The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-01-14
CHICAGO EXPOSITION.
an Interesting Letter From the
Scene of the Worlds FAIR.
(From our special correspondent

assumed shape IN a more positive
form. Many Of the buildings are
completed and dedicated. Even now
there are immense crowds of sight
seers and visitors to the Exposition
grounds. especially on Sundays.
Aside from the attractiveness OF
the buildings in general, Horticul-
tural Hall especially is a fine sight,
with its magnificent display of tropi
cal foliage and flowers. The Esqui-
maux village is very great attrac-
ton to curiosity seekers, as it is an
exact reproduction of Arctic life, with
the exception of there being no ice.
bergs or Polar bears. Two babies
were born in the colony since their
arrival, one Of which has died.
AS to the question of Sunday open
ing, word here will not be out Of
place | quote as follows from the
Chicago Mail: "Abner Taylor is dis
couraged over the outlook for Sun
day opening. He has begun ques-
tioning the Senators at Washington,
and finds strong opposition to any
such movement. The Chicago Con
gressmen will hold conference this
week, and will mark out plan of
action. Nothing but the hardest kind
of work will secure the passage of q
bill repeating the Sunday closing
clause. The members OF Congress
know little on nothing of the
strength of the opposition to the
Sunday closing, and thus far no
systematic effort has been made to
enlighten them. IL Chicago wants
the Exposition opened on Sunday
she had better make her desires
known at Washington"
Among the many notices of amuse
nents not specially connected with
the Exposition, the Passion Play is
noticeable. As to the ACCESSIBILITY Of
reproducing the Passion Play in
Chicago during the Exposition, /
quote the following from the Chris
tan Union +: "The Passion Play of
Ober-Ammergau, it is announced, is
likely to be given at the Worlds
Fair. Report, in Chicago Inter
Ocean, says that an amphitheatre is to
be erected with canvas large enough
to seat 5000 or 10000 people. Scenery
will represent the mountains which
nature has furnished as background
at Ober-Ammergau. Josef Mayer is
to come across the water to repre-
sent the Christ. 1t will be easy to
import the actors but not the
audiences and the latter deter
mine the spirit of a performance.
The project has reached, it is said,
that state of advancement where but
the final word remains to be said to
IKE it effectual. This is to come
from the people of the United States.
lie serious objection is raised, the
idea of course will be abandoned.
We trust this objection will be raised
in most vigorous and emphatic
protest"
In the Electrical department as
founding results as to the many uses
and appliances will be shown it's
effects on plants and animals and
different forms of life. Reference
has recently been made as to the
effect of the electric light on plants,
especially those at the Winter Palace
at ST. Petersburg, where there is a
noted collection of ornamental plants,
especially fine palms, grown for the
decoration of the banqueting halls of
the palace. The illumination of a
room for a single night caused the
leaves to turn yellow, dry up, and
drop off. The days in st. Petersburg
are almost sunless, and the sudden
change from this dim light to the
binding glare of the electric lights
is more than the plants can bear;
plants that are partly shaded escape
injury to their foliage. The phono-
phone, a telegraphic device invented
by Langdon Davis, of London-also
the submarine telegraph; train tele-
graphy system of Mr.. Lucius J..
Phelps, are to. be exhibited
In the United States alone the lines
of telegraph have total of 07,3S9
miles of wire-enough to encircle the
world thirty-two times. France has
PAL 800 miles, Germany 1S6, 1888 miles,
Great Britain and Ireland 1S3,5O2
miles, Russia 1880 miles. As to
the extent of the telephone in 1890
in this country, there were
757 exchanges, All branch offices,
192,610 miles of land wire, COB miles
of submarine cables, 156, 7S0 circuits
and 1S5,003 subscribers. Exchange
connections daily in the United
States, 1,240,147 or total per year
of 400,000,000, the company received
for rental in 1889 S2,657, 1851. The
Bell Telephone Co. and its sub
sidiary companies represent about
$S0,0O0,000 of capital.
A word right here for Thomas A.
Edison. He will astonish the world
by the exhibit he will make in 1893.
[ have two or three things to show,
said he recently, which l think will
both please and surprise the visitors
to the electrical department of the
Exposition, which by the way |
am fully convinced will be a
great success. Two of these are not
yet ready to be described, the third
is so nearly perfected that l do not
hesitate to say something about it.
L hope to be able by the invention to
throw upon canvas perfect pic,
ture of anybody and reproduce his
words. Thus should Patti be sing
ing somewhere this invention will
put her full length picture upon the
canvas so perfectly, as to enable one
to distinguish every feature and ex-
preston of her face, see all her