The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-06-29
CENTENNIAL LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

| nuQufou IuOllSstuu people GILL ulSt1 iDueS
| themselves about the grounds without
ever running against one another giving
the appearance of crowd, yet daily fire.
| quenters of the spot readily notice a
thicker dotting of the landscape and a
more stirring aspect of the build
ings, such as has appeared for the past
four days. The great number of new
faces one meets, too, is another indica-
ton of what the gate receipts positively
prove-that the attendance how is fully
three times what it was three weeks ago.
Up to Thursday evening over one million
and a half of people haYe entered
through the gates, and the cry is "still
| they come %
And all these are not ''honle folks !"
| The proportion of forein visitors is not
very large as yet, though there is quite
a sprinkling of costumes and faces that
are easily recognized as un-American.
There is the picturesque attire of the
Turk, and unique dress of the almond
eyed Chinaman. These Chinese seen
here are of the higher class, who dress
, rather differently from the shiny sack and
sabots of Ali Sin, so familiar in most :.of
| our cities nova days. These national
costumes would perhaps be still more
commonly seen if it were not for the ex-
tremely rude staring they are subjected
| to by the curious eyes of the vulgar.
That enterprising and sensitive people,
the Japanese, for instance, have donned
the American fashions from plug hats to
| patent leather boots, and from rear
elevation would be mistaken for genuine
Americans. This vulgar curiosity has
prevented great many foreigners from
appearing in their national dress, and as
a consequence the grounds do not pre-
sent that picturesque appearance they
should Next week I shall give some
| idea of the curious and interesting exhib-
| its of these countries in the main build
ing.
| At the northeast corner OF the Govern
ment Building force of workmen are
now engaged in putting up an iron light
house which, when finished, will fully
illustrate the provisions made by the
| Government for protecting the lives and
property of all who brave the dangers of
| the deep. The base of this structure is
of wood but viii be painted to represent
stone. To this the iron fangs Of the
superstructure are bolted, and above
this is high iron cylinder IS feet in
diameter, the whole being capped by an
ornamental tower. In the centre of this
| elevation is a place for revolving or
fash light Of the fourth grade, and over
one of the dormer windows lquite as or
namental as they are usefrl) is to be
placed fog bell weighing 1850 pounds.
Both of these signals are operated by
cloci1woFk, which delicate yet massive
piece of mechanism DERIVES its power
from weight Of over 800 pounds, and
| by simple change of motion is made to
revolve the light oF strike the fog bella
| the intervals required. The c1ock-work
exhibited is intended to strike first
three times, then twice, then once, and
SO on. This is the signal adopted for
| one of the shoals on Long Island, to
| which the light house now on the grounds
is to be removed alter The Exhibition
| Near this new attraction is the fog
| syren. whose very unsyrenlike roar has
so often startled visitors to the Exhibit
| ton. This ear-splltliflg Instrument is
| little more than very much elongated
HON blown by steam, and yet it has
been heard at a distance of 35 miles.
The fog-horn is located a short distance
from the Ohio State Building, and some
smart wag has remarked that this is very
appropriate. As it requires the use Of
fresh water to generate its tremendous
lung power it can only be used at inland
| points, but even when placed some dis
| tance from the headland it has been
found very effective.
| Agricultural Hail, WHICH has been the
| most backward of the large buildings,
| presents an Infinite variety of attractions
to all who are engaged or interested in
| agricultural matters or machinery.
Within the past few days the machinery
has been put in motion to great extent,
and visitors can now see the manner In
1
| this the ease with the many different
makes of mowers ana reapefs. Some of
| these latter machines are remarkable
specimens of workmanship, and afford
a fine study for those who delight in
mechanics to follow out the apparent
ly complex working of the various parts
which hage IN some cases taken years to
elaborate and baing to their present
| state of perfection. The plough, also.
| which we may call the initial machine
| in agriculture also, shows the immense
strides that have been made within the
| past thirty years. On one hand is the
huge, clumsy MACHINE said to have been
| used by Daniel Webster, and along side
of it the beautiful finished gang plough.
| with all its aids and accessories. Among
| the rest is a Rock and Stump Extractor.
| a very simple yet extremely powerful
| machine, less known on western prairies
| than in the rugged timber growing sec
tons. As showing the immense multi
plication ofpower as applied to mechanics
| it may be stated that twenty pounds on
the end of the lever by which this mach
| inc is operated represents a ton. So
| light and simple is this machine that n
boy of eighteen can set il ND carry it
| from stump to stump and pull out any
| rock that four men can remove. place #
on the stone-boat ind take it of without
| lifting or digging, in from five to fifteen
| minutes. In the olden time stumps
| were a serious obstruction to cultivation
of new ground and could only be re-
moved by patient and long-continued
labor or blasted out with powder,
Among the numerous routes by which
Centennial travel reaches this city little
attention has been paid to those by sea.
which are coming to form an important
| item In the arrival l. of 1icihl,,,c g.. II :