Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-13
THE WORLDS FAIR.
n. N. Hunts Budget of Gossip About
the Columbian Exhibition.
reS~..o{a1 Norresnoudanca


nearly every day for the purpose of watch
i,z the progress of the work of preparing
the Grounds for the main buildings of the
morld,s fair. With balmy winds and
hr;cbt spring sun it is worth the long ride
an an omen grip car if only for the pur-
,soae of Getting minds view of things as
tbav are now. to be resurrected by way OF
,,an,;niscence a couple of years hence
Nothine is now left of the acres OF trees,
stumps. bushes and underground that IN
numbered the site but few weeks ago,
and the 900 or more men that have Deen
steadily employed since the frost went out
of the ground have taxed their muscle ana
energy to such good purpose that two
thirds of the grading is practically COM
pleted, thus clearing the way for begin
ming the actual work ON the foundations,
Meanwhile dredges are kept at work
eighteen hours out of the twenty-four pre-
pairing the approaches to the inland lake,
while the labor of small army of land
scape gardeners will very soon metamor-
phose the island in its center, and make OF
its barren earth beautiful little park.
The contractors are not making much
noise, but they are putting their best foot
forward all the same, and the responsible
officials are more than satisfied with the
progress to date Borings for the big Co
lumbian tower are now going on, eastern
mills are working on the structural iron,
and the work of building the elevators has
also commenced
1t is now more evident than ever that not
state nor territory will be unrepresented
in the big show when the band plays Hail
Columbia" and the orator of the occasion
faces his audience on Inauguration day.
A spirit of patriotism is manifesting itself
in those states the legislatures of which
have failed to make any appropriation for
state representation, and what the repre-
sentatives of the people refused to do the
people themselves propose to accomplish
In Tennessee, for instance. the most inn
portant cities have taken the matter in
hand, and propose to raise minimum of
$15O.O00 for display that.shall be at once
representative and creditable to the COM
monwealth.
In South Dakota Senator Pettigrew pro-
poses to make up for the shortcomings of
his state assembly by organizing a stock
company with a capital of 500, 200, and
thus insure South Dakota exhibit. One
of its features will be model stock farm
irrigated by an artesian well. Pennsyiva-
mia has come nobly to the front with az
dppIOpEldbiOu VI anu DQe
tions are that Massachusetts, will contrib
ute one-fourth of that amount. In far
away Washington great Worlds fair en-
thusiasm is being manifested, and the
state appropriation of 100000 is likely to
be doubled by private enterprise
The plans for the building to be devoted
to the electrical display and kindred ap-
pliances indicate that it will be a magnili-
fr11a ond fr11lu in,
the great object for which it is designed
Its cost will be in the neighborhood of
$650,000. 1t will cover five and half acres
of ground and will be in the Italian Renais-
sance style.
Encouraging reports from abroad con-
tinue to pour in on the various depart
ments. Peru is giving cordial welcome
to the American commissioners, and so is
Colombia. Cuba is really doing good
deal more than even many of the states of
the Union, for commission has been or
ganized in each one of the provinces under
the auspices of the governor general in order
that everything of interest pertaining to
the island may be properly represented. A
somewhat emphatic denial is given to the
reports of lukewarmness in Germany by
the great meeting of manufacturers which
was recently held in Berlin, and at which
resolutions in favor of hearty cooperation
and a government subsidy were unani-
mously adopted. Our friends the JaDs
are evidently in dead earnest, for not only
has the lower house and the chamber of
peers adopted a government measure ap-
propriating half million dollars for ma
tional display, but number of the prov
inces are actively engaged in organizing
exhibits on their own individual account.
In Mexico the interest is general, and
large number of wealthy individuals have
combined to organize private exhibit to
be independent of the national department,
the entire expense to come from their own
private purses. Their enthusiasm, how
ever, may carry them little too far, mas
much as it is gravely proposed to inf1ict
upon Chicago village of 800 Mexican In
dams in native costume, one-half of them
to be women with babes. This may posi-
bly, be intended as delicate compliment
to the board of lady managers, but it is not
at all certain that President Palmer and
her associates-albeit many of them have
had experience in the rearing of the rising
generation-will care to be burdened with
ten score, more or less of the fairer sex of
the Mexican Indian variety and their off
spring to boot.
Evidently Guatemala proposes to be en-
rapport with the exposition, for its presi-
dent has taken along stride to the front by
appointing his secretary of foreign rela-
tions, as well as his secretary of the inte-
rior, as official commissioners to the show,
while the railroads of that republic have
been public spirited enough to offer to con-
vey all freight intended for the exposition
free of charge. The Brazilians are mani
testing a most amiable disposition, and
full exhibit of the resources of that repub-
lie can be relied upon.
All these facts-and they are facts-are
more than encouraging; and when it is
said in addition that natives of far off Da-
mascus have applied for space in which to
exhibit Syrians engaged in musical per-
formances, embroidery making and coffee
serving la Damascus, and that deputa-
tiop of orientals from the edge of the Sa-
hara, within few days journey of Moroc-
co, have journeyed all the way to Chicago
to secure a site upon which to erect a min
iature of their own fortified city, there is
no longer reason to question the truth of
the statement that what Chicago has in
store for 1898 has penetrated almost to the
uttermost parts of the earth.
So much for abroad Just word now
regarding our own country. Nineteen
state legislatures have already passed bills
making appropriations which aggregate
over million and a quarter of dollars.
Ten other states, the legislatures of which
are now in session, are pretty certain to in
hxy ttxrn