Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-06-05
International Exhibitions.


son d'Orsay, in 1898. The dimensions of
the Exhibition building were not as large
as those of some of the MANY private
pavilions erected in the Vienna Exhibition
grounds. The articles exhibited were
mostly borrowed by the manager from
their owners, and but very few manufac-
turers took part in that infantile affair. 1t
was but a fair for show and amusement.
and not for competition. Still, this embryo
affair was followed, during that very year,
by an Exhibition on grander scale, where
manufactured goods were entered for
competition. The success of this last one
was the cause Of repetition, under the
Consulate, in 1902 Other countries soon
followed in the wake of France. 1t is
still fresh in the memory Of many of your
readers how the first great London Exhibit
ton was brought into life by the strenuous
efforts of Prince Albert. The first London
Universal Exhibition was got uD on a
grander scale than any of its predecessors
The Crystal Palace where the first Uni
versal Fair was held filled, and at that time
justly, too, the heart of every Britisher
with pride. The Germans, however, had
no less reason to be proud of it than the
English; for a German born Prince con-
cocted and carried into execution the plan
The subject of a Universal Exposition
was preached by the late Prince Consort as
far back as 1914. It shOld not, however be
inferred that, prior to this latter date there
were no Exhibitions in England. On
the contrary, the Irish were the most ready
imitators of the French. They instituted
also their Triennial Exhibitions; and in
England great local exhibitions were held
beginning in 1880, every few years, at
|,
The custom Of holding fairs was soon car
existence our State and County fairs.
But the London International Exhibit
ton Of 1851 was the precursor of a series
of exhibitions, each one Of which attempt
ed to Guido its predecessor in magnitude
and splendor. None succeeded, however,
until Napoleon the Third, by his lavish
expenditures, caused the Paris Exposition
of 1867 to mark new era in the progress
of international exhibitions. After the
Worlds Fair of 1851 France had two In
ternatiOnal Fairs, one in 1866 and one in
1867; the United States one in 1858 at New
York; Holland and Belgium on in 1851;
England a second one in 1862; one was
held in Dublin in 1862, which, by the way,
proved pecuniarily failure; and England
has now a permanent exhibition at South
kensingtOn
Tomore fully appreciate the great pro-
gress made in the line of International
EXpositions since 1851, the first one insti-
tuted on grand scale, l will for the
sake OF comparison, recall some of
the data of former Expositions.
The cost Of the first London Crystal Pal
ace Exposition was about e350,O00. to
which the Queen contributed by opening
the subscription list with 81 1000 The
building was constructed of glass and
iron, and covered an area of thirteen acres
There were over Il, 600 exhibitors and over
100000 of people visited the Palace dur
ing the five months it was kept open. The
largest number of persons present on any
one day was 109,760, and the average
about $4,000. The total receipts were
e5000OO The second English Worlds
Fair was held in 1862, in vast brick
building at South Kensington; it covered
about seventeen acres. At this Fair there
were 2S,e00 exhibitors. Less numbers
of people visited the grounds than the
Crystal Palace in 1852 The receipts, too,
were less, while the OUTLAWS were 1921 900,
leaving clear balance OF a little over
$1,000. The next and most successful
grand show was held in 1867, on the
Champs de Mars. The space covered was
thirty-seven acres. The building was OF
an elliptical form, with twelve cOncentric
circles and small central garden This
Grand Exposition" as the French loved
to call it, was visited by 1921 $50 persons.
AS to the receipts and expenditures, they
were never fully known to any one ex-
cept to the Emperor's satraps, who did
the managing. One thing is certain, how
nX-nI> hot 1noy low 1nfsC
Now we have come down to the Vienna
Exposition of 1873, which has been com
menced on grander scale than any of its
predecessors. The space covered here by
the public buildings, exclusive of the pri-
vate pavlllOns is over seventy-five acres.
1t is as yet difficult to give any correct
data as to actual space covered, and as to
other matters connected with the EXposi-
ton, as there has been none officially pub
lished yet by the general management. I
had occasion, in some Of my former let
tiers, to give you the dimensions of the
various buildings, and the general divi
sion of the grounds. The latter, however,
have been SO much changed, and are still
being changed, from their original plan,
that have concluded to wait until shall
be certain that Baron Schwartz active
mind will not over night bring to naught
my descriptive efforts. The size Of the
main Industrial Palace is the same as
given you in my letter Of October 80, 1872,
namely: length 5000 feet, and width 100
In the centre is the Rotunda, all complet-
ed, with the magnificent and glttering
Austrian crown, 10 feet in diameter at its
top. This great chef d@urre, the Rotunda,
is $50 feet in diameter, and 272 feet high
to the pinnacle, underneath which a gal
lery affords the most magnificent
sight of the surrounding country, as
far as human vision aided by
optical instruments can reach. The
MAN Industrial Hall is traversed by
eighteen smaller halls from south to
north. Each one of these halls is about
five hundred by eighty feet. The first one
on the west was originally assigned to
the American Continent-the south half,
or $50 feet, to the United States, and the
north half to other American countries;
but this has been modified The United
States retain their original space, with the
addition of the adjoining court that has
been rooted over for the use of the Ameri-
can sewing machine interests; while the
north half has been divided between Bra
zil and England. Not only have all the
twenty-siX courts that intervene between
cross galleries been turned into halls, but
all the space between the main Industrial
Palace and the hall for machinery has
been completely filled up with halls, pa
vlllOns, restaurants, etc. | should not
forget to mention that the courts which
have been turned into halls are each 100
by $50 feet The bui1dinps erected on