Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-13

| forth in reality, SO far as crowd and
noise were commemorative biggest and
the louIest it was ever my lot to see
and hear. Went up Girsrd Avenue,
down Broad and out Chestnut, in a car
at the rate of about a mile an hour,
through Il perfect sea of shouting, ell
bowling humanity. Around Indepen-
dence Hall the jam was most dense,
waiting the midnight exercises, and
when the clock struck twelve, demo-
ting the death of the old and the birth
of the new, bells rang, cannon fired,
everybody followed, bands played
oh, what a noise was there, my cOun-
trymen! Professions blorkaded the
streets, stopping the street cars, to the
relief of hundreds of jaded horses, but
to the sorrow of thousands of jaded peo-
pie, of whom [ was, &c. y five mile
walk after O'Clock \. NJ. in strange
city, is a mig hty fine thing to have once
in Il hundred years. One singular in
cident to myself, was meeting in the
crowd, my old room mate of former
times in Mississippi. We hadn't met
before in fifteen years.
What happened yesterd ~ of a pub
lie character up in the city, I don't
know-spent the day on the Centenni-
al grounds. Saw Gov. Hayes, the eX-
pectant fodder of his country'-pos5i.
bly, after March next, but not un-Til-
den.
And now, 1 hardly know how to
commence to tell you anything about
the Centennial. To describe or even
mention the exhibits of each nation,
would be TO make a catalogue of the
| 81, l., l..
anxious agents, and it would be much
easier to send IA copy than to list the
thOusanth part myself. On the other
hand, to give general view of the
display would be about as easy as to
give picture in words, OF Niagara. |
can c0nscientiously say il is grand, be-
yOnd any conception [ had formed,
Doth as well organized whole and in
its details. You can spend days at
hard walking and looking, and each
time you make a fresh start, feel that
you have new show to look at-some
new aisle bordered by objects of rare
beauty and interest. If you wish to
make special study of the machinery,
the woolen or cotton or silk manufac-
lures, the ordnance, the mineral wealth
in coal and iron and copper and silver
and gold and precious stones, the val
liable woods of all kinds, fIOm the oaks
and cedars and wdlnuts and ashes aud
pines, of Canada and United States, to
the huge log of mahogany over in the
department of Espana, with few feet
of its upper surface polished like a mir
ror; if you desire to see the way paper
IS manufactured, or even banker after
popcorn balls, just from the mold, and
handed over Dy a nice young lady,
wrapped up in a piece of tissue paper;
if you want to see the process by which
wine glaSSesare blown, or silk ribbon
woven; if, in short, there's anything
you don't know, and would like to
learn, go to the Centennial, apd stay
long enough, you'll find it OFT.
| was not ashamed of OhiO's exhibit.
1t ranked, l think, among the very
first.
The Mexican department was highly
interesting. 1t proved that people
may be, in the opinion of its neighbor5,
very badly governed, and engaged in
almost annual revolutions, and still
SurpaSS in some branches of agriculture
and mining as, witness the fine display
of Mexican coff5eS, corn and other
grains-al5o of metals, including a cake
of silver weighing 1902 pounds. Speak
ing of coffee, brings to mind that |
bought of the article grown in Liberia.
Call down, and Pil let you see the
grounds of my opinion as to its merits.
The display OF stuffed animals in the
United States or Government Building,
was very instructive study. Here
stood a number of bears of all kinds in
all their snarling majesty; there were
antelopes, deer of smaller stature, tow
cred over by the giant elk; down on
your own level, countless fishes with
shapes you never dreamed Off you
can speak of the shape OF that which
shape has none and follow that car
cass up, up till you come to the head of
i three-stnried giraffe. The sea lions,
walruses, seals of many species, afford
ed very instructive study to any one
who wants to know something of these
co-tenants with Us, of our Fathers
mansion. b.