Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-10-14
Worlds Fair Notes.
Special WORLD Correspondence.

| Special WORLD Correspondence.
Notwithstanding the previous DAYS
hard work, we were all ready to go
again next morning at a fairly early
hour for we knew that we must leave
the grounds in season to catch the west
bound train that afternoon and there
were number of places that we wanted
! to see.
We had taken hurried though quite
comprehensive view of Jackson Park so,
| OF course, there remained the Plaisance.
We left the cars at 63rd street and
walked under the elevated tracks into
| Midway.
1t would do me great deal of good to
know how much of the scenes here are
| photographed on those childish minds.
Children see so much and know so much
that they can not express that one never
knows just what is retained in the child
ish memory: but questions have since
| been asked and ideas expressed that
would lead one to think that there is
great deal stored away in their memo
ries that will find expression some day.
have wondered if the Plaisance did
not appear to the little folks like lot of
exaggerated playhouses with the people
all trigged up in fantastic play-dress at
| tire.
We did not make very rapid progress
| for, at every penny-in-the-slot drinking
| fountain, the children had to have a
| glass of Waukesha water, for the novel
| ty, you know and not because they were
| thirsty It was so funny to drop in the
penny, hear it rattle down till it struck
the magic spring which opened the
| faucet, then see the water come gushing
out.
knew that the glass factory would
be source of interest and information,
so we stopped at the Libby glass works.
There is so much here to see, every
thing pertaining to the manufacture of
glassware is shown. The most attract
i've thing to the children was the glass
blower basement. They stood by the
railing and looked down upon the work
men. The boys with long iron rods
would get globules of melted glass from
the white-hot furnace and turn it over
to the skilled blowers who would blow
into hollow tube, turn it dextrously
around blowing into it occasionally,
while all the time you would see the
gradual formation of a glass globe. If
the globe was to have notched edges the
blower would shape it with sort of i'm
plement and before you were hardly
aware of it the molten mass was a grace
full glass globe.
The arrangement for visitors to see
T this was SO good, as they could in look
ing from above see every motion of the
workmen. The making of small glass
saucers was very fascinating. The mass
of glass was at first handled much as
though it were to be a globe only after
twirling it around awhile it was dropped
into mold and pressed fiat, then it was
taken out by boy who handed it to
skilled workman who gave it some more
twirls but shaped it as he did so by
pressing smooth stick to the edge of it
much as you would grind your ak. If
in this process the saucer gets too cold
it is taken by the boy and held awhile
in smaller furnace then returned to
the workman who gives it a few more
turns and while it is still hot enough to
scorch his stick he slips it onto shovel
shaped implement and it is carried away
finished.
think the children could have stood
at the railing for half day and not
have tired, the work was so absorbing.
We stopped at the machine for spinning
glass. a glass bar is placed over the
flame of spirit lamp, think it was,
and is heated to certain temperature
when it is drawn out into thread al
most as fine as gossamer, this thread is
used in the weaving of glass cloth, a
texture that is silvery white and has
most beautiful satiny luster. The warp
of the glass cloth is white silk, and
most beautiful things are made from 1t.
1t makes such lovely lamp shades and so
reasonable too, only SIS for ordinary
ones.
You have probably read of the famous
glass dress they wove for the Princess Eu-
Ialie. it was finished and on exhibition
when we were there. Itwas wonderfully
pretty and Spain has made great fuss
over it. all of which, you know advertises
our Libby glass works.
The process of cutting glass was inter-
esting, but like the spinning and weaving
was not SO clearly understood by the lit
tie folks.
Engraving on glass was done at many
places, but none so nicely as here. had
patronized another engraver but felt
that I must have something from this
place, so we had oon-bon dish engrav-
ed while we waited.
Time was moving swiftly and we hur-
ried away to see some foreign sights. We
heard the music from the Turkish thea
ter and thinking it was almost ready to
open we dropped in. We had to wait
long time, it seemed to me, and then
were not we'll paid for our pains. 1t is
a mistake to talk about the dancing OF
Turkish girls. They can't dance little
bit as compared with our own actresses.
The peculiar dress and music made the
scene entertaining for little while, but
we soon looked elsewhere for amuse-
ment.
We went to see the Shah's solid silver
bedstead and, as one of the girlies sug-
pested. it seemed to need some silver
polish on it. The American lady inter
prefer for this antiquity told us that the
bedstead was over 500 years old; she
also showed us the embroidered hang
inps to Shah's tent which were so elab-
crate that it took several of his wives
many wears of constant work to en-
broider them, and when the curtains
were finished they were so beautiful and
.ba Cbah Was so well pleased that out of