The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1876-05-11
wAanNeroN, d. G. May 18th, ,76.

NAsiilNGToN, IL. ", MAY 10Th, 20.
On Tuesday Congress adjourned to the city o.
brotherly love to attend the grand opening of tho
Centennial Exposition, and Of course your cor
respondent accompanied the distinguished party
70 keep track OF their movements, Col. Ton
scott kindly provided all the necessary dead
head facilities, and two special trains filed will
congressman, government officials, officers OF
OF the army and navy, members OF the press and
other invited guests, left Washington, on Tues
day at II m. and SIP. m, by way of New York and
Lancaster, over roads controlled entirely by the
Pennsylvania railroad. There is no Washington
YOU an account of the opening exercises and 9th
er matters pertainingto the great Centennial EN
position ~W
The deed is done. The festal day has come and
| the Centennial Exhibition is opened. This great
panorama which is to be at once an exposition Of
the growth during its first hundred years of thC
greatest nation on earth, and of the correspond
ing progress in art, science and civilization o.
the whole world, has begun its evolutions The
ceremonies and the success of the occasion were
commensurate with the Importance ofthe event
1t was gala day for Philadelphia, and IA proud
day for the bird of freedom. Probably such an
immense concourse of people never thronged
the streets eff the city before, it being estimated
that at least $50 900 were in attendance the as
Il sembled multitude comprising citizens of nearly
every country on the globe. The display ofbunt.
buildings exceeded anything ever witnessed on
any occasion before, lending an inspiration OF
beauty, life and gayety to the scene.
The day was ushered In by the ringing of bells,
and the firing of cannon, and seemed like our
national holiday-the 18th of July. For neatly
two days previous, rain had poured down in tor.
rents, and the night before was portentnous of
mud and water for the opening. Yet old Probs
said IL would be fair, and people stood round the
hotel lobbys and under awnings praying that he
might be right or at least be able to effect an ar.
rangement with the clerk of the weather. But
the morning dawned unproptious, and the mil.
itary which had been ordered to rendezvous at
An hour later however, the clouds broke away
ana old Sol came out in all his splendor Then
fhe sight was grand and beautiful. The city was
alltasselled and festooned with the flags ofevery
nation, which shook of the glistening drops; and
the sound Of drums and bugles down dozen
streets betokened the marshalling of troops. IL
was nine O'Clock when the head of the line
the President and Cabinet took position ut the
head. The military escort consisted of Gov.
Hartranft, and Gov, Rice, ofMassachusetts, with
their respective STATS and about 5000 men In
line. some of the most notable organizations be.
| ing the Boston Cadets. the Boston Lancers and
the pennsylvania State Fencibles.
From 8 O'Clock till nearly the middle of the at.
terternoon, every street-car every steam car and
every avenue leading to the Exhibition Grounds
was crowded and thronged with an eager mass OF
humanity human bent upon seeing what there was to
three miles from the Continental Hotel-with
one foot resting upon the platform of a street
car, and one hand caught somewhere above. sc
anxious were they to reach the grounds. The
hour for opening the gates had been fixed at !
O'Clock, but long before that time the main u
| trance was beseiged by an impatient throng
winch never grew less but was instantly aug
umcnted till late in the day. As / went from
one gate TO another to witness the efforts of the
eagre multitude to gain admission, it seemed to
me that the facilities for ingress and egress were
entirely inadequate, at least for this occasion.
The exercises of the opening were simple and
olenined thousand men in uniform, freshly
organized, studded the land scape as police
Two hundred and fifty jurors, whose expenses
VIII be as many thousand dollars, were upon the
grand stand waiting to begin their labors, when
the Exhibition. Nearly three times the
number of States originally asserting to the
sublime INSTRUMENTATION of Independence were
represented sepneSaa by their Commssioners. The
olviduality, and America, at peace with the
world, produced the martial tunes Of every great
nation, which were cheered without discrmina'
tlon by her multitudes. Beauty, as well as rank,
graced the festive place. There sat near her
husband the Empress of Brazil and the daugh.
yer OF the King Of the Sicilies. The Presidents
wife was neighbor of the beautiful lady of the
spanish Minister. A Quaker poet wrote the
hymn of pious graduation:
Our fathers God from out whose hand
The centuries fall like grains of Sand,
Wemeet, to-day, united, free.
