Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1873-11-14
THE CHICAGO EXPOSITION,

Mr. EDITOR As reader OF your pa
per, day after day, | do not recollect
to have seen in it any accurate descrip-
ton of the great building in which the
people OF Chicago are now holding their
Exposition, as it is called.
Having recently visited that city, and
had the pleasure OF seeing this NAM
moth building with its splendid exhibit
tions of the various arts and sciences
that appear and are illustrated there,
thought it might interest you and your
numerous readers to give short sketch
of that Il may almost say) wonder of
the age.
The building is located in o central
part of the city, and fronts on a street
running parallel with Lake Michigan,
and extends near to the bank of the
lake in the rear. The building is eight
hundred feet long, and two hundred
feet wide. 1t has three domes. The
centre one is one hundred and sixty feet
high, and has an elevator which is ope-
rated by steam. Upon its platform stand
some twenty or thirty persons at time,
who are raised to height of about one
hundred and twenty-five feet, to a room
in the top of the dome. Here are seve.
raj large glasses, for the use of those
who wish to view the scenes around.
From this height the whole city seems
to lie in low valley, and the lake
and surrounding country, which is
mostly prairie, are spread out upon n
water level as far the eye, with the aid
of glass, can reach. No distractions
are noticeable. From this eminence
ono can form some idea of the extent
and surroundings OF Chicago, many
of whose streets are very long and as
straight as a line. Some streets are
twenty miles in length.
was informed by gentleman, who
has many opportunities of learning the
facts, that Chicago measures twenty five
miles from side to side, and contains
some four hundred and fifty thousand
inhabitants.
From this elevation one can trace the
entire district over which the great fire
swept but comparatively short time
ago, and can see all the new structures
that have risen up rs if by magic, upon
those ashes which seem yet hardly cold.
The newly built part of the city far
surpasses any Of the old portions that
escaped the devouring element The
observer can discover by the naked eye
hundreds of the most beautiful stores
and hotels, mostly built of the native
marble, but many of free brown stone.
There are also quite large number OF
stores and houses built entirely of artifi.
cial stone, which stand like solid block
OF red freestone. Some OF these build
ings are five and six stories high, and
make an imposing appe rance. Should
the stone thus artifcially made prove
durable, they will long prove profita-
BILE advertisement for the inventors.
The great hotel now in the course OF
erection, called the Palmer house,
which has three hundred and sixty five
rooms, which are mostly wa;nscoted
with Italian and variegated marble, and
being fitted up in an unsurpassed style,
is one OF the great objects of attraction
from the dome of the Exposition. 1t is
said by some persons in Chicago to be
the finest hotel in the world. l did not
dispute with them, for l have never
seen half the hotels in the world, and
consequently was unable to say any.
thing to the contrary. But this I will
say This is the largest and handsomest
one 1 ever saw.
There are two tunnels under the two
branches or arms of the lake, lighted up
day and night, which measure one and
a half miles in length, through which,
} by the aid OF glass, one can trace the