The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-01-28

lately taken place III Tue pthlusulat s'NIV'
Until recently Florida has been regarded as
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS dark swamps covered
by the outrageous palmetto or the pine;
the home of the alligator; its product only
oranges.
1t is intended to show at this exposition
that Florida produces many valuable things.
The palmetto furnishes pulp for paper; pine
needles, converted into a rich product afford
fiber for carpets, while the skin of the ALI
gator decoruteS the feet Of thousands, and his
teeth the heads of many a fair woman as
ornaments.
The city of Jacksonville is the location of
the exposition. Jacksonvile's population is
about 81, 900, though il winter the influx OF
tourists undoubtedly makes it much larger.
The exposition grounds are in the city water
works park, being an inclosure of about
nine acres. This, by system of landscape
gardening, has been converted into park
with streams, fountains, miniature lakes and
lawns. The buildings are the main build
ing, tho annex, the fernando, Citrus and
Pasco building, the Ssminoie camp and other
minor buildings.
The main building displays considerable
architectural taste. 1t covers one acre, being
lttJ IOIlS anu LOG IttO "Itic' IL i'l' Ola
towers, as seen in the accompanying sketch;
and near the top of the tall tower is an OBJ
servatory, reached by winding stair. The
view from this tower is thus described by a
correspondent of The Atlanta Constitution:
The eye rests upon panorama of wonderful
beauty, comprising the entire city OF Jackson
vile, about six miles in length and three miles in
width with the st. Johns river flowing along its
han 81 bnr1ar and the the
growing suburb of South Jacksonville.
The same correspondent describes the in
terror of the main building:
Entering the building, the universal expression
is one of admiration and delight. From the
entrance, lengthwise through the center, ex-
tends the central aisle, twenty-foT feet in
width its surface line broken in the center by
fountain of lovely design and great beauty.
The basin Of this fountain eighteen feet in diam
eter) is surrounded by a curbing of handsome de-
sign, twenty-sx inches in height from the floor,
octagonal in its outline, and surmounted at each
of its eight corners with a graceful vase of the
same manufacture, twenty-five inches high, and
filled with growing flowers From the center of
the basin rises a mound of coral rock and shells
festooned with vines and aquatic plants, from the
summit of which bursts the fountain of pure
arteSan water at the top.
In this main building are the perfumery
exhibit, tho horticultural garden and exhibits
of Florida's different counties. There are
also in this building the products of other
sub-tropical regions which have taken part in
the exhibition.
From the southwestern corner of the main
building extends the annex, lightweight feet
long and sixty-two feet wide. In the annex
is the art gallery, which comprises over 400
oil paintings, many of them very valuable.
The fernando, Citrus and Pasco build
ing is built in rustic style of woods
brought from these counties, and is matched
with palmetto leaves from the same region
Each of the counties named has an exhibit in
this building, the center Of each county's ex-
hibit space being occupied by a pyramid of
the choice fruits of the county.