Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-09-01
THE BIG COUNTY FAIR,
iSuiDENrs or raE OPENING DAY.


The park grounds this morning were
rather crowded with workers and tho ebris
OF broken boxoe than with sight-seers. The
main building, which first greets tho eve
oil the visitor upon entering, is throngod
with busy exhibitors, diligently engaged
IN trying to procure for their friends and
nelghoors the second best situations for
the various articles to be displayed. There
Is no necessity ut present to 90 into do.
tails about tho unfinished stands, but any
one who ID even slightly acquainted with
the great Importance of tho tobacco
interest il Lancaster county cannot help
being struck by the specimen of Sumatra
tobacco plant exhibited in large flower
pot by Mr. Henry G. Moore. II is the
nrst time that this particular leaf
mas appeared ut any public exhi-
oition in this county. Tho leaf is
smoother, softer, moro delicate and more
glossy than any Of our native growths, and
| is said by competent judges TO make a
ptettier wrapper than any uthor Like
most other products of nature it has it's
defects which, no doubt, tho sapient crit.
les will have no difficulty in discussing and
no modesty in making public.
l Trc feminine workcrp
Amid the general turmoil of the main
building, where the store keepers of the
city ana county are preparing to display
their ware, to the utmost advantage, the
ladies' have not taken back seat. Some
OF them i'll their 21Xiety to find plaoos for
their pictures, needle work and embroidery
in position directly on tho line of vision.
have no hesitation in mounting step
ladders anu changing thoir exhibits up
aud down, right and left, with
absolute impartiality as to their rights
and privilege of their neighbors. But
even IN this competition nature now
ana then puts in telling stroke To
one young lady, perched on top of shaky
ladder, camo tho voice of an anxious
mother" Ny dear, bo very careful that
you don fall down you'll surely break
something The young lady replied by
putting few tin tacks in her mouth and
hurting down half au acre Of beautiful ON.
broiGery, destined for : moro imposing
position.
In tho centre of the grounds il situated
the dining rooms of Mr.. Charles w. Eckert,
who, with the self conscious power of q
monopolist, has erected and stocked his
restaurant with moro than oriental
splendor. The dining rooms, admirably
lifted up and comfortably shaded, are
capable OF accommodating more than two
hundred guests at one sitting.
AN Ol-lAlLS tNNtSttl ~ lAIDlIE ltNDIb
ments is rapidly filing up, rs arc also tho
carriage and stove houses. The various
other departments are also busily engaged
in gottiog rid of the impedimcnts and this
afternoon finds almost everything in order.
Mr.. Johnst DG's white hat is theioynasure
of all eyes and the ubiquitous small boy
gathering in his millions, surrounds the
balloonist with the endless shout of, "Hey
boss Is your tiuts ready yet?"
The Balloon ascention.
Tho northwest corner of the grounds
has been set apart for the manufacture of
the gas with which Mr.. j. NJ. Johnston,
oil tue iNTEILIGESCER is 10 make his
balloon ascension Tuesday. As tho
Illuminating gas manufactured by the Ian
caster gas light and fuel company is un-
suitable for mronautics, it being about
ono.third the weight of atmospheric air, i5
is necessary to manufacture on the fair
grounds pure hydrogen gas with which
to I'LL the balloon. The process is not
only expensive but much labor
suro SUCCESS. FIRST four largo casks,
each having capacity of 700 gallons, had
to be obtained aud placed close together
These were furnished by Lawrence Knapp
tho brewer. Tho heads Of the casks had
to be taken out 50 that ton and q half OF
wrought iron filings could he spread evenly
over the bottoms of tho casks. Then the
heads Of the casks were replaced aud
cOopCTed so as to make them not only
water-tight. but gas tight. Then a line OF
hose 600 or 800 feet in length was attached
to fire plug on Frederick street and led
to the casks on tho fai" grounds, and
the casks were filed 10 OveIfloy-
ing, the upper head of each hay
Ing been bored With two inch and
three inch hole. Then spike holes were
bored in each cask niuo inches above the
bung, and the water on The upper part
was drawn off. Fifty feet Of tin tubing,
of three inches in diameter, was then
prepared, and the four casks were thus
connected with large cooling tub placed
near them. This cooling tub is one half
of large beer hogshead, cut in two, and
filled with ice. The tin tubing connecting
the four casks with the cooling tub is
in turn connected with a section of canvas
hose leading into the neck Of tho balloon
and thence through the hose into the bal
loon, which it rapidly fills, expanding il
into I"tund shape and giving it won
deriu' buoyGncy. To prevent il from
tiyinI away it is anchored to tha ground
by about twenty coffee sacks filled with
sand.
The balloon used ou this occasion has a
capacity of II, 200 cubic feet il is made of
fine cambria, oiled,as to pr. vent the escape
of the gas, aud has lifting CNpacity of 600
pounds. The balloon, netting, basket and
other appliances weigh less than 200
pounds.
All these preliminaries having been
made, nearly 900 pounds of oil OF yitriol
is poured into each of the four large casks.
A violent chemical action at once results,
the water is decomposed and the hydrogen
it contains is set FREQ il the form of gas,
1t is the lightest gas known to chemistry,
being when pure only One-fourteenth the
weight of atmospheric air. Rising to the
top of the casks, it il conducted at a high
temperature, through the tin tubing above
referred TO, through the cooling tub and
thence into the balloon.
Au Interview with Efonaut Johnston.
Arc you really going to make q balloon
ascension ?'
"Yes."
"Ain't you afraid ?"
No"
(which way will you go ?"
:" will go up"
But where will you come down ?"
Don't know /; maybe | wOnS come
down at all"
But suppose the balloon should fall
down ?'
" Balloons neyor fall down they always
fall upm