Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-09-25
A City of White Elephants.

Al luln u uSuieo Slo,oVVioOO nohe ihtl
the construction of the fair buildings at
Chicago and the preparation of the
grounds for the exposition. The point
that now interests the stockholders,
and incidentally the whole city and
country, is how much can be realized
from that $l9, GOO, 600 worth of time and
material. 1t is safe to assume that the
time is dead waste. 1t is safe to say,
also, that large-a frightfIlly large
proportion of tho material will have to
20 by the board. In the rosy days OF
promotion it was figured that So, 600, 900
could be realized from the sale of the
buildings and the materials. Since then
there has been a slump in the expecta-
tiops, and to-day it is toss-up whether
there will be enough salvage to pay for
the tearing down of the buildings, the
removal of the materials. and the resto-
ration of the park to the condition in
which it was before it was turned over
to the exposition company.
The south park commissioners fear
that the fair corporation will forfeit its
UOuu uHA iOhuuOh kHC
ings rather than attempt to tear them
down and restore the grounds to their
original condition. John C. Fleming,
Chicago representative of the Carnegie
companies, which furnished about two
thirds of the iron entering into the
buildings, says that "a very large part
of the iron at Jackson Park will have to
20 into tie scrap pile" That means that
it will have to be cold for old iron, and at
a price which may not pay D half or a
quarter of the price making it available
even for that disposition. There are
1000 tons of iron in the Manufactures
building costing about $40 ton to put it
in place, or nearly $500, 900 in all. There
are nearly 10000 tons in the several
buildings, representing q cost Ct over
81 100000.
Illustrative of the cost of taking
down iron work, it may be stated that
the architect Of fSteele Mackaye's skele-
ton Spectorium estimates that it will
c, st $43, 900, and every dollar that can
be realized from the sale of material to
pull down aud remove that unsightly
monument of yet other blissful promo
ton moments. The owners of the Fer
ris wheel expect to pay $50 900 to re-
spoDsible contractors to take down,
transport and set up that wonderful
piece of work on another site. Emil
Philipson says it will cost 100000
over and above the salvage to tear
down and remove the Manufactures
building. Dilligent inquiry among
wre, king firms and contractors failed to
uncover any that would confess having
any intention of bidding on the de-
struction of the White City, or tina!
would admit that they knew of any
body who had definite purpose in that
direction.
No matter who has tho work to do,
there is going to be great trouble and
expense in disposing of the waste
and rubbish. Where to put it will be
tough problem to solve. 1t cannot
be dumped haphazard into the
lake, as much of it would be washed
back upon the shore by the action of
the water. The authorities would not
allow that disposition to be made of
it. There will be between 10000 and
1900 carloads of waste material to
be hauled away from Jackson Park,
according to the calculation of prom
inent contractor-that is to say, be-
tween 100000 and 100000 cubic
yards of rubbish. There will be some
thousands of carloads of stuff alone to
be carried away.
There is no hole or swamp to fill up
within transportable distance of Jack
sou Park. A suggestion has been offer
ed that the waste material be used for
the creation of an artificial mountain at
the southeast corner of the park. In
the loose form it will be in when car
ried from the grounds, the waste ma
terial will make pile |, 900 feet square
aud between Is and 20 feet high. The
surface area of such a creation would
be about twenty-three acres.
1t was said while the buildings were
being erected that the iron framework
of several of them would be sold to
railroad companies to be used as sta
tions. Ali the roads running into Chi
cago have fine stations, and there seems
to be no chance to dispose of the iron
frames there.
The question the officials want an.
swered is, What shall be done with the
buildings and the rubbish?