The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-07-28
Our Centennial Letter.
PHILADELPH IA, July 18th, 1876

4 -
numbers around the grounds, and the
largest prices were obtained for them,
in expectation Of an immense trade to
be derived from the visitors. No class
of spectators were ever more thor
oughly deceived than those who thus in
vested their money. The great major
itV of the visitors come, bringing their
lunch baskets in their hands, stay but
single day, and then go back home
without having spent a single dollar
that benefits the city. The numbers
of stores and houses for rent on all the
streets and avenues approaching abe
Exhibition grounds is really amazing,
and those who appear to know, pre-
dict that many of the mushroom ho-
tells will be sold out under the hammer
before September. The class that
seems to be most largely anu perma-
nently benefited are street car and
railroad companies. The street cars
were given permission to run Dummy
Engines on all lines running out to the
Centennial, providing they would re-
duce their fares from seven to five cts.
This last clause caused the companies
to reject the engines as they find 1t
much cheaper to kill horses than to
lose two cents on each passenger.
| Owing to the intense heat which is
lscorching up everything, and that inn
patience of restraint that is so charac-
teristic of the American people, and
that leads them to take short cuts in
stead of following the regular paths,
tho PrnFInhS lnoSnnr Of Shai
beauty and are becoming very much
cut up.
In the grounds on the S. w. corner
of the Memorial Hall, is placed very
fine, life sized group of lions, in bronze.
The lioness has an immense arrow
deeply imbedded in her left shoulder,
and is dying. The old male lion is
standing beside her, looking fierce and
bold, and is just in the act OF sendin g
back roar of defiance. One young
cub is sucking its dying mother, while
a second one stands looking over her
body, as if very much puzzled to know
what is the matter. The figures are
bold, spirited, and life-like, and are
very good.
In the hall is an immense bronze
statue of Bismark. He stands dressed
in full military uniform, with both OF
his hands resting on his sword in front
of him; his head is bare, and his dutch
cap and some papers are placed on a
small stump in his rear.
The head is very large, full and
round, and there is a bold, fearless
look about him that is truly indicative
of the man. His eye brows are as
large as an ordinary mustache. The
whole figure is quiet, easy and grace
full, and is evidently the work of a
master.
Near by is a small sized statue of
J Marshall McMahon, in galvanized
bronze. He is also dressed in full
military uniform, and has on a great
cloak which is thrown back so as to
hang from one shoulder. There is q
Won lerful difference in the shape of
, the two mems heads. Bismark has a
, great massive, nat forehead, while
McMahOn's is narrow and rounding
Bismark looks like a great rough bear
whose life has been spent in deeds OF
violence, while McMahon looks more
like the easy polished gentleman
Z Bismark appears to have great intel
lectual force, and an iron will tina
knows no such thing as failure, while
McMahon appears to have strong
will but very common intellect.
In Machinery Hall, in the Brazilian
;, collection, may be seen the whole pro-
cess of raising silk worms, and spin.
ming the silk direct from the cOcoons
The worms are kept in twenty-five
different lots, each lot representing one
days growth. When the worms are
first Matched from the eggs, which are
of a dark greenish hue and not half a!
large as mustard seed, they are of 8
e dark color, and so small as scarcely to
q be seen. In a very short time they
y develope ravenous appetite, and feeC
greedily down to the twenty-second OIL
= twenty-third day, on mulberry leaves
They are then placed beside wooden
e rack, composed of crossed Stats, VI
I which they climb and begin to spir
= their cocoons in one of the spaces be-
: tween the Stats. In about two week
J time the worm has gone through its
j changes and from the cocoon emerge!
: a light cOlored moth or butterfly. The
e male moth is the smallest, most active
q and makes the finest silk. The female
lives but few hours after she lay
her eggs. The cocoon will be of {
l light yellow or a whiteish tinge &C
3 cording to the kind of a worm, ant
G each color is kept by itself. The co
; coons are then placed in hot water, sc
, as to dissolve the glue in them, one
end of the silk caught and slowly un-
wound from the cocoon and wrapped
e around drum. The whole secret,
q was told, in raising the silk worm con
, sists in securing for it warmth, dryness
pure air and a plenty of food. Tn,
product of one ounce of eggs will ca
v 1900 pounds of leaves, and furnish a
= bout 40 pounds of cOcoons.
i In the extreme east end of Main Hal
r the Society for the prevention of cru
city to animals have a large collection
n afiaEc climbs atnffsa6 animals nfa
5 lures and other articles, which vii
| give most persons an entirely new ide
8 of what an absolute necessity there
r tor such a society. The sticks ant
\ clubs are each labelled with the nam
= of the offender, date OF trial and SEN
: tence, for beating his animal with it
}. The American exhibit of Bank Safe
e is very fine. and so far superior to thos
made in any other country as to max
foreigners open their eyes in aston
ishment. All that fine workmanship
e good metal, and Yankee ingenuity Cal
do to make them burglar proof ha
; been done. and TO-DAY America lead
: the world in this branch. The Englis
n and French still use keys, while tn
d Americans threw their keys away
e years ago, and adopted the combina
!, ton lock. The French simply prid
themselves upon an ingenious hinge
u which, when the door is closed, is hid
e den entirely from sight. The Englis
: could make just as fine safes, and at
e much smaller price, if they chose 3
o do so, but they say that they hav
= no use tor anything like what W
make, because they have no such des
g perate burglars In the first place, an
It in the second, they employ many NOR
o watchmen. The stories of our ban
4 robbers make them thank God ever!
" day of their lives that they do not liv
In this barbarous country. Some tim
T since a number of very valuable jewel
d were palced in safe in London, ant
q one after the other Of their professions
o burglars were given an opportunity 3
! open the safe, with the privilege Q
having the jewels If they could pic
y the lock, but every one failed. A
u American manufacturer of safes asked
n for the same opportunity. but his repu
Il tation had preceded him, and he wa
: instantly refused. This same manu-
facturer went to the Treasury Depart