Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1874-10-28
FIRST EDITION.
The FRANKLIN Institute Fair.

FINE DISPLAY OF INDUSTRIAL ARTs-THE ME-
cANIc's SKILL, MORE THAN THE ARTIZAN's or
THE Artists.
Especial Correspondence of the Commercially
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. "a.
The exhibition of the Franklin Institute
closes next week Saturday the 3lst, being the last
day. 1t has been a very decided success, not
only in the number of articles exhibited but in
the attendance of visitors. The city people
have givon it % fair degree Of attention, but
thousands have come from the country around
encouraged thereto by the liberal rates of fare
arranged by the railr jads. At Wilmington, very
large number of tickets have been sold at one
dollar each, giving not only the round trip but
entrance TO the Exhibition also. This is ex-
tremely low and has the effect, no doubt, Of
bringing many people here who otherwise would
not have come. Such policy of fares stimu-
lates local travel, and builds up Philadelphia,
though at the expense, think, of the surround
ing towns and cities. To attract Wilmington
people here 30 much, il policy which must be
injurious to Wilmington'a local trade.
CHANGING through the Fair, to-day, at about
the noon hour, there was, even then, throng
OF visitors, though it was not crowded. The
great body OF them were evidently country peo-
Pile, many of whom were in town, very likely, on
account of ''market day. They were solid,
serious folks, and in such display as this they
are especially interestad--one OF the indus crial
and mechanical arts 1t is mainly of these that il
consists there are fine displays in some OF the
departments of 0fluxury and the finer arts, but the
fact is that the exhibition il Just fair index of
the progress of our manufacturing skill in Amer
ica and therefore is strong, valuabea and original
in tho display of the Mechanics work. Our finer
artisans are just fairly beginning to produce re-
suits that compare with those of Europe, and our
artists have, as yet, though their aspirations are
| strong and true, only given TO the world occas.
| ional evidences of their genius, when compared
with the enormous aggregate Of the Old World.
This is our Iron Age. 1t IL according TO the or.
| der of Nature.
| Recognizing this fact, the prominence assum-
| ed in tile Fair by machinery, and by the various
appliances of mechanical skill, s at once natural
and appropriate. As have said above it fairly in
dexes the progress of our National Arts. Let
us glance at the catalogue, (Which, by tho way,
| though very convenient assistant in inspection
| is neither complete nor free from erora,) and
we shall find that by far the fullest class is No.
| 20, in which there are no less than 313 entries
and No. 20 is Machinery and Engineers Sup
plies" This includes the appliances of the ma
chine shop the boiler that generates the pow.
| er, the engine that develops it, the belting and
shafting that convey it, the machinery which
utilizes ii. Besides this department there arc
18 entries in Agricultural Implements 25 il
"Coach and Wagon Work and Supplies,
| IL in Cooper, Brass and Plumbers Work ant
Tinware," 81 in 81 Hardware, Cutlery, &c." II
in "House-building materials, &c,n 21 in
housekeeping Articles" l i'll " Iron ant
/
| In Heaters, Ranges, and Ventllators," contrib
| uting 49i entries in these ten departments
| while in all the other thirty departments there
are but 337 entries, though these include all the
various classes aof clothing, boots and shoes
| boolts.s furniture carpets cabinet ware, china
glass, cotton, woolen and silk goods, drugs ant
| chemicals, photographs and paintings. lamp ant
| gas fixtures, musical instruments, paper hang
ings, &c, &C., the product Of the finer and NOR
| luxurious arts.
| ct. 4 ,Io,
Of .'machinsts' tools the planers, the borers
the drills the shapers, the screw cutbers, th'
| lathes, all run by steam power,-the perfect ant
exact appliances by which machinery is produced
is the true measure and symbol of our indus
trial advancement. The work which Sir Josepl
| Whitworth and other constructing engineer
have brought to such exactness and perfection
in Great Britain is here equaled in botl
those qualities by American mechanics, Will
in neatnose of design and finish, an'
of improvements, these steam tool
of the Sellers's, the Betts's and the Bement
are superior to anything the world has hereto
fore shown. Kindred in character and exec
ence are the saws of the Disstons, the hammers @
the verrees, and the various other classes Of i'm
plemGnts, instruments, and tools by which TIL
mechanic applies his strength and hla skill
the production Of his art. These, think are a
part OF a class. They are the class OF which tn
United States certainly the Middle States of til
Union are now producing most and best. W
may make good watch at Waltham and Elgir
mount beautiful jewel in Newark, paint a fin
picture in the art haunts OF Boston, New Yorl
or Philadelphia, but the spirit of our America
age is seen most fully, and at its highest pitc
of success in the appliances used and the result
evolved, not by our artists but by our mechanics
The exhibitors from Wilmington includ
Mesars. j. Morton Poole & Co., who exhib
their calender rolls for paper making Puse!
Jones, X Co., paper machinery the Trempt
cutoff a beautiful model of the steamship HuC
son. &c. L. II A. Betts, machinists tools, inclut
ing their steam planer, radial drill, &c Trum
Brothers various sizes and patterns of the Flee
wood scroll saw Il. Ainsworth, his patent bol
er covering, and belt-hooks McLear 4 Kendall
, carriages {; Gawthrop Il Son, hydraulic rams
Wilson, Wood Il Co, crockery well and waite
, coolers and possibly others whom neither m
hasty visit nor the incomplete catalogue r.
marked. Mr.. j. d. Benton. formerly of Wi
mngton is the ekilful artisan who has built I'll
exquisite model Of the Hudson, and also thot
of the Pennsylvania, and Of Pullman Palat
, car which are on exhibition. Specimens OF 81
corundum obtained in Chester county, in Il
/ production of which some Wilmington gontl'
) men are interested, are exhibited, and Chamber
Brothers & Co., well known in that city, exhi
il their newspaper folding machlne their bri'
, machine, and other inventions.
This exhibition is preliminary to the Cente
nial, a fore-runner of the Great Fair of 1877
The strong features of this will be reproduce
[ then, no doubt with increased perfectitude an
+ far greater volume. ii. NJ. j.
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