The Portland daily press., 1874-06-11
OUR WORKSHOPS.
Second Day Of the Exhibition.
The Gallery and Its Sights.

The Gallery and Its Sights.
The industrial Exhibition continues to be the
topic of interest. Our people are beginning to
find that they live in manufacturing city, and
their surprise and qualification are amusing to
witness. The second day has witnessed an in
cleased attendance. The entries are now about
all made, and the goods in position OF course
many curious and interesting features present
themselves to the notice of even the casual OBJ
server, and to a man of an inquisitive turn of
mind, the amount of information to be acquired
Is extraordinary, and to the visitor of lazy pro
clivities quite appalling Many of the visitors
yesterday were women and children, and ex-
CARNATIONS of "Gracous mel" so my! look,
mother!" were frequent. The presence of chill
dren is an encouraging indication, and it is to
be hoped that the coming generation will not
grow up in that dense ignorance of the indus
tries of Portland which characterizes the pres
ent. The exhibition is model of object teach.
ing, and the little folks will learn more in an
afternoon spent in City Hall than they can
acquire from books in half lifetime.
Those who labor under the impression that
the show is in any sense &C BORE" or that the
objects on exhibition are commonplace to look
at, are grevously mistaken. True, there are no
wild beasts nor acrobats, but spectacles quite as
entertaining, and possibly as instructive. OF
the many who smoke cigars how few under
stand the process of making them! OF the
many who tread on carpets how few ever saw
a carpet made! OF the many who use earthen
ware how few ever saw pottery: All these
operations, and many more quite as curious,
are carried ON in the hall.
The show is beginning to attract attention
abroad, and a goSdly proportion of the visitors
yesterday were strangers to the city. Many
were from eastern Maine, and not few came
from beyond the limits of the state. The mem
bers of the Maine Medical Society are quite
assiduous in their attendance when not in SEES
sion in the council-room below. As men of
science, they naturally feel an interest in the
Inventions and in much of the machinery on
exhibition.
Last evening the hall was crowded. Curious
groups gathered round the pottery establish
ment, the carpet weaving machine, the shoe,
the brush, and the upholstering benches, and the
cigar manufactory-at which the ladies looked
with sort of wondering contempt, amusing to
contemplate. A knot of school girls with itch
ing palates clustered about the great stand COW
cred with pickle jars, declaring with much en-
phasis that the sight was quite heavenly
A more particular description of the goods
than has yet been given seems called for 1t is
well to premise that nearly, If not quite all the
entries are of articles taken directly from the
workshop and the salesroom, manufactured in
the ordinary course of business and not got up
especially for this occasion. indeed the exhibit
ton is as devoid of pretence as Portland res
taurant is of napkins. On entering the hall the
articles exhibited on the stage first present
themselves to view.
THE CLOTHING BUSINESS
A large screen on the wall back of the stage is
devoted to the display of sale clothing, manu-
featured by the well-known establishment of
Smith, Morgan & Butler. The line of samples
though not full, embraces a hundred suits Of
different shapes and cuts, ranging in style from
BUSINESS to evening Dress and in size from
the clothing adapted to the terrible boy
who requires pantaloons with copper-toed seat
and knees, to the wide garments worn by the
men, fat and forty, who swelter under June
snn. In fabric the clothing touches the linen
buster on one hand and the Ulster overcoat on
the other In one of the attractive f. o. Bailey
show cases are exhibited a full line of furnish
ing goods. The wholesale clothing business is
one of the Portland industries which has in
creased with marvellous rapdty of late. The
business has trebled within five years, and has
rapidly augmented within the lost two. The
several firms located in this city send off ST.,
100000 worth of goods year. They give
steady employment to 1900 persons in the city
alone, and to many thousands outside of the
city limits Within the last two years the
trade has extended its arms in all directions,
and now has extensive transactions in New
Hampshire, besides monopolizing the business
of eastern Maine.
MISCELLANEOUS.
At the very head of the southern staircase
leading to the gallery, Mr.. j. f. Sherry, the
well known dealer in hair work, displays a case
of hair switches, over which the ladies go
frantic, and selection of wigs at which Ger
tain elderly gentlemen in the predcament of
that good old gentleman who had no hair on
his head in the place where the hair ought to
grow, look with longing eyes. A head painted
like an eating house cook, serves as block for
the display of these capillary attractions. I'm
der the present regime, with Dame Fashion at
tempting to out-do Dame Nature, the hair
business is an industry of no mean notice, es-
pecially in the estimation of the fair SEX
A burial casket, too suggestive to allow of
much pleasant dreaming over, unless one is
thinking of ones enemies, occupies promi-
nent place ON the platform 1t is put in by e.
HI. Blake, and commendable for the absence of
obtrusive inery. OF the undertaking business
we can give 70 statistics. 1t is safe to say,
however, that it will never suffer for want of
patronage-at least, until the funeral urn sup
plants the funeral casket.
Some beautiful rustic chairs, made by John
Kngsbury and entered by Charles E. Warwick,
next claim attention. Indeed, they are rustic
beyond the rustics, and pleasantly suggest
the ripping brooks and leafy woods of June.
b. f. Libby g. Sons exhibit some admirable
specimens of carving in posts and banisters,
and lot of ten-pins and balls which would do
credit to the bowling alley of a first-class sea
side hotel.
Small & Knight enter some fine cabinet or
gans, very sweet and deep in tone, and encased
in wood of excellent finish. These gentlemen
believe that Portland can turn out organs that
are credit to her and the state.
S. L. Lyford exhibits a set of hand made
doors, strongly and durably made, and adapted
to take a fine finish.
THE FURNITURE BUSINESS.
The gallery is devoted to the display of fur
niture This is Portland industry, which has
built itself up immensely within the past few
years. 1t has not only taken to itself the whole
of Maine, but has struck places in New Hamp-
shire and Vermont, and is doing thriving
business in those states. In the cheaper grades
of furniture the sale is immense, and the
amount of sales in all grades approximates ST.
100000 year.
At the entrance to the left hand gallery the
firm of Thomas P Beals & Co. make a hand
some display, especially in chamber sets. The
famous adjustable spring bed, of which about
5000 are sold year, is to be seen. These beds
and the eagle walnut bedsteads are made at the
mandatory on Kennebec Street, where TWEEN
ty men are constantly employed.
Walter Corey has section rallied off, which
has been made charming as boudoir Ee-
gantly upholstered chairs and fauteuilsin satin,