Middletown transcript., 1893-10-21
4 l pRAIs 4 UnnF0Q
Average Daily Attendance In October
will Be over 100000. Probably
$1,000, 900 TO Be Divided Among
the stock subscrfbers. Plans for
: Disposfna Of the Buildings.
HEN the gates Of the
Worlds Fair close

Ef<<XlIJI % sents utmost ~ PEI
flij/kS cent. Of that part
<N-<S Of The capital stock
FURNISHED BY the popular subscriptions Of
Icitizens How much Of de sszs'ot.,, ,s)co Or
more, if any. will be distributed among the
stockholders. i question that is now
being discussed BY the officials, The feel
ling is general that with anyflling ike
economical management s. .000, 900 eau be
paid back to the stockholders. Treasurer
Seeberger Is in favor Of setting that sum
aside on the morning Of Nov. 1, and com
pelling those in charge to wind up the
affairs Of the exposition on what remains
in the form Of cash assets and salvage.
If that policy obtains, stock holders will
get back q little more than $500. .0oo or
about 10 per cent. Of the amount they
subscribed. The remainder would go TO
the city Of Chicago, which, under the
terms of the issue of 5000, 900 in bonds
in aid of the exposition, comes in on the
same footing as original subscribers to the
Worlds Fair fund. {,
Several important questions are natur-
ally presented in connection With this
proposed payment Of the Sc. 900 stock
holders in the exposition One is the
probable sum that will be received from
salvage and the other Is the revenue from
gate receipts after Oct 81 Both are now
receiving some attention from the managers.
There Is little doubt that the exposition
win not be torn down By the men who
built it. In fact an early disbandment Of
Mr.. Burnham's extensive department is By
no means improbable. With the exception
of several superintendents who may make
themselves valuable in disposing Of salvage
the entire organization Is likely TO be swept
away, and the contract for tearing the
buildings down given to wreoking firms
who will buy the buildings as they stand.
move every thing Of value and leave the!
rubbish in Jackson Park to be disposed by
the torch. President Higinbotham fayorsl
that plan and Auditor Ackerman, whose
record as an economist gives weight to any
thing he says, indorses it
The probable revenue from gate receipts
after November 1 has not been estimated.
That the fair will be open for few days
after fashion has never been denied, nor
has it been questioned for moment that
the work destruction would commence at
ohce. Visitors viii be allowed to come in
after November. just as they were before
the opening on May 1, but they will not see
the exp position in perfect state. They will
see thousands of busy workmen taking
down pictures, packing statury removing
rare pottery from show cases and tearing
down payiIions that few days before we're
jammed Wild displays They win see the
fair as it was late in April, not as it appear
ed on Chicago day.
The exposition will run several weeks
in spite Of Itself. y said President Higinbot-
ham. We could not bring it to close If
We wanted to, without offending thousands
Of visitors who have not seen enough Of ii
but the gates will be formally closed on
Oct 81
While no estimate is made of the gate
receipts after Nov. l. confidence is expressed
that of the SIS. .0O0, 900 expended BY the
construction department something can be.
saved in the form of salvage if the plan of
disposing of the buildings indicated by
Auditor Ackerman is adopted Mr.. Acker-
man is not willing to admit that such
vast sum could be sunk in temporary
buildings.
In my opinion the proper way to pro-
coed is to sell the empty buildings as they
stand, he said. II know that contractor
uptown has estimated that it will cost rs
100000 to restore the park to the condi-
ton in which we found it, but / bea to
disagree with that statement. Perhaps it
would cost US that sum If we maintained
an extensive organization of our own to
remove the buildings and dispose of the
wreckage, but that is not the economical
way to do it. What we want to do is to
sell the buildings as they stand, giving the
buyers time to remove what they want and
leave the wreckage behind to be burned
II am convinced that some of the build
ings would yield small percentage of their
cost if sold in this way. All of them contain
material that could be used again by con-
tractors, but that is not the chief advantage
of the plan. BY adopting that method
we would be able to disband very expen-
sive organization at once. one is my opinion
that it IS by no means necessary to keep up
after the close of fair. I am well aware that
if we undertake to maintain all of these
costly bureaus and departments the sum
we get from salvage viii melt away very
rapidly, and nathing viii remain for our
stockholders But If the other plan is
adopted great saving will be made and it
is not impossible that dividend could be
declared. ] should moi. however, advise any
payment to the stockholders until ali the
affairs had been settled. It might be well
enough to put a certain sum aside and en-
deavor to reserve it for those who furnished
the money tobuiId the fair, but the funds
should not be distributed ii the beginning
They should be reseyed until He are ready
to finally close our records.
Considering the phenomena attendance
of fhe last few days, the imnense revenua
fSom 1on0es7ions Il, consequence Of the 81
cE5Hds' TIE sum that might Be realjSz q
from salvage # Auditor Ackermal1's Sc
gestions were adopted and the cate recaipta