The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-09-15
EUROPEAN LETTERS.
WORKING UP THE WONDER
FUI. EXPOSITION.
a Crying need for Uniformed Off
ciaIS-EXhibitS of Different For
eixn COuntrieS-USeleS of
the. Great EineI Tower.
PARIs, AUGUST 30, ISIS


Editor Citizen To-day was devoted
to working up the Exposition, SO far as
this could be done in five hours steady
walking. The conclusion arrived at by
your correspondent is that these shows
are tiresomely monotonous, and if one is
attempted for America in 1892, let it be
done on some new and more interesting
plan.
We yet think that i'll very many respects
this is not equal to that in Phlladcl-
.phia In the beauty OF the grounds there
can be no comparison. Ours was lar ST.
pcrior, and the acres Of cottons and silks.
and bottles of wine and cakes of soap,
and machines and feather work, and all
that kind Of thing arc jus. the Same as
we have seen over and over aSaIn. So
we suggest once more that Congress I'M
mcdiately appoint a commission to III
vent something better and trcShcr Tor
90, and let it be located near Washing
ton, where ample space can bctound, and
no lack of skill or money to make the
place the most attractive OF the world.
Some one suggested that we should
have an iron tower twice as high as this,
but surely we can have some noblcr amb-
ton than merely to excel i'll constructing
an absolutely useless building. Such, GER
tainlv, the EilicI Tower is; nothing but a
wonderful display of the skill of its de
sipncr, productive of no good, and not
cSpeciallv ornamental. We have not
again been tempted to pay five francs to
ascend it, but have walked around its
base and obtained Il very fair idea OF its
marvellous size. You can conceive some
what of this, when we say that ourcourl
house could bc placed under one OF the
arches that support the first floor, and
its tower would lack much OF reaching
the top of the arch.
One great deficiency here is the want OF
uniformed officials. Much trouble is
caused and unnecessary fatigue for want
OF some one to give information. We
have not been able to find single po-
liccman No. doubt they are here, but
not in uniform that a stranger can rec
opnizc; and for the first time since reach
ing the Continent our questions havcmct
with rude answers. SO, struggling aim
lcsslv around we may perhaps have osl
much that was good and well worth
seeing.
We met a pleasant gentleman, an Amer
lean, in the Nicaraguam building, and
canal, of which large model occupies
most Of the floor. In Mexico, too, We
saw plan for crossing the isthmuS very
similar to that of the lamcutcd EadS, Ill
which we always took great interest;
while near by was building which one
may describe as containing models OF the
canals of Suez and Panama, which we
entered, anxious to know what M. DE
Lcsseps had to show for the latter. Suez
was found all right, but not vcStigc OF
the great French scheme torcutting aSun-
der the two American continents. This
seemed rather ominous for the speedy
completion Of the Panama.
Another great objection we make to
the Exposition, is the great number OF
worthless SidcShows which are permitted,
greatly to the annoyance of the visitor,
while very little is done for his comfort.
Restaurants abound, it is true, i'll great
numbers, but none good, and at cnor-
nous prices We longcd to-day for the
nice Vienna roll, which we first tasted i'll
1876.
The exposition of foreign countries, as
a rule, is very poor indeed, and they ap-
pear to have taken but slight interest in
the show. As an evidence of this, the
only thing worth seeing i'll the Egygtian
house is model of an ancient temple,
provided by our cOuntrymen, Thomas
Cook & Son.
In the machinery department we note
many things worthy of admiration,
among them remarkable locomotives
from Belgium, surprising in size and
weight any we ever saw, and of very dit
IN ~ hose nt \
The absence of any cOwCatcher gives
them a very snub-noscd look, but still
they are handsome.
The largest stationary engine, cores
pouding to the great CorlisS, is OF French
make, and carries a huge fly wheel, forty
feet in diameter, and five feet across the
face. Near this we noted a soap factory
i'll operation which surprised us no little,
as from the trouble and expense which
we have experienced, we did not suppose
that this luxury existed i'll France. Is 1t
not strange, that these people who know
so much OF the retnemcntS of lIIc, should
refuse to provide such an essential to Il
traveller as soap, and shut him up after
dinner in dark room with one candle: :
The idea that light is enjoyable docs not
seem to enter their minds.
In the French department we were much
interested i'll the mechanical toys, and
wished earnestly for all of our Buncombe
BOYS and girls to enjoy them with us
And another thing which we are sure
they would like, is the aquarium. This
was curiouSly constructed under ground,
a large circular passage, on each side OF
which were reservoirs of water, into
which we could look with case, as the
side next to us was of glass. In these rcscr
voirS thousands of fish of all sorts were
swimming about, in delight apparently
at having so comfortable home. In
one compartment we could see hosts of
bright gold fish, and adjoining them
beautiful shell fish of every imaginable
variety; even Shiny cells, and hideous
crawfish and Holsters had their place !;
while the passage i'll which we walked
was cool and refreshing, and softly illu-
minated by the rays ol sunlight, which
were only allowed to reach it through
the water.
YoumuSt know, too, that i'll these reScr-
.voirs were all kinds of water plants, and
as we looked up at them we tancicd our
selves with Jules Verne twenty thousand
leagues under the sea-
We fear we will not he able to visit the
exposition again, which we would like to
do in hopes OF forming more favorable
opinion. 1t does not seem to be q inan-
cial success, if one can Judge from the
anxiety manifested by the bOndhoders
to sell their ticket coupons. The streets
are filled with hawkcrs offering them at
half price Pray gentlemen of Congress
let us do things better, il at all, in 90
T. w. p.
Suicide in Chester, =. &.
CHARLESTON, S. C., September l4.-R.
{. Brandt, son of a well known jcwclcr OF