The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-17


from Chicago, visited the worlds fair
grounds while in the Windy City and
obtained q special pass to go through
the buildings, which is favor granted
to but few. To TIMES reporter yester-
day Mr.. Tucker gave very interesting
account of his visit.
"To appreciate the magnitude OF the
scene," he said, lone should witness it..
havo not seen these grounds since last
September and although 1 am from
Chicago and used to seeing things done
in hurry, the progress made passed
my comprehension.
ga number of the buildings are about
completed and they certainly make q
beautiful appearance. The women's
building is tho farthest advanced of
any, the exterior being completed and
the interior virtually so. The horticul-
tural building, 25ox09S feet, is COM
pleted and tho interior decorations are
being put in. The transportation build
ings, the main building of which is
256x960 feet, is entirely under roof and
large part of the exterior decorations
arc on.
1.-The mines and mining building,
350x7O0 feot, is completed and the in
terror decorations partially put OH. The
electricity building, 3i5X69O, is under
roof, as is also the administration build
ing, 2G2X262 feet, in the form of Greek
cross. Machinery hall, 492x1 400 feet, is
partially up and the agricultural build
ing, 500xS00 feet, with annexes 300x550
is under roof. The dairy and forestry
building, 100x20O and 20Sx51S feet, re-
spectively, are completed except the
decorations.
"The manufacturers building, 7s7x
1,Gs6 feet, contains forty acres of floor
ing on the main floor. The siIe walls
two Of the trusses that were being put
up, and their span is $50 feet from end
to end, and 201 feet in the cloar at the
top. There are twenty-seven OF these
trusses in the building, and there is
steel enough in them to make dupli-
cato of the Brooklyn bridge and have
2.400 tons to spare. This is said to DO
tho largest building ever put up in the
world under one roof .r
The naval OF hibit is quito unique
thing. 1t is in the form of boat, built
in the shallow water of the lake, on
cased with armor iron, and will repre-
sent complete naval vessel, only it
will be stationary. When 1 was there
work on the boat was so far advanced
that tho shape could be easily dis
tinguished.
The government building, 345x41G
feet, is under roof, except the dome, for
which they wore raising the steel
trusses at the time of my visit. The
most unique and handsomest building
hot AZ nj
the main building of which is 1s5x365
feot, with passageway leading to two
circular additions, which are 1875 teet in
diameter. The decorations are made Of
staff and in toe form of all kinds of fish
and water animals, to be painted in
their natural color.
"The Illinois building, 16Ox450 feet, is
partially nnder roof as is also tho art
gallery, 320x500 feet
"All OF these buildings have the ap-
pearance Of being solid white marble.
but. in fact, they are built of wood and
covered with what is called staff, a
french preparation which. it is claimed,
Is urable enough to last for years, Civ
Ing them the solid appearance without
the heavy expense. The exterior as
we'll as the interior decorations of all
the buildings are to be made of this
stoff and the decorations of each build
ing will be Characteristic of the articles
that the building contains, including
life-sized statues of noted men.
'"The different State buildings have
been staked out and work on some of
them is under way. On careful search
OF the ground failed to find any Vir-
ginia building, although saw tho place
where it is to be erected, which is at the
north end of the grounds
Over 5000 men are working in the
park and things are moving along at a
lively rate"
The Courthouse Addition.
The special committee of Council to
consider and report on plan for an adj