Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-26
UNCLE SANS EXHIBIT.
Details of tho Show as Decided on al
Washington Last Week.
GUARDING HISTORIC TREASURES.
The New Material for Hfe-Sized Figures Il
Far Ahead Of Wax.
CURIOSITIES FROM SEA AND LAND

| CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH.
| WASHINGTON, June 25-The Columbian
Fair is like the Afrite in the story-having
once got out of the casket, it swells and oc-
cupies all the surrounding field and fills the
whole sky and makes faces at its late cap
tors who let it escape. They feel that they
did an imprudent thing, and, while the
dragon roars defiance and refuses to be re-
strained, they hustle and try to raise money
enough to build fence around him.
Naturally enough, the central heart of
the great Fair will come from Washington,
and this it is which is in the most advanced
stage of preparation. The one characteristic
of the Governments exhibit will be its
pictorial character. 1t will be like vast
cyclorama of painted illustrations and
plastic figures, a graphic blending Of the
imitation and the real The finest and most
precious of Uncle Sans souvenirs will be
there, SO grouped by artists as to be strik-
ing object lessons illustrative Of our
progress.
There have been innumerable paragraphs
written about it and diffnse descriptions of
parts of it: let me give you q birds eye
exhibit as matured this week.
The Title-Deeds ofLibersy
The pivotal feature of the Fair will be the
priceless relics of our revolutionary history
documents which many people visit
Washington to see: the Declaration of In
dependence, the petition to King George,
the articles of confederation, the commits
sion of Washington and his farewell ad-
dress, the Constitution-an originals A
vast steel safe has been constructed for
these, a special car has been assigned to
transport it and around it will remain from
first to last, in night and day relays, de-
tail of soldiers with loaded muskets. So
any robbers who contemplate Charley Ross
ing these patriotic pets had better think at
least twice before attempting it.
As an appropriate setting for these natal
Jewels will be an emblazonment of the
great seal of the United States, our most
important foreign treaties, the purchase
papers of Louisiana, Florida, Northern
Mexico and Alaska, the official documents
of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and
Franklin, and vast combustion of bril-
liant draperies illustrating the growth of
the flag from G. vs. coat of arms, through
John Paul Jones' gonfalon and the evolu-
tion of the present constellation from the
13-star flag Of Captain Sam Reid.
No relics of the Civil War or of the in
ternational wars will be exhibited at Chi
cago, except such as are necessary to mark
steps in industrial progress
Relics Of Christopher Columbus
Near the State Department exhibit above
mentioned will be arranged the extra
ordinary collection of Americana in charge
of w. E Curtis, of the Bureau of American
Republics.
"what on earth is this?" asked him,
taking hold of ten-foot shaft Of rusty iron
with big ring at the top of it that leaned
against the wall in his museum of anti
quated things on Lafayette square. we =
IAN anchor" he said, "minus the flukes.
This is verified by the Spaniards who many
years ago found it near the ruins of Colum-
bus old fort at La Navidad, to be the very
anchor of his flagship, the Santa Maria,
which, you know, went to wreck there and
perished on Christmas Day, 1892 Bits of
the vessel have been found there from time
to time, and this is given us attested to BY
experts as most precious and genuine relic
of Columbus"
I asked Mr. Curtis if he didn't think the
fukes might have been bitten off by q
whale that had lost his own; but he did not
hear me, and went on. "These granite
walls OF the city which Columbus founded
-Isabella-the first town in America We
have also little brass cannon left by
Columbus at La Navidad.
The Caravels OF Columbus.
'Of course, you know" continued, Mr..
Curtis, but 1 didn't, 'that the very center
Of our exhibit will be the feet Of three
little caravels, exact fac SMILES in form
and size of Columbus own, now being built
in Spain-that country paying for the
Santa Maria and we for the Pinta and
Nina. They will be finished this summer
and towed over by Spanish man-of-war-
in pleasant weather, hope"
1 was then shown several interesting
portraits of the great explorer, and pictures
Of several of his favorite birthpiaces
Curtis has already collected "Columbianas"
enough to fill two or three large buildings.
These include !, 800 busts, paintings, photo
graphs and engravings of Columbus and his
family and everybody that ever helped or
hindered him, and maps, charts, globes and
from Palos on that lucky Friday. There
are antique things dating back before 1892;
nautical and astronomical instruments,
arms and armor. books known to Columbus,
an assortment of beads, hawks-bells, and
other articles used by him in bartering with
the natives and of the stuff received by him
in return, specimens of their arms, and
clothes, copies of the first books about
America, and an immense number of pict-
ures. books and relics of Cortez and Pizarro
and illustrations of the present American
Republics. Oh, hurrying SPECTATOR Here's
two days work for you.
Pinta and Nina, in the lake basins at the |
Chicago Fair, will lie the bigger ship of the |
Vikings, now being built in Norway, like |
the ship in which Left Ericsson discovered |
New England and then lost his grip four |
centuries before Colun,bus.
Our War Balloon Service.
I asked General Grant, of the War De-
partment, what novelties he was going to |
exhibit at Chicago, and he referred me to
Captain Thompson, temporarily in charge.
"At least two that will be very striking"
he said. 1--WE shall give the first exhibi-
lion of war telephone service. From
will be run out radiation of
telephones, the wires being run out from
on the backs of men who
hasten to the front wherever they
by telephone instead of
slowly by mounted aides Connected with
his service will be o captive balloon an
,hored to the ground by half-inch cord
wire within it, so that the man
IN the balloon can communicate instantly
With headquarters
''The great difficulty has formerly been to
nflate the balloon quickly" said Captain
Thompson. "This will be effected now by
! new device. Three wagons will carry
'teel tubes to store hydrogen gas under
,reat pressure, with valves to regulate the
outflow. When the equipment comes into
,attery on the field the gas Ia discharged |