Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-09-14
THE BIG FAIR.
WoRLD's FAIR GROUND,
CHICAGO, SEPTEMBEr II, 1893.
frror, an. anactai 0orrasY,onaaDkN

(From our Special Correspondent.l
The attendance at the Worlds Fair is
booming now as it never has before and
when the returns are all in for the current
week it will doubtless be found that all pre-
vious records, including that of the banner
week when Illinois day was celebrated, will
have been eclipsed. The records for that
week, ending Aug. 26, were 1,0O4,454. So
far the attendance for the first four days of
the present week aggregate 707, ,49l and aver
age daily attendance of 176,S73. Should the
average keep up, the total for the six days
would not fall short of 100000. So salts
factory has this attendance been of late that
the executive committee of the local direct
ory at its meeting Thursday night, decided
to pay another installment of 10 per cent. on
debenture bonds Sept. %. This will make
40 per cent, paid on the total of 1900, 600.
More could doubtless be paid but the coun-
Gil of administration has also decided to pay
all the balances due on construction con :
tracts.
The present week has been one of jollifi-
cation and celebrations. New York state
celebrated on Monday, Wisconsin on
Wednesday, Pennsylvania and Brazil on
Thursday. California and Utah celebrate
Saturday, which will also be Transportation
day and Grand Army day. Superintendent
of Admissions Tucker is figuring on 250,-
600 attendance Saturday and the special
features promised should certainly make
good his anticipations. School children also
take part in dedicating the new liberty bell
on that day.
The Higbee inquiry is finished and the
verdict Of guilty has been rendered. Frank
d. Higbee, it will be remembered, was one
of the judges of award who was charged with
corruption in the awards of prizes of ex-
hibits. Other judges are likewise suspected
of prostituting the work of the judges and il
is said fresh evidence has been submitted
showing without shadow OF doubt that q
combination exists to influence and sell
awards.
Machinery hall offers new discoveries daily
to the observing student, Whoever passes
the lathe of Charley Sontag, looks about and
then insists on crowdng up to the glass par.
tition. Charley sQptag is one Of the few thin
bic makers Of this country. Sontag's lathe
is mimic. When the thimbleis in the chuck
it gives marvellous imitation of the mock
ing bird whistle which shrieks its blood
chilling notes from the top of machinery
hall. 1t does this whefi The thimble maker
is "Knurling' the end or top Of the thimble
The Knurling tool gives out seven distinct
notes during the operation and is one of the
most musical instruments in the machinery
hall orchestra. Three hundred silver thin.
bles are turned out daily at the thimble fac
tory. The operation is simple and inter.
esting. The preliminary steps in the max.
ing of thimble are taken in the eastern
factory, for the machinery hall exhibit has
not the space to accommodate the machin.
cry. The thimble blank is cut and form ed
at one operation. The silver, in strips
about two inches wide and of varying thick.
ness, is fed into press which cuts a disk
and stamps the thimble out of the round
blank. The thimble is not cone shaped but
a straight sided cup of silver. 1t is next
placed under straight punch which
stretches it to the required thickness after
which it is shaped to the familiar thimble
form. A boy takes the thimbles and in q
lathe turns the edge and turns the rim over.
and then the souvenir design is placed on
the band Immediately above the rim bv a
roller die which is held against it in lathe