The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-02-24
THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION.
The Condition OF the Ground and the
Five Principal Buildings.

freezing or being covered with ice and
snow for the sole purpose of enabling
the great work OF preparation upon the
CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION GROUNDS
TO go forward without interruption.
Owing to the unusually mild weather rot
a single DAVIS work has been lost, and
there is as much activity at The grounds
and as large an army OF bnsy workers SIS
upon the balmiest day OF summer. With
in an astonishingly short time small
city almost has grown up amid the trees
and shrubbery of Paramount Park.
Over fifty buildings are now iii various
stages Of construction, the most impor-
tant nearly finish, and many others
which are Of minor consequence, yet in
complete The greatest variety IN form
and style is obsergable-from the many
turr1ted iron and glass main building,
with its immense expanse Of twenty
acres, and the massive and magnificent
granite art gallery, to the smallest chalet
OF light wood and gay colors. But even
these are not sill. Besides the fifty or
eighty structures now under way, plans
are being made and ground staked Off
for half as many more and 1t may be
predicted with certainty that when the
exhibition opens there viii be at least
400 buildings, representing every ma
tionality and Of infinite variety of design
the three mile Enclosure of the great fair.
The lakes and fountains are being pre-
pared, the walks and roaGs macadamized,
the little ''rapid' steam railway which
will convey visitors from point to point
is being laid, shrubbery and trees are
being set and lawns tcrraced and sod
ded Hundreds Of work1nen Of all sorts
MIN
corators, builders, masons, laborers,
and gardeners are moving about
or plying the tools OF their trades, and
on all sides the greatest activity is Oh
seryable. On the main building alone,
Mr. Dobbins, the contractor, has had
5000 men at work, but is now rapidly
reducing the force, his labor being so
near completion. The most confirmed
croaAer who has been predicting with
some show Of reason not long ago. that
the buildings could not be ready in time,
cannot but admit his error ROW, thanks
to the pleasant weather we have had, as
he looks down upon the busy SCENE from
| the observatory which an enterprising
Yankee has erected upon Belmont a;H,
just outside the grounds.
srUPENDoyJs PREPARATIONS.
{ at TIC 6OtttiiSIH tIOHt VI tuS cctiiltAl1
line, Elm avenue, where are the princi-
pal entrances and approaches from the
CITY. the main exhibition building and
Machinery Hall stretch along III what
appear to be a continuous line, the
length of which is three quarters of a
mile. IN reality there is q space OF AGO
feet between them, but as it IS filed by
three contiguous small structures, the
offices OF the Centennial Commission,
the offices of the Board of Finance and
the ticket offices and gateways, the effect
at little distance is that Of one i'm
mense building exactly as long as fifteen
New York City blocks, or three-quarters
of mile
TIE MAIN BUILDING.
The main building is completed except
the four towers in the center, the flag
stats of which viii be borne maiestically
$50 feet above the ground. These tow
ers are nearly completed, and the cen
trail space which they VIII cover at the
Intersection Of the two principal aisles
OF the building is equal to what would
have TO be stretched across were Broad
| and Market streets, the widest through
fares in Philadelphia, to be rooted over
at their junction, where boths streets are
about 112 feet wide each. When this
portion-a mere bagatelle by compari-
sons finished, and the decoration and
painting, nearly finished, are over, the
/ great structure will have rec ,ived its last
| touches. As far rs all really necessary
| purposes are concerned, however, the
/ building Is ready for the reception of
! goods nov. aud some Of the foreign ex
! hibits are now lying there waiting to be
/ unpached.
I MACHINERY HALL.
| Machinery Hall is entirely completed.
! It does not cover twenty acres of ground
ike the main building. but it manages
TO spread itself over seventeen. The
boiler house for the CorIiss engine.
which viii supply the power for
its machinery, stands just north
of the hall, and is nearly ready
| to roof over. 1t has two large chimneys,
ninety feet high, and If it ware not stu
| ated 50 near its huge neighhor would
be thought quite large structure. 1t
will contain twenty large upright Corliss
| boilers to feed the monster engine in
the center Of Machinery Hall. This en-
! CINE is now being put Ia place. It cost
| $40, 600, and is the most powerful steam
engine in the world, having the enor-
nous capacity Of 1900 horse power.
This monster viii be one OF the features
Of the exhibition OF which America may
well be proud. Europe can show moth
ing like it. 1t is worthy Of detailed
description, and viii be treated Of in
subsequent letter The assignments of
space have been made in Machinery
Hall. ~ d the floor is checkered with
colored lines, inciosing the name OF the
exhibitor to whom IL has been assigned.
4 ST -
for the United States Custom House
authorities, and the goods belonging to
the Khedive of Egypt, Sweden. Nor
way, and some other nations are guard
Ell by government ficials.
MEMORIAL HAE.L.
North of the nam building Is the
Memorial Hal or art gallery. It's mas
sive granite walls, chaste Design, and
magnificent proportions fora "a pleasing
contrast to the other structures Il
covers an acre aud half of ground. and
is on the most commanding height of
the I.anaiowne plateau, bat its proxi-
mitv to the main building dimiuishe; It's
apparent size. It has been found to be
too small for the great dem and upon its
wall space, and another building is just
about beginning, 400 feet distant, TO he
used rs an annex. Ii will be $50 feet 10y
$50 feet, and viii be Of brick overcast
with cement, 10 initiate the granite of
Memorial Hall. The hall is IN the same
promising condition as the other two
principal buildings. 1t is finished, ex-
cept in The interior decorations and the
: c,rroEndings, such as the terraces and
statuary aud garden ornaments, which
are tos,dd beauty to It. In proportion
20 it5 size il is the most costly Of build
ings, requiring au outlay Of 81. 800, eco,
but its materials are enduring granite,