Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-15
ANIMATING SCENES.
The Great Worlds Fair Rail-
road Terminal Station.
The Big Main Shed Has Thirty-six
Tracks Side by Side.
And Oaiy Few ei the Many Railroads Use Il
u Th0i.

And 0aiy Few d the Many Railroads Use II
u Ihai.
WORLDS FAIR. July IA Especial -
Vow the railroads are beginning to run
trains into the Worlds fsir railway sta
ton. Every day there are scenes of ami
nation in this great building. as the loads
Of passengers disembark and pass through
the gates into the fair. You may not
know it, but the Worlds fair has one of
The finest passenger stations in the world
They built it in the expectation that near
" all the roads leading into Chicago
aould be glad Of the opportunity to run
heir trains into it and there TO discharge
their passengers But this expectation
proved to be poorly founded Only few
If the roads have been willing to use the
station. The reason therefor is obvious,
and the wonder is the managers of the ex-
position did not see It in time TO save
themselves the enormous outlay. Only
those roads which enter the city some
where near the fair grounds can afford to
run their trains to this terminal instead Of
to their regular stations. Take, for ex-
ample, the Milwaukee and St. Paul road.
II il were to attempt to run its excursion
trains TO the Worlds fair entrance its pas
sengers would have to wait two hours and
a half after arriving in the city before they
could enter the gates of the exposition, for
that is the time which would be required
10 run a train from the Union railway sta
tion, where the st. Paul comes in, to the
fair
How much do You suppose this railway
station at the Worlds fair and the system
of tracks leading to it cost, More than
$4,000. 1t is a tremendous station. II is
colossal in dimensions, magnificent in de
sign and unrivailed in the conveniences
which it affords to the people who make
use of it. Compare it with the greatest
railway stations in the country, the Penn
sylvania at Jersey City or Broad street,
Philadelphia, the New York Central NJ
Forty.secOnd street, New York, the Grand
Central station in Chicago, and the
Worlds fair station snrpasses them all.
Where those structures have eight or ten
tracks each for the handling Of trains, the
Worlds fair train shed has thirty-sI
tracks side by side. The system of rails
entering the southwest corner Of the
grounds and converging in this station is
like u great fan of steel spread out over
the landscape. Moreover, the system is
provided with all modern appliances Of
signals and blocks for handling trains
with celebrity and safety. The plant there
fore becomes not only convenience for
practical use but splendid exhibit of the
development of modern railroading.
Suppose you come to the fair by train
which enters this magnificent station.
The cars stop under shed. where the
platforms are very long and surprisingly
clean A short walk brings you to the
fence which separates the platforms from
the station proper Here surprising
scene awaits your eye. Here are forty
ticket offices for sale Of tickets to the fair,
for you must remember that the other
side of the fence is the Columbian exposi
ton and that you must pay 80 cents for
the privilege of entering the precincts OF
the worlds wonders. There are no fewer
than ninety-six turnstiles for you to pass
through, and a great array the forty
ticket windows and niNetysix turnstiles
make, spread ont in a long row.
Overhead You hear rumbling sound
and some one tells you that the elevated
electric railway, which runs all through
the exposition grounds, passes right over
the station, and near by are broad Stair
leading to the platforms of that road, a
few rods to the north You see the broad
entrance to the elevated railway which
runs from the fair to the center of the city
OF Chicago eight miles away, and there
are many more turnstiles and long row
of ticket windows. Just beyond is the
great red Trans portation building. and at
its lower end you may see locomotives and
snow plows, and near by the splendid ex
hibits made outdoors or in their special
buildings by the Pennsylvania and New
York Central roads. All these things
bring one to realization of the fact that
this is the era of transportation, and that
this is spot in which the greatest and
best that man has been able to accomplish
in that line is spread out before his eyes,
both for use ard for illustration.
Just after passing through the turnstile
you find yourself in passage or transept
that is of tremendous proportions. 1t l.
some sixty feet wide and several hundred
feet in length. On one side are the en-
frances to and exits from the trains. and
every gate is plainly marked with the
name of the road using ii and the destina-
ton of the train. There are check rooms
where You may leave your parcels, bag
gage rooms in which you may have your
luggage checked to any point or trans
ferred to any address in the city, and
many other conyeniences.
Now you pass into the station proper.
II has great court in its center, with a
roof so high above the floor that you look
IN vain to distinguish the details Of con
struction at the great hight. There are
galleries running all round the court.
| broad and airy, and these. like all the
floors. are abundantly supplied with com
Portable seats. There are balconies from
which one may enjoy splendid view Of
the fair grounds There are restaurants,
lunch rooms, cigars, newspapers, candy
telegraph offices. rest rooms where weary
travellers may wait in comfort, writing
rooms. lavatories, a room in which passen
| gers may eat their home made luncheons,
/ buying only coffee or whatever they like
from the cafe, and many other conveniences
| In the center Of the ground floor is large
booth. in which men and women who
speak all modern languages are constant
I ly stationed, and the signs on this booth
are information ''Informacione," I'm.
/ formazione.' 'Auskunft." 1t doesn't
matter what it is you want to know, about
| the fair, the trains, the city or the pro
I gramme. or in what tongue you ask for it
( here is where you may learn it without de
/ lay and without price.
/ One is instantly impressed by the cosmo
/ politan aspect of the station. Here you
/ see people from all over the world. The
/ Orientals in their fezes, the Esquimaux In
their skins, the South Sea islanders in
/ their not much to speak of, the Coreans
| with their bird-cage head-dress, may now
and then be seen here, mixing with Amer
/ leans native and transplanted tthe former
In their red blankets aud feathers In their
hair. with Germans. Frenchmen, Span
iards, Italians, Russians, Scandinavians,
men from Australia, from New Zealand
/ Egypt, Greece, Japan and China This
air of coslnopolitauism is added to greatly
by the fact that the fast express trains
! which run from the fair to the city with
out stopping now enter and depart from
/ this station, and the officials, exhibitors
/ employees and showmen of the nations have
/ frequent occasion to use these trains il
/ going to and fro on their business.
I Cosuopolitanism shows itself every
/ where. If yon cast your eye upward, above
the great galleries surrounding the court
- II u