The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-03-28
From the Centennial City.
PHILADELPHIA, March l8. 1876.

MbsehS' rDiiOhe '-lu my lanb lottcI
to the REGISTER in attempting to de.
scribe the buildings in the Centennial
grounds, l omitted some, and in fact 9th.
er structures have appeared since that
time, in course Of construction. Spain
has erected building as headquarters
for her commissioners, engineers, etc.
Massachusetts, has in course OF construc-
tion commodious building for the use
Of her people. The Glass Blowers Asso-
citation of the United States are erecting
a large building, in which to exhibit their
skill in that fine art. A company in
Boston have erected on summit of Bel.
mont Hill an observatory - Sawyer's
patent = nearly two hundred feet in
height, tubular in form, constructed Of
heavy boiler iron, strongly riveted eight
feet in diameter at the base, and about
three at the apex, car circular in form,
encircling the hollow shaft 1t is to be
elevated and lowered through the agency
Of steam and compensating weights. Near
the top Of the column is large station
ary and circular platform, with high
and secure railing. The manager inform.
ed me that the car would contain about
tbirty-6ve persons, and the platform was
capable of containing over hundred per.
sons. From this high altitude sweep
of vision will be obtained that must
nearly bedazzle the senses down from,
and nearly beneath it, will be seen the
vast aggregation Of buildings, in and
about which will be exhibited the products
and skill Of the civilized world yes, and
Of heathendom. Mapped out in the near
distance, in southeasterly direction,
will be seen stretched the mammoth city !;
the largest in area on the continent its
piers washed by the placid Delaware aud
the rippling Schuylkill; and then the
view will be unobstructed until it reaches
the hazy outline of the horizon. and will
be co.existent with optical power and vls'
ual sweep. The Catholic Total Abstinence
Association OF Philadelphia are erecting
near Machinery Hall an imposing and
beautiful fountain of marble, at an estim.
ated cost Of $50, 900 ; it will be aperma.
nent ornament to the park. The little.
industrious "Japs" have timber already
on the ground, and are about erecting
another building near Memorial Hall ;
and if the states of This Union are not on
the alert, these little copper colored fell
lows from the land Of "Tomeny" and the
Mikado will carry off the building palm.
The Leather Dealers Association are
erecting large building, and the American
Dairymen's Association propose erecting
building, in which they can exhibit the
modus operandi Of manufacturing those
very essential staples, butter and cheese
The Pennsylvania and Reading railroads
are each constructing depot on the
grounds, for their respective roads. Two
large hotels near the centennial buildings
are nearly completed the Trans-conti'
mental and the Globe Mr.. Dobson, the
contractor and builder of the main ex'
hibition building, and MIR. Kingsley o
the Continental Hotel Of this city, paid
the centennial commission a bonus of ter
thousand dollars for the privilege of plac
ing the Globe Hotel on the grounds
About $500 900 have been received by
the commission for what they term icon
cessions," that is, for exclusive privileges
among them, a publishing and printing
house have paid 100000 for the privi
lege of printing the catalogues fot the ex
position and live Down East Yankee
has paid $4,000 for the exclusive priv
lege of vending pop corn within the en-
closure. The grounds are enclosed will
high aud strong picket fence; it | re
member correctly, about two hundred an,
fifty acres are enclosed. Admittance i.
still public into the grounds, but the Cen
tennial buildings are closed to outsiders
as foreign goods arrive and are place.
in their respective positions. A few day
since, through the politeness Of pall
guard, l was permitted to stand in thu
doorway at the west end of the mali
building and take cursory look into th'
vast structure. Near tho doorway on th
right stand the Chilian fixtures, pagod
shaped. Nearest at the left are the Nor
way fixtures; farther on are the Spanish
etc.
In front Of the large government build
ings a number Of cannon are placed il
position among them are two IA incl
monitor guns enclosed in huge wOodel
turret. In front of the center Of th,
building is huge "dog ofwar' learne,
from The officer in charge that this mon
ster gun weighs 6fty.seven tons cali
Der twenty inches, huring a projectil
weighing 1884 pounds; weight Of iro'
carriage on which it rests, eighteen and
half tons it was brought from Fortres
Monroe, but was cast at Pittsburg in thi
state. As an indication that an influx o
people from foreign lands has commenc
ed, on the down town streets the jabber
: ing of unknown tongues is already heard
they are probably mostly officers an,
commissioners, appointed from abroad
; A while since, l approached a pagod
shaped building on the grounds, in pro
cess of construction, and inquired of
man, whom l supposed to be foreman
or superintendent Of the work, the pur
pose of the building the gent shook hi
: head, and brokenly replied mo English,
; but politely treated me to a suppose
: reply-if he rightly apprehended my in
terrogation-which was to me a mer
=, rigmarole, or at best out "hog Latin"
made no farther inquiries. but ''subsided
and walked on. The next time | was n
the grounds, l ascertained, through tn
= agency of my native tongue, that tn
, building was to be for the Spanish head
: quarters, and that the workmen were
lot Of Spaniards just imported from tn
land Of Ferdinand and Isabella, bu
: made no attempt to interview them agair
y, The Pennsylvania Railroad Compan
has just issued its annual report. Their
> are some figures in the report that loor
up rather loftily. The Psnnsylvani
railroad proper formerly called the Cen