Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-13
By A CLOSE SHAVE
The Worlds Fair Will Have
Enough Money.
DIRECTORS WILL FEEL RELIEVED

When the Gate Money Begins to Come
inflow Uncle Sam Has Embarrassed
the Management by His Economy
Enough to Open the Fair, But Not
Dollar to Spare-Sbrewd FinancierinS
Did the work-Assets on Hand.
CHICAGO, April 13-By quick and clever
financiering the Worlds fair managers have
avoided temporary bankruptcy in the last
month before the exposition opens. At
special meeting of the finance committee
held Tuesday that body found itself con-
fronted with deficit of saO,0D, which
sum would be Immediately required or the
work must come toa suspension. 1t was a
critical moment, but the committee was
equal to the emergency.
When the gates of the fair are thrown
ajar two weeks from next Monday sigh
of relief as big as balloon will well up
from the exposition finance committee.
Cause of the Embarrassment.
The directory attributes its financial EN-
after promising to pay over the $50, 900
appropriated by the last session of congress
for awards now refuses to make the
amount available. The directory had de-
pended upon this amount to tide the expo
sition over till May 1, but now the finance
committee has been forced to do some Gle
yer financiering to avoid a crisis just when
a crisis would be a calamity. The daily
expenses are enormous at the present time
and will continue so until the fair Is
opened.
Some Rather Gigantic Figures.
A force of not less than 1900 men are
working day and night to complete the
buildings and grounds and install the ex-
hibits. 1t is estimated that the daily ex-
penses during April will not fall much
short of $40, 900 a day. In other words,
more than 81, 2oO, 900 will be required to pay
expenses during April. April l, according
to the official report of President Higin-
botham, the total cash on hand and avail
able was but $751;, COG, or about $3.50, 600 less
than the requirements. The directory had.
however, depended upon the government
appropriation of 500, 900 and felt easy.
Uncle Sam Didn't Respond.
Uncle Sam at the critical moment re-
fused to give up the money for that pur-
pose, and the directory the first of the pres
ent week found itself on the brink of a
crisis which threatened a suspension of
work. A meeting of the finance committee
was hurriedly called. and temporary means
were adopted to tide the exposition over
the stringency. No member of the directory
will tell what the means were, but that
they were successful is asserted positively
by those who will say anything.
Vouched for by Seebe-ser.
~You can say that we have got enough
money to carry us through all right"
Treasurer Seeberger said yesterday, "but
we won't have dollar to spare. The re-
port that the directory had to give their
personal security for the money needed to
carry us through until May is all wrong
1t has required pretty shrewd and close
financiering to accomplish our purposes.
but we have now enough to get through"
Government Broke Its Promise.
ats all the fault of the government"
Lyman J. Gage, of the finance committee,
said. ave had been promised the money
appropriated for awards, amounting to
500, 900, but the government broke its prom
Use, and it required some quick work to
get along. The finance committee held a
meeting Tuesday, and we arranged for
money enough to complete the work and
open the fair Therefore 1 trust that the
newspapers will say nothin g that will in
inv = no Of no exnoSiri y