Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-07-05

over I0U miles without ever stopping.
They hang up the mail on crane at
the stations and u patent arm fasten-
ed to the car reaches ont as we 90,
hugs it around the waist and squeezes
il up until the mail agent calls around
and releases its grasp. So they never
stop for the mail either, 1t il Won
deriul what we are coming to.
Arriving at Philadelphia we view
the markets, the most noted in the
world for excellence aud cleanliness.
Every butcher has on his plug hat.
fine black suit and white apron.
We then see independence Hall
where is the original Declaration of
independence, locked mp in fire
proofs made on purpose, also the
old liberty hell, which pealei out the
glad news of freedom, old congress-
ional chairs and other relics of great
interest to Americans.
This was the day Hayes was nomi-
mated for President and at every tcle-
graph or newspaper Office men were
thronging the streets so il was almost
imPossihle TO get along them for the
crowd. But the time of our depart
ure for the Centennial is at had and
we make for the great SHOW"
SO now we come TO the "Centcmi-
al the greatest exhibition the world
of to-day knows anything about.
The railroads kindly run their pas
sengers up 10 the grounds and we
alight, leave our baggage al the lug
gage room for 10 cts per day. walk up
to the entrance gate, hand the keeper
two quarters and-but hold on, for
once two quarters arc not fifty cents,
and we must 90 up to the Ccntenni-
al bank a few yards off and get II 80
cent pioce az they receive nothing else
at the gate. We now deposit the lu-
ere and enter through turn stile that
registers every one as he passes by
and if there are not in the closing mn
or the days doings as many 30 cent
shinplasters as persons registered, wo
be to the toll man. Once inside and
wonder of wonders Tho Main
building covers ALI, acres and is
both handsome and ornamental. Ii
is SO largely constructed of glass that
it is almost as light as day at every
point in this vast building. The first
impression is bewildoring but we de-
eide to begin al the door and 'stakc ii
clean" as we go, 1t is planned with
u main aisle and sido aisies running
off at right angles. There arc about
: aisles running full length. They all
make over so miles of travel.
There are As acres of buildings un-
der roof altogether and 1t takes 49,
GOO men daily to operate The monster
show. We enter first the Chinese
and Japanese departments, There
we find 400 pieces of china ware over
1000 years old and one soup bowl
over 1000 years old. Mirrors are on
dragons and dogs, these mixed up
with carved birds and various ami
mails, all giving evidence Qf gross aud
unreiined taste in art, yet priced at
from $4,000 to $500 and cheap if the
work is considered at a fair price.
Little carved bureaus were $500 and
little carved wardrobcs $3.50, neither
larger than 2x2ls. A Junk house and
surroundings. QrHamenrcd and cary
ed was marked $1,000, Porcelain
vases for flowers holding ) to 10 gal
Ions, 5000. The browning picco was
q bedstead that 1t took 3 men 80 years
to make, or equal to ono mans work
of 30 years. 1t is a marvel of pa.
tience and ingenuity with little taste
i sweden had patent artincial lcath-
on, elegant skins Of animals and birds,
Esquimeauy and reindeer travelling
over the SHOWS and an EsquimcauX
house as they live, eat and sleep
among other things. Egypt had a
! stone representation Of the great pyr.
amid, ancient pipes, vases, earrings,
stuffed alligators, saddles for drome.
daries trimmed with elegant gold
mountings; stand cover trimmed
with gold and silver, $1,000; very
ancient door of q mosque, 1000 years
old: a plaster cast of the PHARAOH
that annoyed Moses so persistently
with other ancient kings from l3W
ID. Z. up TO about the Christian era
As it Is not our purpose to go into
details we will give the prices Of
several very unique and beautiful ar.
ticles in the foreign departments and
from this may be inferred their beanr
ty and elegance,
We noticed a III, 600 album. a 500
oyster bowl, an $3.50 wine set, $3.50
cornucopia. g gold and silver punch
bowl $500; o $s,4Od Gandelebra
clocks from 500 TO $3.50; single
candlestick $3.50; pair of green
agate flower vases, $500: a mantle
piece. 5000; center table, small
", 400; an $50 inkstana. all of the
} same green precious stone; lump OF
this stone in the rough, &4,SG0; O
porcelain vase, $500: a glass cake
stand, 5000; mecrshaum pipes $500
each elegant carpets, 5000; a clock
that occupies lGX20 feet space: pict-
ure frames, $4,000 each; wardrobe
and bookcase, elegantly carved, So
QUO; bronze statue of an athlete. 81
500; carved bcdstcad, $500; carved
pulpit and chair, $500: carved Ii.
brary. $500; diamond necklace
$4,000; q small show case of dia.
monds and other precious stones
500, 600; a mosaic inlaid table $1,000
a china toilet SET, $1,000; plain piece
of varicgated marble. five feet high
$500; India shawls, $1,000: tcle
scopes 1900; glass chandeliers ST..
coo; vase "Thc struggle" $500
piece of carpet, 5000 shades, $1,000
carved pulpit $1,000: small piece OF
lace 5000; safe for valuablcs, $25,.
600; Scotch granite monuments, $751;.
800; oil paintings in value to $6O,00I
each, Hundreds of pieces of statua.
ry valued from $4,000 to $4,000 with
innumerable other beautiful and
costly articles.
Or the antique specimens there
was no end. Among them was an
old Norway sleigh, $50 years old, an.
Gent arms knives and spears. A
Norway bride and groom in theil
best bridal bib and tucker, he with
his red wooden warmus and black
pants, and she with her red flannel
frocks skirt and black wool waist
No trails or lace walls or other tub-
duberies for them.
There were wingless birds, a skele-
ton 20 feet long Of lizard, q curious
table composed of 100 pieces, with
ancient specimens of armor, jugs,
bottles, idols, dresses of skins, sad
dies, ETC., ETC., al infnitun,.
From Mexico there was piece of
silver worth 1900; a bedstead worth
$4,000 from the United States: an or
gan worth when completed, $4,000.
and the largest in this country sofa
and four chairs worth $500; q set
of furniture, $4,000, and many minor
ones worth about as much; a library
case worth $4,000; n mantle-piece,
$500 The great Corliss steam en-
CINE, worth 100000, is one of the
worlds wonders: among minor
beauties, 81 500 sleighs, $500 harness /:
an eight-by-ten-foot picture worked
on a Weed sewing machine, boots
made from the skin of aligators,
rattle snakes, boa constructors, and
even man.
The Smithsonian Institute is there
with its ipnumerahlc wonders and
curious things. The Army and
Navy departments are there with
their $4,000 canon and Gattling gun
that goes 300 shot per minute into
your enemy. In the Machinery Hall
we have miles of shafting and belt
ing, and the great 100000 Corliss
steam engine operates them all. This