everybody
Works but Father" mother and Sister Ann
and father must all be carefully costumed
comic automobile parade which occurs on
the night of Tuesday, October l. and also
! for the ladies' float parade for Thursday
afternoon. October 3. The latter is a new
departure, inaugurated this year for the
first time. II will be participated In by
women only. Samson furnished the floats
, and the horses to draw them, and the
women were left entirely free TO prepare
them they liked. Entry to this parade
was open TO any organization OF women in
the state. There are several substantial
cash prizes for the best floats in the ladies'
parade.
Grand CrOwninR Event.
And then, after the parades are over. will
come the grand crowning event OF all the
year, the coronation of the king and queen
and the grand ball. The scene of this great
occasion will be the den" which will have
been converted into veritable palace ht-
ting for so great an event. The 100 maids
Of honor. the 80 ladies in waiting and the
15O ladies of the court have been chosen
| and will be instructed in court etiquette on
the day OF the ball.
Who are the king and queen? IL anyone
knows this II is three men, and no one
knows who those three men but they
| themselves. Cryptic and sibylline is the
selecting of the king and queen. The secret
committee Of three to whom this work is
given is chosen from the board OF gov
| srnors When they meet. where they meet,
what they do, whom they choose. these are
things utterly hidden from human kei,
Maybe the king and queen have been
chosen. Maybe they have not. But they
will be there on the coronation night. Then
and then only Will their names be known.
A reception committee OF 100 men has
been selected 70 receive the people at the
coronation and ball. A 1oor committee OF
twenty-five will have charge OF the seating
arrangements.
New Cars for Crowds.
Word has been received by the Wabash
In Omaha that shipments VIII be made
next Tuesday from st. Louis OF ten cars
for the Omaha q Council Bluffs Street
Railway company. This is the first ship
ment Of thirty new cars which were or