The Green Forest tribune., 1893-09-14
the MIDWAY PLAISANCE.
THE GREAT FERRIS WHEEL-A VISIT TO THE
WONDERFUL STREETS OF CARLO.
An Interesting Day Spent in the White City by The
Tribune's Efficient Correspondent.
Special Correspondence to THE TRIBUNE.

| Special Correspondence to THE TRIBUNE.
To-day I alighted from Cottage
Grove Avenue cable car at Fifty-ninth
street, paid the regular entrance fee of
fifty cents, passed through one of the
turnstyles, and found myself in Midway
Plaisance. AS Ihave before said, the
Midway is six hundred feet wide, and
about one mile long. In the center is
broad walk for visitors which | found
crowded with a motely mass of human
ity consisting of Indians, Italians, Ar
abs, Germans, and almost every other
nationality of people.
A ritter, in describing the scenes
here presented to the tourist, says:
''He. now turns to the interesting re-
productions of noted foreign buildings,
of classic Old World towns, and huge
panoramas Of entrancing seeneries.
Never since constructions ceased
on the Tower of Bable, has such con-
fusion of tongues been brought togeth-
er, as in the locality he is now about
to explore. Without quitting the
sandy shores of Lake Michigan, the
visitor can inspect the temple of Luxor,
which stood by hundred gated Theb-
es' historic walls; haggle for curio
with swart follower of Mahomet, as if
he were on the banks of the Golden
Horn watch the war dance of Dahom-
ey's dusky Amazonian bellies; breathe
the rare air and drink in the the en-
trancing scenery of the Bernese Ober-
land; stand aWestruck in Kilnea's stu
pendous crater, or sip his Hof-brau in
Der Graben' or medieval Deutschland,
with dozen or more of other attrac-
tions, and all on the Midway Plai-
sance.'
The most conspicuous object which is
seen here, is the Ferris Wheel 1t is
situated in the center of the walk about
midway of the Plaisance, and is thus
described: "This is novelty in amuse-
ment structures, and is built Ell tirely Of
cycle wheel hung. between two towers.
The wheel is 264 feet high, and consists
of two skeleton wheels 2S 1-2 feet apart
and held together by strong steel shafts
and ties. Between the outer rims, or
crowns ofrthe gigantic wheel frame, are
suspended thirty-siX coaches, balanced
or tr,1p
coaches are larger than ordinary passen-
ger cars ON railroads, and accommodate
sixty passengers each, or to tai of q
100 when they are loaded. The time
for round trip is twenty-five minutes. )"
The wheel begins to revolve each day
at 8 a. m., and stops at II p. m. Let
the school boys who read TIE TRIBUNE
estimate the probable gross income
from the wheel in one day, allowing
fifty cents for each passenger. When
the tourist takes a seat and the wheel
begins to lift him, he feels little nerv-
Gus, but as he looks about he observes
the substantial structure of the con-
Germ and is reassured.
Up, up, he ascends as the monster
wheel revolves; he looks out upon the
surrounding scene; the circle of his WIS.,
ion enlarges; it takes in the "White
City," stretches over the city of Chica-
go, and, as the horizon widens, far out
upon Lake Michigan, he sees the roll
ing pillows as they toss the white sails
which seem mere specks on the distant
blue, and, as he contemplates the
grandeur of the spectacle, he feels we'll
paid for the money and time given for
his ride on the big wheel.
On the northern side of the Plaisance,
by the payment of a small fee, am ad-
mitted into "The Street in Cairo, :"
which is one of the most novel and in
teresting places l have visited. The
city of Cairo is the present capitol of
Egypt. 1t is situated on the many
mouthed Nile, near the Delta. 1t was
founded A. D. $50; it is three miles
square in area, and is now a hourishing
/ city With It's minaretes, mosques mon
soleums; Its heterogeneous population
of Turks, Arabs, Copts, Jews, Ameri-
cans, syrians, Africans, and Europeans,
tits highly interesting city, and one
which the rayeler in oriental coun-
j tries seldom fails to visit. Here onthe
Midway Plaisance, the visitor al the
Columbian Exposition, finds in the