Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-20
Towering High, it Bids Come in to
All Subjects of Quivera
CITY IS READY FOR IT'S FRIENDS
Ak.Sar-Ben Will Open His Gates
PROMPTLY Wednesday Noon.
SECURES CHEAP RAILROAD RATES
Fare of One Cent Granted by Union
PacIhc and One and Half by
six other Lines Enter
inE city.
"welcome to our city.

'WelCOme TO our CITY.
That is not what the new arch at Eight
eenth and Farnam streets says, but II Is
what the simple word welcome" means.
The hospitality which the city OF Omaha
and it's citizens extends to all the dwellers
of the Kingdom of ouivera is bazod forth
in a welcome of fire from the new orna-
mental arch which the city has erected at
its own expense.
Omaha is ready for it's friends. The city
is completing most elaborate preparations
to entertain them. 1t has secured the best
reduced rates on the various railroads that
are Hossible--l cent a mile on the Union
Pacific and Ia cents mile on six other
roads. Thus it has left unturned not a
stone in its effort to create conditions that
will assure its thousands Of visitors the
best time they have yet had at an Ak-sar-
Ben festival.
In addition to this Omaha has vastly In
creased its hotel facilities and accommoda-
tions and viii be better prepared to care
for its friends than II ever has been. With
two large new hotels and others enlarged
the city is able to bid thousands more come
and 1t does bid them with the feeling OF as
surance that they will be glad they came.
The carnival proper opens Wednesday at
noon and continues until October 3, in
I
derela ball will complete the festivities.
Grand Electrical Display.
Far and wide Omaha is noted for its elec-
trical show during the carnival. None
doubt that the electrical pageant which
marches through the streets on the big
night is the leader of the entire land and
those who have seen the illuminations of
the city say that they would be hard to
excel
A year ago the style of the illuminations
was changed from the staid old rows OF
lights along the borders of the streets to
the more artistic decorations of arches and
pyramids and festoons. To one gazing down
Farnam street the sight presents the ap-
pearance Of a series of triumphal arches,
one after the other. and is picture never
| to be forgotten The festoons are so ar
ranged that they have symmetry 30 that the
hills OF the city little affect the lighting
scheme.
Annually the city appTopriates $500 for
lighting the city. This money is paid to the
Omaha Electric Light and Power company
with the understanding that the company
wire and light the city. Different additions
have been made to the lighting scheme
| from time to time, until at present the com
! pany claims that all of the money appro-
priated is used in putting up the wires and
that the company thus furnishes the light
| for nothing
| Thousands of Lights.
! over 5000 electric incandescent lights will
| be used this fall In the special street dec
oratons which, in addition to the regular
city lighting, will make the entire central
section of the city one glow OF light In
addition to the above 1900 incandescent and
! forty arc lights will be used on the earn
| ival grounds. over 500 additional lights will
be used in the permanent arch.
Towering above the new Tof Hansen res
taurant is a huge electric sign, 40x4O feet.
which will contain 9M incandescent lights.
The principal design on the sign is a cigar
thirty feet long. so lighted that wreathes
! of smoke will seem to rise from Il. A
huge ribbon surrounds the entire sign and
will burn steadily. Some idea of the size
OF this sign, which will be one OF the at
fractions of carnival week. may be gained
from the statement that 1t has over 800
feed wires.
Omaha, in it's central portion has been
better lighted each year, and these large
signs in front OF the various stores will all
assist In the illumination. Samson does not
believe in inviting strangers to dark city
and his wish is being carried out this year,
for the city will have more light than in
any previous year. The electric light COM
pany with its new turbine engines, is bet
big load required by the additional lights.