St. Landry democrat., 1893-05-20
Our Chicago Letter.
". D. BOfCE'5 CORRESPONDENCE Bureau, AID
MIN1sTRATION BUILDING, WORLDS FAIR
GROUNIs MAY Is. 1893.

| ". u. BOiCL'S CORRESPONDENCE BUREAU, AD-
mIN1sTRATIoN BUILDING, WORLDS FAIR
GROUNDS, MAY 10, 1888
Guides to right of you,
Guards to left of you,
Uniformed men and boys i'll front OF
you.
Thus one is met as he is ushered
through the turnstiies at the World &
Fair gates. There are guides to show
you about the grounds and through the
buildings; guards to keep the peace ;
boys dressed in light blue selling guide
books; boys dressed FROM tip to toe in
bright red selling the official catalogue ;
boys in grey and yellow selling Chicago
papers and the Daily Columbian GUS
toms officers, letter carriers, telegraph
business, all wearing uniforms. One al
most becomes bewildered until the title
of their Office is made apparent by an
inspection of their caps. AS arule these
uniformed men and boys are courteous
and polite, aud seem to take pleasure in
answering questions.
The second week of the great Fair is
numbered with the past, and during that
time many results have been accom-
plislled, although much remains to be
dOne-much more than to have the Gin
ishiug" touches put Oh.
A pleasant ride of twenty minutes,
starting from the Van Buren, Street Sta
ton of the Illinois Central railroad, and
running within full view of Lake Michi-
gan, in cars built for this traffic and
over tracks used only for this purpose,
brings one to the SixtietE street entrance
of the Fair. Trains are now run on five
minutes Roadway, but will be reduced
to two minutes as soon as the patronage
demands it. There are many conve-
nient ways to reach the grounds, but
this is one of the pleasant ones.
AS Que cutters at this entrance, with
the great horticultural building just to
his right. he is apt To comment To him
self: "Weil, the comm Issioner of horti-
culture has certainly been good to him
self" as he beholds the we'll kept grass
flowers, on which the lawn mowers are
making their familiar summer music,
aud he repeats this thought rs he wan
ders to its eastern frontage.
These two Immense grass plats, with
their coat OF green, soft as velvet, APP
pear to have been growing for years ill.,
stead of few short weeks.
AS you turn TO the right ON the east
front of the last named building, you
are confronted with the sight of what
was not many mouths since, a marsh,
oyergrown, perhaps. with cat tails, but
now converted into a lagoon. A wall of
stone il built on one aide Of this wand
ering sheet of water, and at frequent in
tervuls, there are landing places, where
you can hail and take your choice be-
tween an electric Or steam launch. or
gondola, manned by real live Condo
Tiers, imported from Italy, arrayed in
picturesque costumes as worn in their
native land. For few days after the
opening, these gondoiiers were dressed
like ordinary mortais, and they had to
beg for patronage; since they have as
sumed their rain bow regalia, the shoe is
on the other foot, and the majority of
the passengers are ladies. Perhaps this
sort OF boating is suited to all seasons of
the year in Venice land doubtless will
be popular here when the moon is full,
aud after day of ninety in the shade),
but just at present walking is more COM
Portable. The bridges crossing these
waters are graceful and pretty, and look
as though they had been bui t to stay.
The exhibits are not by any means in
stalled in their final resting place, and
this is perhaps more noticeable in the
manufacturers building than elsewhere.
Boxes and crates are waiting to be un-
packed, but much of this work cannot
he done until the booths for their recep-
ton are ready the carpenters, however,
seem to be working hard toward that
end, and each day seems to bring its re-
ward in much being finished. The aisles
in this building are broad and spacious,
and will accommodate many people
without crowdipg.
The grounds and buildings len fully
illuminated by electricity present a
sight never to be forgotten, and al
though the electrical exhibit at the Paris
Exposition was fine, such rapid strides
have been made in this department of
science since that time, and such wond-
ers have been achieved, in order to COLI
vince one OF the truth of this assertion,
visit is necessary to the building de-
voted to this exhibit.