The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-06-20
woRLD's FAIR TRANSPORTATION

Among the many marvellous thing
at the Worlds Fair, the arrangement
which have been made by Chicago fol
handling the crowds between the cit,
and the fair are not the least notable
| When 1T Is remembered that the depo
district Is in the heart of Chicago, ant
the fair grounds are eight miles south
the time that is to be consumed il
| travelling back and forth becomes al
| important consideration to the visitor
who has only u week or two in which
to see things which months might be
easily occupied in seeing.
There are four principal arteries OF
travel, the Illinois Central railroad
the cable lines, the elevated railway
and the lake steamers. The prepara
tlons which have been made by these
for handling the crowds are truly Chi.
cagoan, and impressive. The Illinois
Central has always carried tremen.
dous suburban travel, and to handle
this extraordinary number of passen-
gers had to make tremendous prepara-
tions. Eight lines of track were built
which cross no other tracks at grade,
the block system was put in, and new
sheds and depots were constructed.
The outlay was three millions of dol
lars. The tracks lie along the lake
shore, and are fenced of from the city
by wall of masonry, SO that trains
can dash along at tremendous speed
without danger of encountering
obstacles on the track. On these tracks
are daily operated three hundred and
eighteen trains at intervals of five
minutes with u seating capacity of
1000. Two tracks nearest to the
Lake shore are used exclusively for
Eni
an express train of ten cars leaves each
end of the line every two minutes.
The seating capacity of each train is
$50 persons. The eight mile run is
made in fifteen minutes without stops.
The seats run across the entire width
OF the cars as in the open cars on our
electric line, and after the passengers
are all in the cars are closed autOmati-
cally the entire length. When train
arrives at the fair grounds the cars
are opened all at once, by u man on
the top ofut the train and as fast US the
cars are emptied from one side they
are filed from the other. The average
time occupied in emptying train of
1000 persons is thirty seconds. In
thirty seconds more their places are
occupied by others for the return trip.
During this time the engine which
ed, and one put on to the rear end.
This takes just thirty-seven seconds.
Six hundred cars an hour are thus
manipulated with capacity of 81 800
passengers, or more than a million q
day. The fare is ten cents, and is paid
before entering the train, so there are
no conductors necessary.
The elevated road runs trains also
at intervals Of two minutes, consumes
thirty minutes in making the eight
miles, and has n capacity Of fifty thous-
and passengers an hour-fare five
cents.
Chicagos system of cable roads is
one of the finest in the country, and
the two lincshave a capacity of SO, 900
passengers an hour. The trip occupies
forty minutes, and cars run at inter-
walls OF one minutc-fare five cents.
The Lake steamers take thirty min
utes each way and charge % cents for
the round trip. They have Il capacity
OF $4,000 passengers an hour. or
course there are coach lines and hacks
in large numbers, but the four lines
above mentioned would seem to make
them superfluous, as they have COM
bined carrying capacity Of l97, 900 pas
sengerS per hour, or for q day of cigh-
teen hours 3,55G, 800.
These figures seem almost beyond
reason, but they show what crowds
Chicago expects and is prepared to
handle. They also relieve the mind
OF any visitors anticipating long delays
or eXorbitant hack fare. a unique
feature of transportation within the
grounds are the roller chairs. These
may be hired for forty cents an hour
where one proposes to furnish his own
motive power, or seventy-tivc cents an
hour with man to push it. There are
two thousand OF these chairs and they
are propelled by the students from tho
Chicago University and other colleges,
who make intelligent guides. They
are thus given full opportunity to study
the exposition and to make snug sum
besides. The chairs which are pushed
by the theological students are called
Gospel Chariots." The young men
who push these chairs are entertaining
college students, so that the young
lady who employs one can be careful
to select u handsome youth, and she is
thus provided with transportation and
IL beau at the same time.-Augusta
Chronicle.