St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-02
The President Starts the
Wheels Of the Columbian
Exposition Whirling.
Solemn Opening Of the Great
Fair Followed by a Mag
ieal Effect.
Great Fountains Throw Their
Geysers Seventy Feet
Into the Air.
All That Had Been Inert
Sprung Into an Animated
Existence.
Greater Multitudes Crowded
the Grounds Than Had
Been Anticipated.
Tremendous Cheers Greet the
Appearance Of President
Cleveland.

CHICAGO, May 1.-The electric age
was ushered into being in this last dec
ade of the nineteenth century today,
when President Cleveland, by the press
Ing of button, started the mighty ma
rhinery and the rushing waters and the
revolving wheels in the Worlds Colum-
bian exposition. No exhibit Of the fair
that is to attract the thousands to this
city for the next six months can be
more marvellous than the magical effect
which followed the solemn opening Of
The fair at 12;0S today. OF the multi
tude Of viSitOIS-sOme estimate the num-
Der as high as ,0O0-probably not one
fully realized the full import of the eff
feet That was to come from the arrange
ment cleyerly devised in the opening of
the exposition. 1t was known in vague
way that the presidenG was to press
golden key and that the electric COM
munication with the machinery was to
start the fair; but no one realized how
ntric'-" vas this machinery, how in
f. her lfications Of that electric
81, k, un the great fountains
wv up Their Gcysers
Sc lty feet into the air, and the rum
u4o and hum of wheels in tue manu-
factures building and the clatter of
machinery in all parts of that area of
mile square or more told the story OF
the final consummation of scientific
thought. The lifeless started into being
on every hand, draped statuary shed its
veil and revealed to the world the
artistic labors Of the past eighteen
months, and in moment all that had
been apathy and inert and inactive
through the long hours Of the morning
sprung into all animated existence and
thrilled the multitude and crowned tire
triumph of exposition. In previous eX-
positions the possibilities of electricity
have been limited to the mere starting
Of the engines in machinery halls, but
In this it made a thousand servants do
Its bidding, from the great Corliss en-
CINE and the mammoth fountains down
10 the minutest acts where power and
touch were requisite, the magic of cleo
Ticity dld the duty or the hour.
The Days Ceremonies.
The multitude which thronged the
worlds fair grounds today were greater
in numbers than had been anticipated,
considering the 1nauspicions condition
of the weather. Probably 100000 people
were assembled when at IL o'clock the
advance guard of the cortege slgnaIed
the approach of President Cleveland
and the dignitarieS of the day, to the
worlds fair grounds. After entering
the ground the journey to the admins
tratlOn building was made with all pos
sible dispatch, the presidential party
not stopping to acknowledge any OF the
popular ovahons extended to the chief
executive. OF course, the cheering was
tremendous when President Cleveland
faced the great multitude assembled
the largest audience ever faced by an
American citizen.
Following the president and The di
rector general were the members of the
presidential cabinet, under the escort Of
the worlds fair officials; the Duke dc
Veragua and his family, members Of
the diplomatic corps, members of con-
gress, senators and other prominent