100 Year Old Weblog ~ News From 100 Years Ago That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

August 31, 1908

BUSY DAY AT FAIRMOUNT.

Biggest Sunday Crowd of the Season

There Yesterday.

There was a large attendance at Fairmount park yesterday, the largest since the Fourth of July. Everything at the park was busy. Graham, the "human fish," gave his last performances at the park yesterday afternoon, and last night. In his act, Graham ate, smoked and drank while under water, enclosed in a large glass-tank. He also gave an exhibition of the actions of a drowning person.

Wheeler's band played two interesting programmes. In the music was that of the "Girl Question" which opens the season at the Grand theater.

The bathing beach is a popular place with park visitors, and the fishing in the big lake is the very best.

Labels: daredevils, fairmount park, fishing, music

August 23, 1908

DRINKS MILK

UNDER WATER.

Graham, the "Human Fish," the At-

traction at Fairmount.

Graham, the "Human Fish," is to be the free attraction at Fairmount park today. A large glass tank, filled with water, is used. He descends into the water, and while under the surface eats and drinks a bottle of milk. To do this he must exhale enough air from his lungs while under water to correspond to the amount of air displaced by the milk. Graham gives an exhibition of a drowning person, showing the various actions, from the time the person falls into the water until he lied apparently dead at the bottom, showing the struggle under water. The shows will be given near the circle swing and will take place at 3 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon and at 9 and 10 o'clock at night.

Fishing is still good at the lake and so is the bathing. The concessions are all doing a rushing business and the band has a full programme for the day.

Labels: amusement, daredevils, drowning, fairmount park, fishing, food, music

July 20, 1908

FLYCASTERS WANT PLATFORMS.

Where They May Exhibit Skill in

Troost Park Lake.

The Kansas City Bait and Fly Casting Club wants the board of park commissioners to help educate city anglers in the art of scientific game fish catching. A letter from the club yesterday asked the board to build two platforms on the lake in Troost park for the use of citizens who would learn the casting art from seeing professional sports fish.

The letter signed by Seldon P. Spencer and members of the Kansas City club, stated that the West Chicago park commissioners are going to help out the Chicago club with platforms in Garfield park in that city, and stated that other city park boards have taken an interest in casting from a scientific standpoint. There are about fifty anglers in the local club. The officers are J. W. Bramhall, president; W. S. Rock, vice president; Charles E. Heite, captain, and George Robirds, secretary and treasurer.

Labels: Chicago, fishing, organizations, Park board, Troost avenue

May 17, 1908

HIS CHILDREN SAW HIM DROWN.

Hector Bonne, a Belgian Gardner,

Lost His Life in the Blue.

In the presence of his family of four children, Hector Bonne, a Rosedale gardener, was drowned while fishing in the Blue just south of Dodson last evening about 7 o'clock. He had taken his children for a day's visit at an uncle's, Charles Cula, near the Harrisonville bridge, not far from where the accident occurred.

Several men were fishing there and some were intoxicated. Bonne waded into the water banteringly with his clothes on, and all seemed to think when he dropped out of sight that he was making fun for the children. But he had stepped off a ledge and was drowned without coming up. In a few minutes the dead body was recovered by R. H. Hopkins, a farmer, who was there fishing. Bonne was a Belgian. Deputy Coroner O. H. Parker sent R. V. Lindsay, a Westport undertaker, for the body. With his wife and children, Bonne lived just beyond the end of the Rosedale car line.

Labels: Blue river, children, Deputy Coroner Parker, Dodson, drowning, fishing, immigrants, Rosedale, undertakers