The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-08-02
EXPOSITION HALF OVER.
n GREAT SUCCESS IN EvERYTHINCs'
EXCEPT AJTENDINCE.
Maintaining High Rates-Stockh olders
of the Fair VIII Lose Their Money.


Maintaining High Rates-stochhoi oidcrs
of the Fair VIII Lose Their Money.
CHICAGO, Aug. 2 With the closing of
the gate Monday the first half of the Col
umpian Exposition passed into history. The
number of paid admissions during the
month was 2, 750 and the largest number
OF paid admissions was registered July 4,
when 2s3,373 people deposited the
admission fee with the ticket sellers. The
smallest number was last Sunday, when
only Is, ,637 paid admissions were recorded
The paid attendance for May was 1885,
037, while that of June more than doubled
this figure, reaching a total of 2,675, 1l3.
The officials of the Fair are greatly
pleased with the artistic success of the
Exposition, but this cannot be said of the
financial end of the enterprise. The at
tendance has failed to reach tho mark it
was expected to attain during the first half
of the Fair, and especially during the
month of July. For this the railroads are
i'm the main held responsible, and the Off
Gals do no hesitate to criticize their mean
ness and stubbornness in refusing to make u
one-fore round-trip at the beginning of the
Fair. The present hard times have bad
much to do with the attendance, out the
management thinks the people would have
attended largely had the railroad fares
been reduced.
There must necessarily be large atten-
dance during the remaining period of the
Fair if the management expects to pay its
debts and this is all they now hope to do.
1t is foregone conclusion that the stock
holders of the Fair will get nothing on
their investment, nor will their subscrip-
tions be returned, as the money for which
the Exposition Is legally liable amounts to
so much that it will take tremendous
daily average OF paid admissions to ease
the obligation.
President Higinbothnm is as hopeful as
any of the officials in the matter of finance.
He says, ~ have only one fault TO find
with the first half of the Exposition. The
attendance has not been what it ought to
have been. In all other respects the Ex-
position has been a success, as no one
can reasonably deny, but in that respect
the first half is by no means the better
half / believe that the attendance from
now on will steadily increase / believe
that the admissions this week will exceed
those of last. There have been about g.
500, 900 admissions. Certainly more than
that many VIII be registered during the
remainder Of the Fair and the total attend
ance will more than double those figures.
The latter half of the Fair will surprise
us as much with large attendance as the
first half has disappointed us with bad"
The retrenchment policy Will be renew
ed at once with increased vigor. One OF
the first effects of economy is felt in the
elimination of one 'speciaP night per
week. Heretofore Tuesday. Thursday and
Saturday were designated as special
nights Hereafter special nights viii
be confined to Wednesdays and Saturdays.
There will be no music at night except
upon those days and the hours for the
concerts have been changed so as to divide
the music equally between the morning
and afternoon. The free orchestral con
certs will lie given as usual, when the
orchestra is not engaged in rehearsing for
an afternoon programme, at least for the
present. The new arrangement will work
saving of a few hundred dollars daily.