The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-08-06
PLRAsAsTRIEs AT THE BIG FAIR

WouIDs Fam Gnorxps. CHrcAec. July
n -ISpeeial Correspondence. l--Ons OF the
agreeahay surprised visitors at the Wash
inston stats building this week Vas James
Mcknight Who sas formerly leading
lawyer 81 Seattle. br. Is nov located in
Mes York city - the chief presiding over
the legal department of the Northern Pa
eide Railroad Company. An amusing
story was told about Nr. Mcknight. Who
appeared q the fair with his increased
rotundtty clad in gray husiness suit and
hn eray heod q hair snrmounted by .
light straw hak IL vas that he Vas the
hres men 70 wear silk hat in the city Of
Seattle "Yea. I guess that Is true. " said
he. when eoEfTonsed with what seemed .
yarn. Il had been studying law here
IN Chicago, and il Vas then . custom Of
our ciass upon graduating or even up0n
entering the higher classes 70 don the silk
hat. and - / went 10 Seattle Immediately
after graduating took With me my silk
hat. II vas the only one had. and -
w. too poor to buy another hat 1t ones l
had 70 wear that one I remember that
soon afferuard I had to make trip to
Port Townsend and Victoria. While st
the latter city managed to invest in .
new hat, but when I got back to Port
Townsend remember that . half-breed
Indian, whom / afterward learned Was
known - Cherokee JIM" came on board
the steamer and handed me little news
paper. - big = your two hands. In this
paper found IN article headed 'Ecce
Homo. and it proceeded to describe my
psrsonai appearance, including that silk
and shall always remember it."
Dr.. Calhoun, himself an old pioneer.
Who remembers Ill such incidents, hsrs
spoke mp and said: 'sYes, and Orange
Jacobs once said that that article in Cher
okee Jim's paper did more for Mr.. Nc
Naught than anything else that could have
happened. II proved to him that silk hats
and kid gloves would not win in the new
West
From that day Mr.. McNaushs, always .
hard and tirelsss worker in his profession,
rapidly climbed 70 fame and fortune
Isladly awaited myself today Of m OPP
portunity to visit Washington park, and I
would advise every ono who comes to the
Worlds fair to b sure and take time to
80 this matches resting place for this
big city's people. II is one of the finest
spots to be found here or in any other
city. The park consists of 81 acres. II is
twenty years old. and tho site was origi-
naily perfectly level. Now it is diversified
BY hills, mounds. artificial lakes and ponds
and most beautiful groves OF willow, oak,
catAlpa and other ornamental trees and
shrubs. Nowhere do you 80 the usual
sign Of Keep on the grass" and it Is per-
fect luxury - walk around ON the soft
lawn carpets and see the happy picnic
parties under the shady groves. They
come out in drovss ana bring their ham
mocks and lunch baskets. and then sur
rounded By beautiful flowers and with
cool brsesss blowing they can not help en-
joying Themselves. It u better than . trip
70 the country. There are seventy seven
rovboats in the largest lake, which covers
about ten Or fifteen acres. and these boats
are rented out at S. cents IN hour. The
park 10 managed By i've commissioner,
appointed BY the court for Two years.
Only the president and the auditor receive
pay and they get 81 600 year each.
The floral decorations in this park are
something wonderful. A great globe map
of the world in growing plants, massive
gates ajaT. the calendar changed each
day, huge sun dial. rolls Of carpet but
terflies and beautiful flower beds in end
less variety are among the BEAUTIES 10 be
seen. Ali visitors are allowed 20 walk
right up TO the edge Of the flower beds on
the surrounding grass swards. Then come
the large conservatory and adjacent green
house, filed with rare plants, Gil open to
the inspection Of The public. Theirs are
several large ponds filled with most curl.
Gus and gorgeous water plants. One that
especially attracted my attention was the
great wassr lily Tictoria Regia. from the
Amazon river. Its leaves are fully three
feet across, and the edges have two or
three inches OF the margin turned mp,
giving them the resemblance Of .
huge vegetable pan. These will b In full
bloom in . few weeks. Another beautiful
large white water lily IL the NympAea
deneeta, which is now in full bloom. All
these rare plants are in large boxes. 20
that shey can be gathered into the hot
houses when winters frosts approach.
Everywhere around the park are benches
and rustic settees, and every effort seems
to have been exerted for the pleasure OF
the visitors. The water In the lakes il
pumped from Lake Michigan BY the city's
water works.
The Sunday open ing Of the fair has
taken very curious turn and 10 now
troublesome sort Of boomerang, rafting
noisily and expensively about the heads Of
the manager. At first the managers cried
out loudly for Sunday opening, and by
some ingenious devices and legal techni-
caiities. always past the layman's compre-
hension, they got the Sunday opening.
Nov they are sorry they spoke. For the
first few Sundays the attendance was large
and profitable. Then It fell OF precipi-
lately. and after two or three Sundays Of
small attendance and big expenses-for oil
employees got extra pay for Sunday work
the managers concluded 70 yield to the
respectful but urgent appeals Of oil classes
of Sunday observers to close the fair. But
in stepped one Of the judges and said that
il they didn't keep that fair open he would
arrest the council Of administration for
contemp. Of court, or words to that effect.
So today the fair has been open. but the
attendance was very slight and the unfor-
tunate managers, in order TO keep down
expenses. required some Of the gatekeepers
to do double service. When man arrived
with his family, he and his wife would be
ushered through one gate and then the
gatekeeper would hop over rail and lee
the children in the other gate. 1t will be
interesting to see how they will finally
settle this vexed question which 10 now
fast assuming the proportions OF farce.
Congressman W. Fl. Doolittie. Who Ar
rived here from Tacoma last Friday on his
way to Washington City. had only half