New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-06
RAD WEATHER FOR THE FAIR
rur TRIALS OF THE GREAT EXPOSITION
CONTINUE.

,orr RAIN AND THE TEMPERATURE ALMOST AT
yrRo-FArLTs OF THE AMERICAN SECTION
-ExTOR1oN TO BE CHECKED
WITHIN THE GROUNDS
Chicago, May 8 tSpeciaD.-Anotlier cold dreary
and thoroughly chilling and uncomfortable day at
,bs Fair grounds has sunk the spirits Of manager
and exhibitors 10 u new level of depression,
aud given the ticket-takers at the
ca,.~ their lightcst days work since
,.c exhibition opened. driving north
EASTERN storm set in again last night after the
hrief sunshine Of yesterday afternoon. and TO-
d.v though the rain ceased falling before noon
,be clouds have been thick and lowering and a
eoId wind hes blown of the dark and troubled
surface of the lake. The temperature dropped
again to but q or degrees above the freezing
oopt. and this unlucky city has been suffering
all the miserics OF belated winter lingering in
the lap of spring. The great improvement in the
condition of the grounds since the oDenisI of
the Fair evident in the comparative ease with
which tho ravaces of the heavy rain Of last nigh,
in the roadways and walks were repaired by the
Use OF the steam rollers. and those few sight
secls who vcntured to jackson Park in spite of
the discomfor,s of visit there found tie Exhi,
hilton grounds fairly dry and pass1bln by noon
line The total attendance Of visitors could not
have been more than a few thousand, the work
men, employees and pass-holders contributing the
bulk of the admission registered at the gates
Yesterdays paid attendance reached only 1900
and yet yesterday was the only really favora be
day for sightseeing with which Chicago has been
favored for the last three or four weeks
II is becoming evident that until the Fair is
actually ready there will he no noticeable influx
of visitors here. The patronage so far has been
almost exclusively local, and Chicago is 70 more
crowded with strangers than il is in any year
at this In conformity, however, with
the erasping policy of the hotel and boarding
house keepers here, the pretence is made that
the entertaining capacity is already overturned, in
order that some plausibility may be given to
the exorbtont character of their charges. The
daily attendance at the Fur may be taken as
an index of the size Of the crowd of visitors
10 Chicago and there are no signs that this
attendance will reach the expected average Of
10000 10 100. 900 until we'll into June or July.
Arpreciablc progress : being made dolly with
the unfinished portions of the buildings and with
the installation OF the exhibits. Until May -,
however, when the delivery Of delayed freight
Is 10 be forbidden except after dark, the fair
will have, necessarily, a painfully unhnished ana
Incomplete lcok. In scarcely any one of the
main departments is there more than partial
disrlov tn I've seen and the effect Of this
martial DISPLAY is seriously marred by the IN
slightly state of the exhibits strewn in confusion
on every side Order is restored ont OF chaos
very quickly ny the vast army Of laborers en-
rloyed at Jackson Park. but so much remains 10
h. done that their night-anddav struggle with
the beated exhibits will probably have 10 d"
kent M until the 1st or 5th OF June
An important advance was made TO-DAY WIN
A.. A~< np,1A 0N,hQ
galleries Of paintings were thrown open There
are $50 pieces in the French collection. which. of
course. will he one Of the great artistic attrac-
tion. Of the Fair The French sculpture Will
not he ready for some time yet The American
collection Of paintings has not yet been opened
and many other exhibits for the Art Building nave
scarcelv been unlocked. Yet the Fine Art De-
rsrtment is farther advanced than that OF Liberal
Art. and Manufactures, Mining. Machinery. Elec-
tricitv or Agriculture Chief Allison, OF the
Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. saws tha'
thc,e 4. NOT SQUARE foot Of unclaimed or unoccn-
.,.a .nace IN that great structure. The installa-
,ion OF exhibits has gone forward at a rapid
rate during the last three days. especa'iv n
the American section. which was previously 30
bare American exhibitors are redeeming theH'-
.clve. from the charge Of indifference by spur'
~ characteristic activity The exhibits now being
the opening day Of the Fair. They may ho'
excite 40 great curiosity az IN" snowy e*h'""S
from foreign countries partly because they are
FAMILIAR 20 the people OF this country but from an
Industrial standpoint they represent vastly
greater value. Said an officer Of the Exposition
to-day: -,
~The beautiful exhibit from Austria will at
,rac, M end OF attention. but all the costly ana
e,ac,n. glassware which she shows will not, IN the
scales balance a single exhibit Of plain products
o. the loom contained in single case IN the
American section when you consider Its I'M
nortsnce in the commercial development OF the
country Those things are pretty to look at
some Of them surprisingly bcautiful-anh they
have their place in the advancement OF inc
home bnt these are the substances Of prosperity
and an index Of progress. The visitor oil the
Exposition who comes for any other purpose 'han
70 CRAFTY mere curiosity, who UNDERSTANDS tha'
the E,posi,ion was intended TO illustrate both
the absolute and the relative CROWN Oh o''e
nations Of the world. will not be satisfied with
works Of art hut will turn to the usefui thihgs
in homely cases in the space set apart for home
manufactures with great deal OF satisiac'ioh'
The American exhibits are far more az
tractive and worthy of attention than they
seem Nevertheless the criticism ia freely an"
Justly made that American exhibitors have gwen
too little attention 20 exterior attrac'lvencss
There Is also a serious lack OF variety an"
harmony in their exhibits. IL is not 700 ia'o
20 remedy these defects to some extent. Exhioi''
from foreign countries. especially Germany.
France and Austria, have a symmetry not iouho
In the American section. There is no excessive
display OF any particular articles. The visl,ors
to the Fair have already found out that 'hey
pass from ono species OF exhibits to ano'her III
foreign sections, while across the avenue 'ney
ere wearied by a repetition Of the same speclhc
product. The foreign country appropriated
certain sum Of money TO be used in this ouiiu-
ing, as in others, to unity and localize the eA.
hibits and a portion of that money was palu