Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-29

flee and look into it, you will find
completely equipped Office, with desks,
hles, books and typewriters. Here
the various heads of the departments
make their reports, take their orders
and receive their pay Every night
at midnight the books are balanced
for the day, and a clean page opened
for the next. The smallest detail is
entered with the same check marks
that the largest affair necessitates
Two hundred and forty people are en-
ployed by the shows and every minute
The office can lote any one of them.
Thursdays they receive their nav and
hen the dry goods and clothing
stores reap the harvest Every depart.
nent of the shows has head and no
me interferes with his particular line
If work. He is held responsible and
lie alone. The ground man, the can
EASTMAN, the wagon master the train
master, the concession manager. the
chief electrician. the chief engineer,
the chief musician, all have certain
,nes strictly under their control and
30 that is why that special train
Of 23 cars can arrive in town and be
urloaded, the shows placed and
opened and set going and the big
ioubie electric plant with 1000 lights
n full blast and all within the space
If eight hours. No friction. no DELAYS.
10 stops, no arguments, but system
atic work all the time. And as you
ook around, everything you see, even
o the smallest piece of rope the
wagons. even the cars upon which
hey are hauled, are all built in Abb
lene Kan, where Parker has 26 acres
|of amusement devices, and 16 acres
Ire covered by factories. The aggre-,
cation at the carnival grounds repre-
sents value of over $4,000. So all in
I'll the business is an interesting one
and well worth looking over. For in
stance, the organ on the carry-us-all
vas made by Parker and actually cost
$4,000 to make it. It duplicates al
most every known instrument. and
plays hundreds of pieces. 1t took four
skilled artists in the organ business
wo years to build the instrument
Many things of interest can be seen
about the grounds, among them the
lectric light plant. A portable plant,
capable of furnishing light for town
Of 5000 people can be erected and
AIKEN down within four hours.
This week at the exposition can be
seen one of the largest portable light
plants in the world. 1t requires two
special engines and carries over 900
lights, and is used to illuminate the
midway and exhibitions of the Parker
shows. Some years ago when Mr.
Parker was beginning his career as
a Snowman he conceived the idea of
carrying with him his lighting plant
He made application to the General
Electric people for man, an expert
to come out to Kansas and erect a
portable plant. Such thing was con-
sidered impossible at the time After
two years experimenting and at an
enormous expense, for everything con-
nected with electricity cost plenty of
money, a plant was at last perfected
that gave perfect satisfaction. Many
things had to be considered, but first
of all safety to the crowds and sim
plicity so that all could be erected
quickly and conveniently. If you will
examine the plant at the carnival in
detail. you will find that the cables.
wires and other things are made with
a view to safeguarding the people
from any danger of contact The great
main cables are heavily insulated, and
to better guard the shows from acct
dent direct current is used which is
much more regular and has less
shocking power than the direct or al
ternating. The plant furnishes power
to run the many amusement devices
and furnishes arc and incandescent
lights for everything about the shows.
The entire outfit can be taken down
and placed upon the cars in four
hours. Since Parker perfected the
portable light plant hundreds are used
throughout the country for various
purposes.