Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-05-27

4 Wv tAiiAueNo MIN ehN NOdOhNoi
land hear the rumble of all
kinds Of vehicles rolling into the
city, one would think everybody
in Tennessee, almost, had visited
the Centennial. This, however,
is not the case, for there are ma
ny living within few hours
ride of the city, whose business
will not permit them to leave,
therefore we have concluded to
give a short sketch of what one
would see in one days visit to
the Centennial.
AS soon as the doors arc open
cd, at 10 a. M, the crowd begins
to pour in and continues until
10 p. IN. We go in with the
crowd. The first that attracts
our attention is the fountain in
the centre, the main spout Of
which throws a jet of water a.
bout 70 feet in the r,while eight
smaller ones form circle around
it, each throwing jet about %
or 30 feet high in the basin be-!
meath are three alligators-one
very large, 40 years old-and
two young sea lions. They are
all trained and obey promptly the
commands of their owner, Prof.
Perkins. There is a tight rope
performance three times day
by Prof Leon. The next place
that attracts our attention is the
art gallery, where there is such
a collection of fine paintings,
drawings, statuary, etc, that it
would take too much space for a
description. Here is found the
blistercd portraits of the pioneers
of 1880, and the efforts OF the
school girl of 1880. We next
90 to the historical department.
Here are found many relics of
! pioneers, and cuiiosities found in
the caves and Indian mounds of
Tennessee and elsewhere, such as
petrified animals, reptiles, ETC.,
human skulls, curious shaped i'm
plements of war, and many other
things brought from many parts
of the globe, among which is the
Egyptian mummy 3 ,300yearsold.
The relics of Gen. jackson, how
ever, attract more attention than
anything else in the department,
His carriage stands in the cen
Fter Of the room which was
made for him in 1883 of the ship
Constitution, and was constantly
used by him until his death in
1916. Beneath the carriage are
Jackson's andirons, his hat box
and other relics from the hermit
age there is also under the car
riage an old iron kettle that was
brought from England in the
! Mayfower, December, 1920, and
was brought to Nashville in
1873. We have not time to
dwell longer on this department,
for were we to endeayor. to do it
| justice it would take hours.
We next go to the floor above.
The arches and pillars are beau
tifully decorated with stars and
stripes and the banners of each
State in the Union. Around the
upper part of the rotunda are
four large pictures; ..the dimen-
sions are about 12x16 feet. They
were painted by a Nashville ar
fist, and represent severally the
landing of the pioneers at the
present site of Nashville; the
arrival of the first steamboat,
jackson, that came to Nashville:
the burning of the Nashville inn
and courthouse, and the Van
derbilt University and grounds.
We next go to the machinery.
About one-fourth of the ground
floor is covered with various
kinds of machines, all in motion,
and are run by large engine.
The engine was built in Nash
vile and is fine piece of work.
Among the pieces of machinery
deserving mention is Knowls'
steam pump. 1t is this pump
that furnishes the fountain with
water. There are many ether
machines that attract attention,
but we cannot stop to examine
them now. The most beautiful
part of the building is the horti-
cultural gardens. AT night when
] the electrical wires are throwing
out a flood of light 'as bright as
sunshine yet as soft as moon
light, it makes one feel as if he
were in the enchanted garden.
The gorgeous display of flowers
on all sides will entertain the
the lovers Of the beauties of ma
ture for hours. We will now
take a seat meath the boughs
of the great magnolia tree for a
rest, and will visit the other de-
partments of interest at another
time. Suffice to say these exhibi-
tons are certainly the best that
has ever been presented to the
people of the South.
Among the drawings Of fine
buildings at the Centennial, we
notice a diagram of the residence
of Col j ID Tillman. Of Fazatta-