Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1876-11-30
tgorrespondenee OF the Herald.r
yefrY1 ont " eacGuartera.
AN ISrERssrISa STATEMENT III MIR.
PATTERSON. ...:.S /.
PnILApELPHIA, ROY. q

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 81.
Editor. Rattand Herald Dear Sir
Complying with your request so far as
may be TO let you know The history OF
the little headquarters building opened
on the goth of May for the accommoda
ton of Vermonters visiting the Centen'
NAL exhibition, / will gather together
some little items that may be interest
ing. The building, as heretofore ex-
planned, was cut down from q 50-foo.
square two story house to 80 40 feet,
by the superintendent of the grounds
(Col. Sprague intending to erect the FIRST
named, ard doing his beat to obtain per
mission TO put it on the site awarded us),
and built and ]. furnished complete in
fourteen days, a less time than was taken
for the completion of any one of the
structures upon the fair grounds, if we
are allowed to except only a few booths
and I'm pretentioas soda fountains, Its
usefulness was demonstrated from the
first by q steady TOW of visitors from
Vermont, and likewise original Yer
monitors from all parts of the country,
Very many were the meetings of old
neighbors who for years had lived hun
dreds OF miles apart, and it was very
funny indeed to hear them relate mutual
experiences, and endeayor the one to
convince the other that in the West
farms were too wastefully managed, and
on the other hand, that in Vermont too
much was wasted in fences and unneces-
sarY work. Doubtless each. learned a
little, and if neither was convinced that
the other was entirely correct, both were
benefited by the difference in the cur
rent of conversation from that usually
followed, around the home post-of1ce, or
the big stove in the faYorite country
store. Exactly how many Vermonters
enjoyed the benefits of the headquarters
cannot be known; about fifteen thou.
sand registered, and fully half as many
more were here that did not, for at
times it was SO crowded about the regis
try desk that it was impossible TO get to.
the book without waiting ten or fifteen
minutes. The post office facilities were
freely used, the headquarters having re-
ceived and mailed about ten thousand
letters, newspapers aud postal cards, n-
dependently of the mail matter belong
ing more properly to itself, and received
about two hundred .telegralns, which
were mostly delivered. Our coat, bag
gage and boot black room proved very
useful. At times it was piled full of
luggage several feet high, and the fact
that our very oblig ing black boy received
in gratuities one hundred ana foity=six
dollars over and above his wages is am
pie proof that be attended to his bust
ness, and that just such room was
needed and appreciated. We were in
strumental In enabling one woman to
| find her husband, he having with less
| gallantTy than il is usual to find among
Vertnonters, left her at homo while he
| came to Philadelphia, but she was
''bound to see the Centennial" and SO
followed her liege lord TO the Quaker
City, with a persisteney worthy of a
better fellow. On the register OF the
Vermont House she discovered his name
| and the place at which he was stopping.
We gave her facilities for reaching him,
and afterwards that couple did the
Centennial" ia company. One thing
| was tolerated within the exhibition en-
| closure that should not have been a..
lowed under any consideration. | speak
OF the peddling of olive wood and vari