'WHITE CITY'CLOSED

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 142, 15 December 1908, Page 2

'WHITE CITY' CLOSED

— « " AULD LANG SYNE." SOME STATISTICS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 6th November. On Saturday evening, in an October fog — though not a very dense one — the curtain fell upon the last r.cene of the Franco-British Exhibition at Shepherd's Bush. From 9 p.m. the whole of the stadium was thrown open to the public ; an hour later every seat, right up to the topmost tier was filled. In the centre of the arena the band of the Grenadier Guards, surrounded by men bearing lighted torches, presented a fantastic sight. For some time the crowds, to whom the experience of 'an open-air show on a foggy October night must have proved decidedly curious, remained in silent suspense. Then, the irrepressible spirit of good humour and fun manifested itself, and_ while waiting for the spectacle to begin, the thousands started singing nonsense verses to the tune of the " Westminster Chimes" and songs from the repertoire of Harry Lauder. MARCH PAST. Merriment grew more boisterous when the first rocket went off, ,and the bands of the Horse Guards, the Marine Light Infantry, and the 79th Cameron Highlanders, successively marched past and took their positions in the arena. Like the pipers of the Ist Scots Guards and the drummers of the 3rd Battalion of the Grenadiers, who followed, they were cheered to tbe echo. The massed 'bands, under the conduetorsliip of Lieutenat Williams, played Godfrey's " Reminiscences of All Nations," and then a pyrotechnic tableau, displaying the fire portraits of King Edward and Queen Alexandra, the French President, the Duke of Argyll, and the leading organisers of the exhibition was given. This was followed by an electric waterfall and a feir'de joie bearing the legend "Au Revoir." The proceedings concluded with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" by the ,50,000 spectator's. About ldoo extra police were on duty for the occasion. SOME FIGURE*,. Although no official figures are obtainable as yet as regards the attendance at the White City, it may be estimated that from fifteen to sixteen million people passed the turnstiles since the opening. The following figures give the attendance at the various attractions : — Scenic Railway ... 2,800,000 Irish Village 3,000,000 Fiip-Flap 1,110,800 Pleasure boats 1,108,702 Canadian Toboggan ... 807,000 Johnstown Flood ... 715,102 Spiral Railway ... 653,617 Old London 500,000 Spider's Web ... > ... 450,672 Stereomatos 425,000 Pharoah's Daughter ... 349,268 Webb's Glasshouse ... 150,000 Chairs and Rickshaws 25,000 Mr. Kiralfy confirms the announcement that the White City will be opened again next year. He hopes before long to be able k> give full particulars of the new exhibition which is now being arranged. It has been stated that 26,000,000 people have been attracted to Shepherd's Bush during the 150 days the exhibition has been open, but this is probably a much exaggerated figure, for it means an average of 160,000 a, day. A City estimate puts the total number down at less than 10,000,000, and it is just possible that the guarantors will be called upon to make up the loss which must necessarily ensue. In this connection it is interesting to note the official figures of some recent exhibitions : Chicago 28,000,000 Paris 48,000,000 Glasgow 11,559,649 St. Louis ... '... 18,741,075 In an official statement issued early in the year it -was suggested that 50,000,000 might be the attendance at Shepherd's Bush, but that the actual adr.''isions have fallen to a much smaller namber is an acknowledged fact.