And loval to our land and Thee.
The grand passo voice of Mr. Whitney of Bos-
ton, rose above the thousands on heads produc-
ing an encore, while the tones of prayer from a
Methodist bishop fifty expressed the undiscour-
aged aspirations of the America OF the second
century MAY the new century be better than
the past. More radiant with the light of true
philosophy, warmer with the carnations of q
worldwide sympathy. May capital, genius,
and labor be freed from all antae onism by the
of justice and equity.b One thousand voices
accompanied the great organ. In the inter-
ludes the military bands doomed over the wide
Tben ther tne rested on
ken out from minaret and Flagstaff along the
vast profile of the buildings a hundred banners
OF all nations blew in the wind. The Exhibi-
ton of 1879 was open.
Descending from the great stand the Presi-
dent walked through thetwo principal build
ings on the arm of the DirectOr-General, ac-
companied by his guest of Brazil and his family,
and followed by the Chief Justice, the Presi-
dent of the Senate, and Speaker of the House.
cannon saluted the advancing party, and be-
fore each nations display of products, the COM
missioners thereof bowed 10 the American Of
ficials. At the center of machinery hall stoed
the giant engine, grim and SILENT its double lev
ers yoked TO the mighty wheel which was TO
move all those miles of shafting and betting
and start TO life hundreds of machines of ii
descriptions, and thousands of spools, shut
ties and spindes. The President having taken
hold OF the yalve-lever of enc engine, and the
Emperor that of the other, both gave the turn
simultaneously. In an instant the great wheel
started to move, and the obedient looms be-
gan their round of six months like an ark of
the creations of man. Meanwhile the gones
and steam whistles, the firing of one hundred
guns on Georges hill and the music OF the
chimes of bells in the towers had been signal
ing the approach at the grand finale Then the
vast assemblage dispersed as they desired. and
the fcrmaities were over until the Fourth of
July brings more splendid pageantries BY
night the illuminated streets drew down their
crowded aisles the resident and visiting thous-
ands, and II seemed u Roman carnival III the
Quaker city.
SO the triumph of the formal opening exceed
ed the most sanguine expectations, and in
sures magnificent success throughout. 1t is
impossible 10 obtain an accurate statement of
the number OF persons within the grounds on
Wednesday, because the turnstiles are not in
perfect order and did not register correctly,
but estimates range from 10000 to CSC, 600.
A change is evidently needed in the regulation
prescribed by the Department of Admissions,
which obliges every visitor to pay a fifty cent
note. The absurdiry of refusing a dollar for
two persons, or two dollars for four is too evil
dent and annoying to be long continued. Hun
dreds were turned back from the gates, which
they had gained by patient waiting in line, and
Obliged TO fall in at the end of longer one at
the Office for changing money, or submit 70
the extortion of the SPECTATORS in 5O-ccnt notes
This class made a small fortune by means OF
this regulation. EVERYBODY secs the reason why
the gatekecpers cannot make change: but no
body understands why dollar bill cannot be
put in the box in payment for two admissions,
as well as two half-dollars. All that is requis-
lite is that the gatekceper should have as much
money In his box as the register on his turn
stile calls for. On Wednesday stalwart coln-
tryman offered 81 bill for himself and Wife
and was told, like thousands OF other visitors.
that he must bring two 50-cent notes. He ex-
postulated a little while with no effect but Il
irritats the gatekeeper. Then he roar2d in q
voice of thunder: take the money and let US
In or I'll knock you down." The affrighted Of
fetal broke the rule and allowed the couple to
pass in.
From the experience so far IT is pretty cleai
| that the facilities for accommodating visitors
with bed and board will be ample and some OF
IN W ladv fG hn how "a fn6