The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-05-16
A SCENE OF BEAUTY.
Inconoeivable Brllliauoy of the
Electrical Illumination
OF The WHITE CITY At CHICAGO.
A Scene Such as Mortal Eyes Never
Saw Before-The Great Buildings
Present DFeam-llke Picture in the
Blaze OF Light-NIghrs Black Man.
tie Rent in Twain.


tie Rent In Twain.
CHICAGO, ILL, May l5.-Night's black
mantle was rent in twain at Jackson
park, Her scepter was broken and her
power departed. In hOr stead there
reigned new deity OF wondrous might,
the deity that crowned the white city
in the glory OF dladem OF light I'm.
perfected as yet, with blemishes and
shortcomings here and there manifest,
the bright glitter of the nights illumin-
alton Of the fair grounds made faint and
puny by comparison all man's previous
efforts to dissipate darkness
There was glow that reached from
earth to heaven, that rested on lofty
pinnacle, on stern column, and on classic
dome, that showed to each man in u
throng the scene Tor itself as the rlpples
gathered the face OF his neighbor with
the plainness OF the MONDAY light, and
awoke the white city to weird dawn.
There was many-twinkling smile OF
waters that renewed the rays into their
bosom, II was sight such as no man
alive to-day ever saw, nor ever again
will SEQ whom the fair has closed its
gates.
There was 4 kindly glow In the air as
the sun sank beneath the waves. Gold
en- fringes framed the black masses Of
cloud in the pale evening sky. The
breeze fell over the lake and its waters
mirrored the azure above like a sheet OF
FURNISHED steel,
Then there came q fash and flicker
at a corner OF the art building, and o
torch famed in wavering, shifting
peak Of light. Another followed. and
another, until the building was girt in
circle Of fame. More than ever did
the graceful structure bear out its pro.
totype, Apollo's temple. A parting
CLEAN from the sun caught its pima
clos, strong with the new born light,
the sun seeming II. shed It's approval on
the pane.
o'er his own egous lingering
Loved TO shine,
Though there his altars
Arc no more divine,
Hero and there through the grounds
points and dots OF light glimmered into
being one by one. The white city
seemed to take new lease Of life. The
eyentide calm was broken by the advent
OF another day. A luminous haze arose
above the wide glass roofs Of the build.
ings. A glow was reflected across the
sky along the manufactures building.
stfeaks q light winter than any fuller's
earth can whiten showed where row
ofarc lights had received their baptism
Of FIRE.
Little by little the scene grew warmer
shadow grew intenser in their contrast
as the number Of points Of illuminating
was magnifed. The copses and groves
on the wooded island in the glory OF
their newborn garb of verdure laced
the ground with the black tracery Of
their shadow.
And into the food OF light there
poured necessarily multitude that
seemed dazzled for the nonce by the
glory Of the brightness in which it was
bathed. There was q mutter OF unre-
pressed delight as q bar o. red gold stole
down the dome OF the administration
building. There was q pause, and yet
another rib OF the golden dome sprang
into light. A bar Of yellow sheen ran
around the base OF the dome and sent
of shoots to the summit on all sides.
Then there come the diadem OH its
summit, the stream Of rays poured from
every window, and tho gorgeous build.
ing was dressed to queen tho display.
AT its feet lay the grand basin, glow
ing like caldron Of molten gold in the
reflection Of the myriad lights that ran
around it. In the distance the partly
lighted paristyle, suffering by the mis-.
chance Of an engineers failure, kept
half Of Its surroundings in gloom and
half in glare.
The darkness had found It's new
enemy Men had said "Let thore be
light" Through the length and breadth
Of tho grounds there was no spot where
every recess was not as clear as In the
fullest sunlight. Fountains were Bpiash-
ing in front OF the administration build.
ing, the myriad rays as they passed
through their misty spray producing
rainbow tints.
The crowd ranged itself in triple rows
around the columns Of water, tlrelessly
watching the snowy masses us they
climbed to their topmost height and
sank exhausted to their basin. Launches
with their human freight fitted like
tlrehies over the gilded waters, their
colored lamps reflected in the mirror
below.
Gondolas with gay lanterns of colored
papers moved in their stately fashion
across the lagoons, and steamboats,
sported their way hither and thither.
Out in the arches Of the peristyle
there was blood.red glow, intensified
by its reflection from the water Of the
dull, sluggish lake.
Mon were burning rod fire all along
the shore OF the lake, forming back
ground TO the double row Of pillars.
Above them tho tribe Of statues, their
faces caught in the glow from tho grand
basin, stood out against the velvet back.
ground Of sky. Between them stars
peepod and twinkled,
There was q murmur OF band music
across the water--an old Scotch air
hoated upon the strange night that was
no night, and seemed weirdly out Of
accord with the glitter and magniacenco
Of tho scene. Its very simplicity seemed
to protest against tho pomp and grand.
eur Of the wealth Of adornment, Ex-
pectnnt eyes wore turned towards man
lfactures building, whence II had been
announced that tho four search lights
would DO seen. 1t was long before the
iainiest proof Of their existence WINS
visible. suddonly bar Of glistening
white shot from tho southwest corner
aud stepped tho bulldings opposite In u
flood OF light 1t halted In tie course,
flickored, and vanished, to roappear
and tower nboyo tho toptnoat holvht of