Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-25
M AY BE A YEAR YET
Before the Bureau of Awards Finishes Its
Work.
The Headquarters in This City-rhe
Complaints of Exhibitors-A Great
Task Yet to be Acc0mplished.

| Much of the labor connected with the
| giving Of awards to the vast numbers Of
exhibits displayed at the worlds fair is
| over, but for the bureau Of awards the
| end is far from near, and conscious of this
| fact, John Boyd Thacher, chairman of the
| executive committee on awards, has hied
| himself to his home in Albany to spend
| Christmas with his family, and if possible
to eliminate from his mind the many trials
that beset the chief of SO important an Of
| flee.
In the absence of Mr. Thacher however,
the work is progressing under the direction
of his several Heutenants.
Since the removal of the bureau of awards
from Chicago to Washington the depart
| ments of manufactures. mining. liberal arts
| and transportation have been consolidate ted
and placed under the charge of National
| Commissioner Cannon of Oklahoma, for
merly chief of the manufactures depart
| ment. M. l.. Mcdonald, jr., is still in
charge Of the machinery department. while
the agricultural and fisheries divisions are
as formerly under the direction of Chiefs
Browning and Cannon. respectively.
The work of the awards bureau is now
principally devoted to the tabulation Of the
reports of the departmental judges of the
|
or classification of the reports by groups,
classes and assignment numbers, which are
| again CLASSIFIED according to the report Of
| tne Individual judge, either under the head
ings, Award mo Award" or "Examin-
| ed, this last report evidently forming a
| medium between award and no award
upon the completion of the tabulation of
| reports the tedious work of writing the
diplomas for each exhibit judged worthy OF
an award will then begin, and it is probably
IN anticipation OF this enormous Job that
Mr. Thatcher sought the solitude of this AL
bany nome that he may be better fitted to
| cope with the herculean task that will con-
| 'front.' MIN on his return to the Pacific build
ing.
The innumerable complaints of the ex
hipilors, the clamor of repIesen tatives for
alterations in the workings of these diplo-
mas, the visitors and letters to be received
ana dealt with. will bring Mr.. Thatcher and
MS division chiefs to fully realize that the
work they undertook at the beginning of
the exposition was by no means completed
with the closing of the revolving turn
stiles at Jackson Park.
Anticipating Diplomas.
ANTICIPATING the necessary delay in the
issue of the diplomas, the committee ON
awards have wisely issued to the more for
tuEate exhibitors whose displays found
favor in the critical eyes of the Judges
bronze cards, simply bearing the word
Award" and signed by John Boyd
Thatcher. These bronze placards are official,
and will temporarily take the place of the
official diplomas, which will bear de-
scription of the exhibit in question: setting
forth the points of excellence, and the sig
natures of the individual judge. the director
general and the chairman of the executive
committee on awards.
For the convenience of the more impa-
tient exhibitors, and for the purpose of in
creasing the bank account of a Chicago firm
there has issued what is known as a blue
| Ribbon" upon which ribbon Is set forth in
gilt letters the name of the article granted
an award. with that of the exhibitor, and
bearing the printed signature of the chief
of the building In which the exhibit was
displayed, together with those of Mr..
| Thacher and Director General Davis. These
| ribbons are non-offcial.
The compensation received by the thirty
or more individuals under the direction of
Mr.. Thacher in the Pacific building reaches
them in rather a roundabout manner. Sec
rotary Dickinson Is still in the admins
tration building on the fair grounds The
forwarded from Washington to the sub
treasury In Chicago, on which amount he
draws checks, which are returned to Finan-
clal Clerk Cambria here. who, in turn. dis
tributes them to the clerks.
The Washington Headquarters.
Mr. Thatcher and his staff. although not
so advantageously situated as they were in
the administration building, where they
commanded the court of honor on one side
less installed in very comfortable quarters
on the fourth floor of the Pacific building.
and can view with uninterrupted pleasure
F street it Is today below It'll. and while
they may not walk out on pavilion B and
see the United States Treasury in souvenir
half dollars, they may, II they crane their
necks, gaze upon the original Of that min
| iature structure.
A Meeting of Mining Experts.
An impromptu meeting Of a number of
the ex-departmental judges on mining oc-
Cured the other day in DR.. Days office of
the geological survey. Among the gentle
men present were Jos. d. Weeks of Pitts
burg, Jos. E. Carne, New South Wales
Cody X. Peck. Kansas City, Mo-; A. NJ.
Soteldo. Venezuela, Jno. r. Proctor, state
geologist of Kentucky, and NJ A. Parker
of the geological survey of Washington. AS
a matter of course the conversation drifted
to incidents connected directly or indirect
| ly, with the fair, and with much hilarity
these sedate gentlemen told of circum-
| stances which occurred, while they con-
| tended with the anxious and eager exhibit
| ors on one hand, and while they RECALLED
| themselves at the banquet table the
| other.
Messrs. Weeks and Carne have left the
| city within the last day, the former for
eastern Pennsylvania. the latter for Van
| couver's Island whence he will sail for the
| island continent January 16.
Mr.. Peck has gone to New York. while
Messrs. Proctor, Parker and Soteldo will
remain in the city for some time.
Mr.. Jos. E. Carne Of New South Wales
was, according to the statement of the
noted geologist and mineralogist, Maj.
| Hotchkiss of Virginia, in charge of the
| finest exhibit of minerals and meteorological
| specimens ever before exhibited in the
| United States which exhibits We're entirely
| the products of the country he represents
| To return, however, to the bureau of
awards, Il may be well to state that the
time necessary to complete the work can
rot even be estimated by the members of
the executive committee, but it is safe to
say that far greater amount of time will
be consumed ere each exhibitor receives q
diploma for his exhibit granted an award
than has heretofore been stated and
Christmas of "a may find Mr.. Thatcher and
his staff still hard at work.
| Where Wilhelm's BOssing Ended.
! DR.. Hans Blum, in his new book THE
German Empire in Prince Bismarck's Day."
! gives a piquant version of the cause of
quarrel between the emperor and Bis
marck:
|