The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-05-08
As MR.. FESSENDEN SAW t
The Fair at Chicago ImpresSes a PfOVi-
dence Man Very Strongly.
HE TALKS ABOUT WHAT He SAW.
There Never Has Ieen Such . Worlds
Fair on Earth Isefore-The East Chided
for the Coldness and Jealousy 10 Has
Manifested.

Manifested.
Some Eastern newspapers would have
1t that the Worlds fair is failure aud
disappointment at the outset, but the
the contrary.
Robert Fessenden OF this CITY has just
returned from five-weeks visit to the
White CITY and said in conversation
with a News reporter this morning that
the fair is grand success.
The great trouble in the East, - said
he. THAT the people do not properly
appreciate the great exposition at Chi
cago Is because of its distance from
them-at arms length-and therefore
nficance.
Now let me explain. When / tell
you that the exhibits and buildings at
Jackson park are five times larger than
the con- bined Centennial and Paris expo
sitions put together you will get faint
idea or It's immensely.
They say that the exhibits are not
ready. Now hat is false statement.
OF course owing to such delays as would
happen anywhere, caused by miscarried
freight, there are "a few minor things that
are not In place. But who would ever
notice thems
Wonderful Speed
Some man said-and it was quoted in
the papers-that the fair could not pos
sibly be ready by the first OF May, and 1t
was doubtful il 1t could be b. the first Of
August. Pure nonsense.
"He cid not know of the wonde rfu
system here; that out OF the chaos and
confus on would be brought order.
And the system is wonderful" con-
tinued Mr.. Fessenden. mo orders are
liven, apparently, yet every man is a
master workman ana es just what he
has to do quietly and quickl,.
when 1 looked upoi the disorder Of
SUNDAY. April 80, and saw the booths and
EXHIBITS in their places, but hidden by
canvas packing, lime-stained staging Is
and all sorts Of debris, / Thought that
such thing as being ready for visito rs
on the next day was an impossibility
But under the skillful direction of The
chief the g. 600 men employed there cleared
awav the rubbish. and left the buildings
IN such magnificent coudttion as to
astonish even the workers themselves.
You c IN appreciate the magnitude of
this task when l tell you that the Manu-
facturer's building Is 1.675 feet long and
contains forty -four acres OF era.
but what idea can "A man get from
hearing fisures? Just imagine n build
ing, il he can, as large rs the entire busi-
ness portion of Providence; q building
extending in one direction from the post
Office TO the Round top church, and all o
it under one roof. he will get some idea
of the sizs OF the fair.
II have read in the Eastern papers the
short. curt aud supercillious remarks
made In disparagement OF the Chicago
management and croaking over q possible
Gets II every cent that has been put into
1t is lost, IL only as an educator.
What Chicago Did.
"Chicago has the fair Its citizens
have contributed SIS, 100000 In erectin
buildings and improving the city, and in
add:t ion TO this Chicago capitalists have
used S35,OO0,0U in constructing hotels
and apartment houses Tor the feeding and
housing of the visitors they have right
TO expect.
'You say they did that for gain. But
how many Downeasters would hav
done such thing? A Yankee would
into his pocket. and decade longer TAX
ing it out.
"ln fact IL one thing more than any
other impressed me in Chicago, 1t was
the prize Of its citizens In its present
and confidence in its future.
IF you could have stood with me on
that first day of May in the midst of
that crowd OF 100000 people, made up OF
every nationality under the sun, aud
sven President Cleveland, as Ola Glory
the largest flag ever made, was thrown
10 the breeze. you would have felt tn II
the fair was magnificent success.
There were men there to whom that
flag was 10 more than n rag, but who
felt the magnetic thrill that swept
through the crowd and who cheered aud
wept with the rest. Just hear what the
French ambassador said wnen he alight-
ed from his carriage at the White City.
The promoters ere very fearful of his
opinion and felt that IL would be an in
dication of its worth. Said he, removin <
his hat, DO not ask me to express my
self. THIS exhibition far exceeds Ia
sp.endor and magni tu le anything the
world has eyee produced fne Paris ex-
position is not TO be mentioned with iJ
In the same year
What Foreigners Think.
81 was in hotel filled with foreign
ers, aud there was but one opinion, and
that was praise Of everything except the
mud, aud they realizs that tnat wi,l dis
appear when the pleasant settled weather
comes.
the gossip floating about as To the un-
safe condition of the hotels is another
example of Eastern eIvy and spleen.
TIE stories were started at the time the,
bui diugs were put up, and sew. raj were
DlONu uOWu UeLOIc Tie slIeS were SO :
curely put up, In an 60-mile galee
as any good. self-respecting buildl
ing mignt nave been under similar cir =
cumsLances. Most OF tn, hotels ars
made of granite and brick, and will
be used permanently, and they are mag
niicent IN their equipment. The price
are very reasona ole. Go al rooms (ac
comm odating two persons) can be had
| for 81 80 To 50 day, Whine meals av-
erage 30 cents. The best plan is to go on
the European plan, Tor In the city of
magnificent distances one does not wan I
| to travel back and forth sim ply to eat at
| the hotel.
| Another thing: The first week was
| not disappointment. On the first day,
| in all the unpleasant weather, there were
| $4,000 people admi ted, of which 1s2, ,OOO
paid fares. The attendance other uay
| was better.
"No one can afforl TO allow this fair
to 20 by without seeing IL. L. is the
| grandest thing the world mas ever pro-
| duced and owing TO the peculiar condi-
| tions Connected with IL such an oppor-