The Ottawa free trader., 1889-05-04

Ger by a trnnsept II feet vide, ana With .
roof 10y feet high in the center, From north
TO south the palace was ,S5l feet long, and
its main breadth was +j6 feet, Thus il COW
cred eighteen acres, and yet this enormous
structure WAS completed in few weeks after
work actually began on the ground. The
pillars rested on beds OF concrete sunk deep
In the ground, and all the nuts, bolts, beams
and girders were SO well adjusted that perfect
safety was assured The side roofs were in
the form of IA series Of VS., the center a semi
circle, all of glass, in pieces ~ inches long,
and arranged at such angles that the moist
ure from thousands OF plants many fountains
and the people below condensed on the glass
and ran down into concealed cutters. which
carried IL oil.
The area for displays was az, 1Si square
feet, and for hangings 800, 900 square feet; the
1860 great columns sustained G,3GO tons,
there were nine miles Of broad tables and
lakes of great size, and yet the total cost was
less per cubic foot inclosed than that of
an ordinary barn. The cost was f19,SO
(S399,000l If the contractors could have
the structure at the close, and el5O,-
600 if it remained; possession of the
ground was given on the Goth of July, and
ir l45 days the building was ready for ex-
hibitors to move in their goods Well might
the English race all the world over raise
cry of exultation. Four months they worked
incessantly and on the lst of May, 1851, the
ceremonial opening took place.
Every great journal in the world bazed
day after day with gorgeous descriptions OF
the great exhibit The glittering Koh--Noor
and other diamonds, the palm trees and great
Victoria Regia in the tropical garden under
glass, the statuary, the ores and the ingots,
the lace work, the loom work, the gossamer
silks of Japan and the marvellous ivory cary
ings of India, the hand products of all the
semi-civilized peoples, and the manufactures
of Europe and America. But the visitors
themselves retained their interest longest
There were long bazars managed by people
of the Orient in their native costumes, and
detachmentS from every tribe in every sec
ton of the British empre-all in their native
huts and native costume All the British
poets broke forth in the most laudatory
strains, and nearly all the preachers declared
that this was the opening festival Of long,
long reign of peace The Temple of Janus
was to be shut for a century, and there was
to be another Saturnian Age War began as
soon rs the visitors got home, and from the
close of the exposition till 1879 there were
nine great wars, and at no time SIX months Of
general peace
The exhibition fees not only paid for the
structure and all expenses and premiums, but
left large surplus in the hands of the royal
commissioners. Prince Albert formally closed
the exhibition on the 18th of October, and a
sort of epidemic for exhibitions broke out.
| There was a considerable success in Dublin,
one of the painting and sculpture of all ma
tions at Manchester three considerable expo
sitions in Paris, and finally the United States
made sort of futile attempt to initiate the
| Crystal palace with a structure at Philaiel-
| phia. of which little need be said The next to
excite international attention and prove a
really great success was the Exposition UnI-