Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-21
TUESDAY, JUNE Ell. 1892.
THE WORLDS COLOMBIAN EXPOSITION
AS 1T STANDS TODAY.

THE WORLDS COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION
AS 1T STANDS TODAY.
No one who visits Chicago can fail to
be impressed with the fact that that city
is in the fioodtide of prosperity. The
strides she is making towards wealth,
population and civic greatness generally
are quite phenomenal. Her clearing
house returns display gratifying in
crease in commercial transactions, but
they only tell small part OF the story.
Building is going on on all hands. The
policy of consolidating outlying districts
has been carried out until the munich
pality now embraces super6cies of 2SS
square miles, the modern Chicago be-
ing twenty-four miles long by twelve
miles wide. In other words, Chicago
comprises within her municipal limits
seventy-six square miles more than the
city of London, and ia probably nearly
as large in territorial expanse as our
charming southern neighbor, the city OF
San Diego. We sometimes felicitate
ourselves upon the fact that the city OF
Los Angeles spreads over considerable
area, embrscing thirty-six square miles,
but the "Windy City" takes in space
just eight times as great as our own
ambitious embryo metropolis.
Work has progressed on the worlds
fair far enough to give an idea of the
tremendous proportions which that
great enterprise will assume. The
buildings are located on the lake shore,
and there will be unusual facilities for
reaching them, very important fact,
as those will admit who remember how
hard it was to get out to the New
Orleans exposition buildings. The
favorite method of reaching the grounds
just now, and it will doubtless remain
30 during the duration of the fair, will
be by the Illinois Central railway, the
cars of which are taken at the foot OF
Van Buren, street. The site Of the fair
ia reached in few minutes.
Already great deal has been done
towards realizing the expectations OF
the visitor. The location, on the bor-
ders of magnificent lake, whose ez-
panse of waters spreads to the horizon
With as much suggestion of the illimit-
able as those of old ocean herself, could
not be surpassed. In this respect the
worlds Columbian fair will have great
advantage over any other great exposi-
ton of this or any other nation. 1t is
true that the New Orleans exposition
was skirted by the Mississippi river on
one side, but the Mississippi at the
Crescent City is not near 30 ma ajestic
looking as at Cairo, the point where that
stream and the Ohio come together.
There will no doubt be innumerable
water craft OF all kinds plying between
the center of Chicago and the fair
grounds. The visitor will have his
choice of land or water transportation,
and this isiundoubtedly great advan-
tage.
The grounds are all that could be de-
sired both as to extent and confgura-
ton. A number of small bayous afford
facilities for lakes, and they are now be-
A1S 0ACue5CO O0Us l1CiS dnu buSy
will be dotted by little islands. and
Japanese exposition and other fanciful
features will add interest to these spots,
which will he reached by gondolaa.
There are now some thirty-two build
ings on the grounds, which are either
completed or in course of completion.
The buildings Of the several states seem
to be backward, the only ones which
have thus far been erected being those
of Illinois and Indiana.
Some of these buildings already, even
in an unfinished state, are most impress.
i've from their extent and designs. In
the short compass of newspaper arti-
Gle it would be impossible to enter into
anything like details of structures whose
dimeneions are absolutely without prec-
edent. The building which has been
dedicated to the liberal arts covers forty
four acres. That is to say, if it were
without partitions, million and half
of visitors could stand under it's single
roof. To obtain some idea OF the immen-
sity of this edifce it ought to be borne
in mind that the grand auditorium of
st. Peters cathedral at Rome can only
afford standing room for one hundred
and eight thousand people. This build
ing OF the liberal arts is the largest
structure ever erected upon the foot
stool. It not only covers larger space
than any other building known to his.
tory, but its height is something
altogether out of the common.
Its dome will rise to the enor-
NOUS altitude of two hundred and
fifty feet, with supplemental or pedi-
mental dome OF fifty feet. thus carrying
the whole to the dizzy height Of three
hundred feet. The iron spans which
will support the dome have just been
pnt in place, and they are three hun
dred and fifty feet across. Immensity
aB an idea has no finer verihcation on
earth than will be afforded by this
building.