Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-04
FOREIGN Frs AMAZED
At the Completeness of the United States
Government Exhibit.
Some Notable Features-Many WASH
fngtonians seen-The Geographical
Congress-Papers Read There.
Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

j think. and am not alone In my opin-
lon, that the United States government
mas the finest exhibit on the grounds. The
United States government building Is al
ways fuil- There are more visitors in 1t
daily than In any other building on the
sfound- Foreigners are properly amazed
at the completeness OF everything. They
say: We'll! We thought We had sent q
nne thing over here to your fair. but we
never imagined anything 50 fine in every
way as this exhibit here"
You ought to see them open their eyes
NJ the perfection Of arrangements in the
worlds fair post office, situated in the
southwest corner Of the government build
Ing, occupying a space of 100x35 feet 1t
Is q perfect revelation to them, as well as
to many Of our own people who have never
lived In large cities and don't know any
thing o. the vast amount of work carried
on by the P. o. Department.
i was talking to Mr.. Hastings this morn
post ONCE and took great pleasure in
showing me round and Initiating me into
the mysteries Of the business
the size Of child's high chair that cancels
letters at the rate OF s. 900 an hour. i can
celed couple Of thousand letters myself
while he was talking to me.
The worlds fair post office Is branch
OF the Chicago post office. All worlds fair
mail matter comes straight to the admin.
istradon building and a great deal Of mail
goes out from the same place.
The newspaper mail is much heavier
than would be supposed Every man who
comes to the fair wants his home paper
first and his letters afterward There are
seven or eight hundred thousand newspa-
pers every month received at this little
POST office. OF letters over $1,000 are re-
ceived and dispatched every day. The
Of $4,000 a day. and you would think so il
You saw the string Of people at the money
order window.
A Postal Car Exhibit.
An unique part of this exhibit is a postal
car manufactured by the Chicago and
Alton Railroad Company and run over their
line. 1t is perfect and complete in every
respect and Is used by the post office en-
ployees In classifying mail matter so that
There are sixty employees in the post
Dffice a number wholly inadequate to the
successful management of the office, whose
business is daily growing larger.
The office is very nicely furnished in pol
lshed oak and brass and full view of the
workings inside may be seen through the
While I sat talking to Mr. Hastings a
great basket load of glove cleaning samples
exhibit. which that department is sending
all over the country.
Another exhibition in the same building
that Is visited by thousands of people is
that of the bureau OF American republics.
1t Is In the east gallery and Is the first ex-
hibition that has been made of the South
American republics. 1t is very interesting
and especially instructive from an educa-
tional point OF view.
lief map Of South and Central America.
about forty feet long and raised three feet
above the floor; encircied by a brass rail-
ing. showing the proposed lines Of inter-
continental railways and the existing
steamship lines. 1t was constructed by E.
z. Court, c. E, Of Washington. ID. c., in
1893, on a scale Of twenty-five miles to the
inch.
The cases on the floor are filled with
of r1rrfa crrIr rad
by the European countries for the South
American trade. This is of special interest
TO American manufacturers showing
them the kind of thing the South Ameri-
cans want. Our manufacturers send stuff
down there that is not suited to their needs
or tastes and then wonder why they don't
sell The Europeans are sharper and get
ahead of US every time. manufacturing an
ESPECIAL line OF goods for South American
trade alone. Let our manufacturers do the
same.
Mr. Frederick A. Ober. who was speciaI
has travelled all over these countries is in
charge of this department He is thor
oughly acquainted with everything repre-
sented In II and takes pleasure in explain
ing IL to the interested visitors
have been talking to Maj. Handy about
many passes used by people who have no
shadow OF claim to them at all Steps
II is hoped by the first of August ali fraud
ulent passes will be Cancelled.
II is very interesting to note how passes
necessarily used to tie up these passes.
! will measure It of to you. The
m nrs5 thing , to do 10 is ss to get recon-
ment- Then Maj Handy investigates and
approves. and you are sent to the service
r np1lGns rEr Eeguisition on the photog-
given card emitting you to six admissions
TO the grounds. and at the end of four days
photo nicely mounted inside the n co S0gr
These passes are good till November 1 and
allow admission to the grounds daily as
often as you want to come.
Many washinStonians.
washingtonians in great numbers come
here. Every Washingtonian comes here of
course. and L see great many of them
every time 1 come over. Maj. Powell walks
through the corridor occasionally and so
does Gardiner Hubbard. Mt. Emery, sec
rotary Of the bureau Of American republics
IS here today. as Is also his brother / see
Mr.. W. +. Curtis very often.
F,nr1,Issn g anu EFiday tne american and
ence in Music Hall. Mr.. Gardiner Hubbard
made the opening address. Relations Of
the Currents Of Air and Water to Animal
and Vegetable Life and to the Temperature
of Countries"
Prof. Powell superintendent of public
schools. Washington, ID. c., read a paper
on Geographical Instruction in the Pub
Cen Greedy, L. s. A, read a paper on
International Polar Expeditions
Friday morning they adjourned to La Ra-
bida. where Mr.. W. e. Curtis and Capt
John G.. Bourke. U. 8. A, explained the
most precious collection OF historical pa
pers that were ever exhibited together"
Ensign Roger Welles. jr., U. s. N, read
paper on The Orinoco River" and Mr.
Frederick A. Ober read one entitled I'm
the Wake of Columbus" being a very brief
summary Of the work which he has Just
completed bearing the same title.
A jolly Crowd.
When the afternoon draws to a close I
descend from my perch and wend my
way with the crowds toward the elevated.
As I pass through the buildings the ex-
hibitors are closing up their wares A
sound OF music floats on the breeze and
see a procession coming toward me- It Is
the commercial travellers and this is their
especial day at the fair. They are a folly
crowd. appear to be enjoying themselves
Immensely. I counted over twenty women
In the procession, all commercial travellers
like the men
They marched down Columbia avenue in
the manufacturers and liberal arts build
ings over to the administration building
where they rallied round the flag, a great
beautiful banner floating high over the
heads OF the people in front Of the admins
tration building. Here they cheered and
cheered till they were hoarse. while the
band played the "Star Spangled Banner"
The crowds move on. the slanting rays of
the descending sun glisten on the columns
OF the periStyle. the gilded dome of the ad-
rninistration building and change to molten
silver the rushing waters in the matchless
fountain beneath. Swans float majestically
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