The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1876-07-20
Special correspondence Upton Advertiser |
CENTENNIAL LETTERS.
The International Exposition
The Half that il There Can
Neither be Seen nor TOld.--A
Graphic Description or one
Mans Impressions.

PHILADELPHIA, July ith.
Dear IdcertiSer Perhaps no
science requires more care aud accur-
acy in making observations than as
tronomy, yet the observations of the
most eminent astronomers requires a
correction called personal equation"
Surely, then, your readers will be in
dulgent toward the observations of
one who is trying to make known his
impressions concerning the Centennial
Exposition-for none can do justice
to that. We all have our hobbies,
and the man who wonders how his
wife can stand so long before bit Of
lace will equally tire her patience in
machinery hall. l shall not hope to
give correct description of the ex-
position; | can only write Of things
as they appeared to me, and if l give
undue prominence to some things or
sight others, or find fault with what
is meritorious, please recollect I do
not assume to criticise, but wish to
make others understand how things
appeared to nc.
have spent most of three days en-
the grounds, but have seen very lit
tie comparatively. Those who have
been here three or four weeks con.
fcss the same, and | doubt whether
any person will examine all the arti-
cles on exhibition.
The United States government has
erected building which covers about
two acres, and placed in it long lines
of shelves and cases from the Smith
sonian Institute and Patent Office
stuffed animals, plaster casts OF fish,
models of machinery, ships, etc. One
strange looking model is of the
"Dante," a ship supposed TO have
been built about the year 1000.
Near by one can watch the process Of
manufacturing a rifle, also metallic
cartridges for the same. Here are
also specimens Of powder from the
finest to "lernels" weighing several
pounds and projcciiles from frac-
tion Of an ounce to more than half a
ton. A little beyond are some solid
shot as they fell from collision with
iron targets. In racks at the side
stand great variety Of small arms
that have been in use during several
past centuries. Strange looking af-
fairs some Of them are; flint. locks,
match-locks, pistols as cumbrous as a
modern rifle, and muskets that make
ones arms ache to think of carrying.
Among these are two which were
presented to Mr.. Jefferson by the
Emperor of Morocco, one of them
seven feet in length. Several light
house "lanterns" are here, and one
magnificent revolving light. And
near by are the wonderful little ma
chimes so cunningly devised that they
not only indicate, but faithfully re-
cord those changes from which "Old
Probabilities" computes his estimates.
And you need not stop to puzzle out
the manner of their working, for om-
nipresent in this department is an at
tentive polite old man who answers
all queries, not like the ordinary hired
attendant, but more as parent ex-
plains what his children can do.
Outside the building are several
cannons, among them 20inch Rod
man weighing nearly GO tons, which
requires 200 pounds of powder to
propel shot weighing 1880 pounds.
A little beyond is model of a moni-
tor turret with its two guns in posi-
ton; and no one can pass with in
difference the boat in which DR.. Kane
and his crew embarked on the haz-
ardous voyage which seemed scarcely
less than choice between two
methods of meeting death. More
recent are the events which connect
our memory with the other boat-the
boat in which escaped part of the
crew Of the Polaris.
But most persons are eager to get
inside the main building. 1t is situ-
atcd in the southeast angle of the
irregular triangle which encloses the
entire grounds, and is 1SS0x404; or
perhaps a better idea may be obtained
by thinking of it as rather more than
one third of a mile in length and
nearly one-tenth Of mile wide, thus
afording more than twenty one acres
Of floor, in addition to gallery for
educational department. Through
this space run streets and alleys of
various lengths and widths, accord
ing to the articles to be exhibited.
They cross each other at a right
angle, and in general sense there is
no danger Of losing ones way, yet
one often finds himself several
"blocks' further away than he ex-
pected, but as the name of each
country represented is hung high
above it's own exhibits, one can easily
find his way back to any definite
point.
The articles exhibited are of course
characteristic Of the country repre-
sented. There is a certain degree Of
"expectancy"-Australia aboundipg
in wool, China in silks and wares, Eng.
land in manufactured articles-yet
one will be surprised often to find
people excelling in an art which was