Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-06-13
The Vienna Exposition.

\ correspondent of the New York Times
thus describes things as they appeared May
18th
THE AMERICAN DEPARTMENT
Sitting upon their boxes were the exhibi-
tors, patiently or impatiently waiting for
their assignment of space, and every day
! the temporary commissioners made the
rounds in a spirit of conciliation, to tell
| the unfortunate exhibitors that, being but
temporary commissioners, they could give
| but temporary assignment of quarters.
| No man was going to the expense of
| putting up his platforms and cases, until
sure of his room, and so our department
continued from day to day, pending the ar
rangement Of a difficulty which. | very
much fear, was most inopportunely pre-
cipitated
But there was ono exception to the
| general rule which | must here remark.
| For a long time the only American exhibitor
ready, was Mr.. f. Delavan Woodruff, of
| Auburn, n Y. who had his splendid har-
yesting machines in position in two days
after his arrival. The young gentlemen in
charge Of the 60 Kirby Reapers " and
- Mowers, ," are about the best specimens
| of energetic young America that have ever
yet encountered Finding quarrel in
| Vienna, and no one willing to take the re-
sponsibility oflssigning space, Mr.. Woodruff
said that he had come there to exhibit his
machines and to take as many prizes as
possible, and concluded that he would not
wait for the slow action of the Commission.
Going into Agricultural Hall, then not half
completed he selected the best place in the
room and at once put up an elegant plat
form, carpeted and furnished it, and had
his fine machines in before anv one knew
what he was about. The consequence has
been that all visitors to Agricultural Hall
have been obliged to feast their ewes solely
upon the Kirby machines. and there i
always a crowd about the stand The fine
finish of these asticles causes universal as
tonishment. The gayety, the invariable
g00d-humor, the energy, and the pictu-
rescue Auburn dialect OF theseyoung gentle
men has already made them known to every
body, and | am not sure they have not
''sworn eternal friendship" to every exhibi-
tor in the building. The rest of Agricul-
tural Hall is n waste, or in a state Of con
fusion.
THE RESTAURANT.
tioing straight through the American ex-
hibition of vacant space, one enters the
grounds. and. after creeping under train
to the quarter Of the restaurants. On the
right one sees the Stars and Stripes floating
over the American restaurant, where you
can spend large sum of money in a few
moments, and on the left i the .half-erected
American schOOl-hOuse. the cause of 50
much trouble. The clap boarding was done
by German, and, much to the disgust OF
Americans, be- allowed his nail-heads to ap-
pear and had a straight joint clear down
the side. Ii was in vain that he was told
this was not the American way of doing
things, and that no nail should be seen and
no joint extend beyond a single board.
That was not the way they arranged it in
Vienna. Still more remarkable was a
Nienna-made American flag having only
seventeen stripes, no stars, and a blue field
for the MON, which was hoisted up
side down. Gaping this was the in
structI0ns 20 exhibitors over the signature
of Mr.. LeGrand Cannon, and which was
about rs queer a specimen'of pigeon English
as one ever saw. All this shows
the confusion Of the moment and the great
want of "a responsible head 10 the American
Department Everything was Temporal
ry,' and, consequently, nothing was done.
! mistake, a great deal of dining and win
ing was done, and the commissioners who
are too - temporary to assign space were
permanent enough to dine with the Emper-
or and 10 receive the princes on the opening
day. But if speak little ironically here
| 90 not mean to convey the idea that this
was the iaglt of these gcntlcmen the diff
Guilty lay in the situation. The government
having acted upon the reports Of Mr.. jay,
the Minister, had everything thrown upon
his hands, although he would not like to
confess it, perhaps, and was obliged to get
such of his friends as were near 10 accept
the positions temporarily Mr. lie Grand
Cannon was abroad for pleasure and not for
work and Mr. Roosevelt was not Just the
man 70 take position involving much
labor and responsibility. The appointment
OF Mr.. jackson ). Schultz was n great relief
90 Mr.. JAY, for several other - temporary
combinations had been discussed before de-
ciled action was taken at Washington.
IL Is generally believed that Van Buren Is
not implicated in the speculations of his
>ubordinate-, and that his honesty is unin-
peached. Public gossip here puts the tax
ing OF money, contributions, or forced
loans, whatever we may call it, upon Gen.
Mayer, one Of Gen. Van Buren' appoin
tees, and upon Mr. James, appointed upon
the recommendation Of Mr.. Jay. The
pending inquiry will show the guilty
parties.