The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-08-05
Some Things About the Centennial

0OAAAO OO>~S~---~-~
Judge Knight of Portland, who has
recently visited Philadelphia, comes back
full to the brim Of enthusiasm concerning
the coming Centennial Exposition. lie
SAYS it is impossible tor any person, with
out personal presence on the spot, to
realize the vastness of the undertaking,
the foresight with which the details have
been planned, or the harmony with which
everything Herewith connected IS NOV
ing forward to the contamination OF the
greatest event of the kind that the world
has ever seen. The Judge contributes to
the Daily Press the following notes upon
the present aspect Of the great enter
prise
| know it will help our cause in Maine to say
a few familiar things about the prospects OF the
coming Centennial, and to this end ask you to
print these impressions of mine, gathered in a
living trip to Philadelphia, where, though there
be miles of mansions emptled tor the summer,
and scarce one sign of social life is to be OBJ
served, a city where not even a playhouse is
open and the bare bil-boards blister in the sun,
there is. nevertheless, wonderful work going
on WHICH III DC very 10 all it
people of the land to see.
Paramount Park, never so well kept as Cen
trail Park-lndeed so grand are its proportions,
through which mighty river sweeps. that it
| can scarcely be kept at al-is invested by an
army Of workmen engaged in building and
beautityng. Foremost among the work Is the
Art Building, nearly done as to the rough ana
heavy work, and certainly one of the most
beautiful structures in the world. every men OF
whose space is beSpoken to hold the art treas
/ t,psin
tcutura Hall, for flowers, plants, shrubs and
trees from the whole continent, and covering
| space not tar from the size of Lincoln Park.
could be finished in two months if desired, and
is the smallest building YET planned Agrcul-
tural Hall is to be done bv Jan. st, and is de-
| signed not for a show of perishahle products.
but for cereals and kindred crops. and especial
| ly to show the changes and final attachments in
| agricultural implements. In this latter feature
| ii is designed to make the most Interesting eN-
hbition ever held.
But when we come to the Main Building all
| the above mentioned ones are, for the moment,
| forgotten. Think of an immense structure of
| iron and glass. of taultess shape. that would
| reach from Congress Square to City Hall. whose
| width is equal to the distance from the latter
| point to the Postofiice. whose roof covers with
| in few feet of TWENTY-FIVE acres. And Ma
| chinery Hall is only a third smaller and is on
! the same general plan and the same line of
work, 50 that the railway tracks run alike
through both And here let me mark the eX-
| cellence Of plan throughout. Not only are all
| the materials of these vast structures brought
| to the very places of their use by these spur
| railway lines but these rails are to remain for
| use in bringing away the exhibitors goods. be-
| inc foOred over meantime. And further, the
| transportation scheme is already so perfect.
| that the exhibitor from Portland, or Bangor,
or anywhere, has only to ship his contribution.
| with proper direction. prepay the freight and
| the terminal charges" and the article is set
| down the TO be OcC.iDlpu and
| the boxes saved and stored for use in reshp-
| ping. He who studies the plans and prospects
OF this approaching Worlds Fair will marvel
| quite AS much at the mnuteness of detail as at
| its bold proportions.
| So here stand all the evidences of a man.
moth fact, an enterprise no longer cGuivocal
| as to destiny, and 80 near al iIand thai The
| plaine>t person can see all things will be read
| for the earliest stir of the coming spring. The
/ buildings and grounds will be in perfect cond-
| tien. and all the surroundings are equally fine.
| The headquarters of the commission is de-
| lightful spot upon the grounds and the build
| ing is Il charming cottage-shape summer palace
- plain and not costly, but very beautiful.
| The British Commissioner. (the managing d-
rector of the kensingston Museum has ordered
| the erection of a headquarters for himself and
! his c0-WOrkerS at an expense OF S20.OO0 and
| has gone home to England to make the final
preparations for her part in the Exposition
Morocco Will show in Il pavilion Of her own.
| The Swedish commission has been allotted
| space for a school house and arsenal; the
| japanese are here, the busiest Of all busy peo-
| pie arranging not only for their grand BaZar
| but for complete japanese village, and the
houses of the latter are now ready for ship
| ment hither. While | was talking with Mr.
| Goshorn, the Overwhelmingly, on the day of
my visit, a dispatch was received from the
| Austrian government asking for 1000 feet in
| the Art Building and 81 900 in the Main Build
| higher first request beng only for - 900 IN
| all This a SamuIp of the awakening zeal
| exhibited by leading foreign governments, and
| already ii is getting to be serious problem
| what can be done with American products.
| Applications for carriages alone up to date call
| tor and cover upwards Of 10000 square feet
The decision of the Ladies' Executive Conn
mittee to erect building of their own for
| Woman's Work. to cover one acre and cost
| 100000, plans OF which are now ready and ap-
| proved, will release much space in the other
| buildings hitherto set apart while several
| states have decided, in the case OF Missouri
and Kansas. to make collective exhibitions Of
| their own resources. These last moves will
help out marvclOusly as 10 space for the gen
| eral exhibitors.
But the immensely of work being done is
not confined 10 the Centennial officials. Pri-
vate enterprise is all alive to the occasion,
| One company of builders has a host Of work
| men putting up Il hotel that will lodge and feed
| five thousand people. This is Just across from
! the Park horse car depotS, and is to be built
| upon the following plan y tour-sided tene-
| ment-houSe structure, covering an ordinary
| Pennsylvania square, with the enclosed court
to be temporarily rooted and prepared for a
vast dining room, and the rest of the rooms
used for lodgings. After the Exhibition this
centre space is 10 be cleared, and the whole
property resolves itself into tenement houses
again. such is Il sample of the solid American
wit and forecast that on every hand wait upon
this vast central enterprise.
| have crowded these facts and suggestions
together here for the purpose of making them
appeal to the people OF Maine to do an honor
able part i'll this mighty work. Shall we no.
send something BETTING a state that has more
varied and self-sustaining resources than-I
say-any other in this whole land: Every in
terest of eeltistneSs and sentiment urges us to
| take early heed; for as to prosperity Of people
and peace If kindred ana nations Philadelphia
win bear the rarest and the ripest fruits Of III,