Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-21
SITE OF THE EXPOSITION.
TREES AND WATER MAKING
THE PARK PICTURESQUE. ,


Boats and Cars Which Convey IN
Crowd to the Scene-stsnne of TIA
Scenes Within and without the Exhi
btttpn's Mammoth Building.
M ORLEANS, Dec. 1S.-SiHNe thl
opening of the exposition the wea he
has been extremely disagreeable. Their
has been good deal of rain and it is nov
damp and cold. The cold weather here,
while 1t seldom reaches the freezing
! point, is about as uncomfortable as the
/ cold weather of the North. The visitors
/ have begun to wonder whether the
weather we have been having is speci-
men of the winter weather here. The Y
/ are assured that it is not and that thew
may expect sunshine and balmy breezes
in January and February. The attend
ance since the opening has been very
small. This gives the exhibitors an OPP
pOrtunity to get their exhibits in place.
| There is no blockade on the rail-
roads now and the exhibits are
% carloads a day. The cotton exhibit.
which shows everything connected with
| the cultivation of the plant, and the pro-
| cess of baling and weaving into cloth, is
ne arly ready. The catalogue, which is to
be printed in four languages, will not be
ready for some weeks. Siam has sent
specimens of cotton farming utensils,
weaving apparatus and many other
things, including 100 varieties of colOrs
and styles in bathing suits, shawls, hand
kerchiefs, etc.
The exhibit of the work OF colOred per-
sons, which is now being arranged, at
tracts considerable attention. 1t in
cludes paintings, a collection of original
music, agricultural implements, speei-
mems of dental work, patent car eleva-
tor, patent lamp and other patented ar
ticles, a collection of photographs, ma
chlnery, line needleWOrk, organs, t0pO-
graphical drawings, literature and other
things, representing nearly all branches
of industry and the fine arts.
A great many of the States have not
yet opened their exhibits, and many of
the foreign exhibits have not yet arrived.
The exhibits of Georgia, Florida and
South Carolina are not yet in place. 1t
is too early to give a general description
of what the exposition contains. A gen.
eral description of the grounds and build
ings, however, can hardly fail to prove
interesting.
The Park, which covers nearly 800
acres of ground, is the old Foucher de
| Gree plantation. The old house has
long since disappeared, but the avenues
of live oaks which led up to the colonial
/
ana, still remain, many of them over q
| century and half of age. These forest
! mOnarchs are always the most striking
| features of a Louisiana landscape. OF
| immense breadth-thirtv or more feet in
| circumfeTence-they are low, but with
! large branches, shading an acre or more.
| The inevitable Spanish moss drapes their
boughs, and gives picturesque relief to
! their dark-green leaves. There are sew
| oral HIM 1PQ6 of tbnGn in Darl in
| clumps and avenues, and, as they are
| evergreens, they will prove an attraction
! the entire winter. The gentlemen having
charge of the decorations of the grounds
| have wisely concluded that they ought to
| plant nothing but eyergreens, and con-
| fine themselves mainly to tropical and
| semi-trCpical plants. ice is very infre-
( quent here i'll winter, and trees and
| plants Of this kind are seldom injured.
| They have laid out number of orange
| trees, Just now bearing their fruit,
! and avenues of magnolia, japOnica,
| camellia, and similar winter blOssOming
| plants. The Mexican, FlOridian, CalifOr-
MAN, and Central American gardens will
contain the best specimens of the fora of
these countries. There are very hand
some collections of maguey, agaYe, and
cacti of every variety from the tiniest
dots to others as big as hogshead. The
graceful cOcOanut palms, the royal palm,
and the date pala are in abundance,
most OF them bearing their half-ripe
fruit; and there are, besides these clus-
terS of banana trees giant and dwarf, zig
cacti, the cOchineal plant, and nearly
every shrub grown in the tropics. The
Vanced portion of the work, and are nearly
completed.
THE EXPOSITION PRESENTS A PICTURES
QUE AND ATTRACTIVE VIEW
from the river. This water front will be
a great advantage to it in every respect.
The great question of the hOar is how to
transport to the Park the great crowds
expected 70 travel there daily. There are
five street. lines running JheTe, but the
mule cars Of New Orleans are small,
slow, and Objectionable in many ways.
The steam railroad from Canal street will
not be completed until some time in jan
uary. In the meanwhile there promises
to be terrific crush and crOWdingy The
only means Ofescape from this is the
river. From Canal street, the centre of
the city, to the Park is just six miles by
stopping at all the principal avenues,
ana as New Orleans is nearly all river
front, nowhere running over mile back
to the swampS, everybody can reach the
boats without difficulty, The water "trip
will certainly be the most pleasant and
convenient mode of making this short
jCurney. 1t will give one an opportunity
also to obtain panoramic view of the
city, especially attractive at night, as the
front is lighted by electricity throughout
its entire length.
From the levee in front Of the Park is
Ob5@ined the finest view Of the Mississip-
pi in its whole Icourse of 1000 miles.
just opposite, at Nine Mile Point, is the
old Leringue place, the scene of Cables
I'D
Plantation" Here the giant river pours,
down on the land with such a force and
fur-R that it looks as il it would sweep
everything before it, and you wonder why
the feeble dyke on which you stand is not
carried by the boiling eddying torrent be-
fore you. On the opposite side are miles
of cane, still green and luXuriant, the.
finest orange and banana groves in the
State, the sugar houses, with their tall
begasse chimneys, looking like some
feudal castles, especially with the little
village of WhiteWasGed cabins clustered
around them.
IN RHE PARK, JUST BN THE RIVER BANK.
is the Mexican National Building. Mexi-
co, by the by, is going to carry off of all
the foreign hOnOrs Of the exposition. Il
has gone into it with great zeal and en-
ergy. The streets Of New Orleans are
thT0nged with Mexican soldiers. There
is q regiment of infantry here already,
while the Mexican band discOurses soft
Spanish airs to the New Orleans public in
the Music Hall. But wait, say los NeIs-
| CGDOS, until their cavalry regiment comes,
| every man of which is mounted on a horse
of the purest white. Then you will see
what the Mexican army is.
The great bulk Of the Mexican exhibit
| will be in the main building. Several
| dozen car loads of articles have already
! arrived, and are in position. In addition
| to this, however, Mexico has constructed
| two additional buildings, one for the dis.
| play Of its minerals, the other for speci-
| mems of its fora and fauna and as quar-
tiers for its troops. These buildings, as
far as architectural grace and elegance
are concerned, far exceed anything on the
| grounds. The National Building is of the
| purest Saracenic architecture, and is in
tended to represent on grand scale the
residence of rich Mexican gentleman.
There are four interior courts in terraces,
and here are displayed handsome nat
ural-histOry collection of rare birds,
plants and animals. The exterior of the
building is floridly Ornamented and color
ed in the richest Of hues.
The Mexican Mineral Tower is one of
the most graceful buildings ever erected.
hence to the city OF Mexico for use in the
great exposition that our sister republic
hopes to hold at some early day-for
Mexico is determined to follow with one,
which probably explains the great inter-
est it is showing here and the handsome
display it is making. The Mexican
/