Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-06-03
THE NEW COMPOUND USED ON
WORLDS FAIR BUILDINGS.
IL is Utilized as an External Covering
for the Edifices-Its Decorative
Usefulness - How STAFF
Is Made.

to: first, it makes the wood, around
which it is placed as an exterior, per
fectly fre-proof from any ordinary con-
6agration; second, it is susceptible OF
the highest artistic decoration and plastic
ornamentation. When the buildings OF
the exposition are finished, they will pre-
sent an aggregate of marble palaces,
colored and tinted TO realize the ideals OF
the most artistic fancy, nay, extrara
gance, in color.
1t is no wonder, then, that this ma
terial, its uses, and the methods of its
manufacture make up one of the most
curious features of the Worlds Fair.
staff is new to Americans generally, but
it has been known in Europe for years.
The rock-makers of America had heard
of it, nay, had manufactured and sold
it, long before the Worlds Columbian
Exposition in Chicago was dreamed of;
but these we're the few; the many were
in utter ignorance of its existence.
The exposition in Paris three years ago
furnished the first extensive experiment
that had been made with staff as large
factor in the building arts, ,and with such
an example before them, the directors of
the Chicago enterprise had not far to 60
for precedent. They chose staff as an
external covering for their buildings;
and at once found mauy firms in the
United States ready alta moments notice
to undertake the contract OF furnishing
the material and doing the work.
The manufacture, modelling, aud ap-
plication OF the staff at the Chicago Fair
are done by three firms. The mere man.
ufacture of the material does not require
any special technical knowledge; mere
laborers can do all the work. Bat
it IS a fact that the la5orers
who work in the staff rooms at
the Worlds Fair are Belgians, French
and Italians One might as well be in
Flanders or Paris as in one Of these rooms
so far as surroundings are concerned.
The small boy cuts a conspicuous figure
herein. He is active, useful, cheap,
accurate. and an effective worker when
he can be persuaded to pay attention to
his task. The small boy is divided into
nairs by his boss, and the pair is assigned
the work Of cutting or chop2ing hemp.
Hemp o. iutc is a necessary intregal OF
staff.
Here is a young Frenchman-a really
handsome son Of the people-clad in the
proverbial blouse and trousers. 1t may
be that the color OF his garb was origin
ally blue. In all probability such it was,
bnt the color is not apparent now. AT
present it is undoubtedly white. His
dark curley hair resembles stage wig
supposed to properly indicate the pre-
vailing ballroom style of the seventeenth
century, i. e., powdered white. But its
Southern darkness crops out here and
threre. His eyes, too, tell what color is
his curly head, for they are as black as
night; and his manly beauty is not at
all disturbed by au occasional dau1 CT
plaster of Paris here on his nose, there
under his right eye, or there on his
chin. This man is a mixer. That IS
to say, he unites the component parts of
the staff. kneads it up into thick paste
about the consistency OF what puddler'
call an amalgam, aud makes it ready for
the sculptor or the caster.
He is type of the staff maker. So
are these two boys near small chopping
block. One is sitting on a roll OF hemp
that is twisted into one-inch rope. He
places one end Of the rope loosely on the
block. His companion, armed with
severely sharp little ak, brings that tool
down swiftly on the ropes end with
marvellous accuracy, cutting it of clean
ly and with despatch, and shoves it into
basket that stands ready to receive it.
When the basket is nearly full another
boy carries it away, and the cut hemp is
"teased" into a loose pile. 1t is nov
ready for the mixer, VINO scatters the
right proportion OF it in his half-barrel
of common cement mixed with a small
percentage Of plaster of Paris, agitates
the mass until the mixing becomes diff
cult to the hand, and there's an end to
it. The staff is made. The cement con.
tributes hardness 10 the compound, tnc
hemp adhesiveness aud the plaster o!
Paris finish.
1t is then pressed into slabs, which
are nailed to the wooden walls Of the
building, or turned over to the modelers
and sculptors, who work it out into
mural decorations and bass-reliels.
Most of the sculptural work OF the
Worlds Fair is done by American art
lists. But there are no Americans who
work in staff, perhaps for the reason
that the American sculptor considers his
dignity above the labor. The majority
Of the staff modelers come from Italy,
and some few of them from France.