Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-08-17
CHICAGO Is LEVEL.
Monotonous to People from
HiIly Countries.
NO INOLINES OR LOFTY HEIGHTS.

One Reason why tho Ferris Wheel Is So
Popular to visitors to the Worlds CO.
1umbian Exposition-Goingt to the Fair
by the Water Route and What Is To BE
Seen.
WORLDS FAIR, Aug. 49, - Special -
a man who was reared in the rolling and
timbered regions Of Indiana, who passed
many years Of his active life in the Rocky
mountains and then located in New York,
feels large pain when he first has to stay
month in Chicago. 1t is so very level 50
very uniform, so very, very monotonous.
There is no current in the river and far as
the eye can notice no break in the level
There are no inclines for the cars as in
Cincinnati and Hoboken, there are no sub
lime heights as in Kansas City and Wee
hawken, no extaa horses are attached to
the cars anywhere the lake is just now
painfully placid and there has not so far
in the exposition's history been even big
thunder storm.
There is place away out on the prairie
miles away from the city but still SUI
burb with lots at $500 each-which they
call Columbia Heights or simply The
Height, and was so hungry for awhile
that | rode out there the other day.
Standing on prairie where, as it seemed
to me, even the bulb in spirit level would
show no variation, asked the agent.
Where is the Height"
"Why, stranger, said he, you're right
on it! This station is thirtyeight feet
above Madison street"
May be so. But what is thirty-eight
feet in thirteen miles? One of the Wee
hawken hills would be worth $1,000
square yard in the near vicinity of Chi
cago. And this must be the reason why
the Ferris wheel is so popular among Wis
itors from the east. They long to get up
somewhere and that raises them $50 feet
anyhow. ! regret to add, however, that
the resulting sensations were very I'M
pleasant to me and | find many who say
the same. Time was when l rode sure
footed mule along the dizzy heights of
Utah, Colorado and" Arizona, and gaZed
down over a precipice many time TO see
the running water look like solid rock or
snow, it was SO far below me. But that
was many years ago and now palpitat-
ing heart warns me not to get highly
machinery, anyhow.
But the view is wonderful and there is
no danger, fOt one takes his seat in big
box, or small cabin rather, and is locked
in You can't fall out and you can't go
wild and jump out as people have been
known to do when suddenly raised to a
great height. There is, however, a pain
full huttering of head and heart which do
not care to feel again. First one gets a
birds-eye VIE of the plaisance, in which
the wheel is located. Next of all jackson
park and vicinity, then of Chicago and
finally the eye sweeps over n vast land
and water scope bounded only by the en-
closing sky ] know not how far away.
Far below the streets and squares of South
Chicago show like checkerboard, b, :
towards the north the angle is too acu :.
and all is confused, the city fades aw: '
into the prairie like blurred picture and
even the duty river loses its distinctive
color
Somewhere in the book of job the pa
triarch compares his unreliable brethren
to the waters of IA brook which the COM
panics caravans of Sheba and Tunan see
from the mountain tops, (Which are
black by reason of the ice and wherein the
snow is hid" | have often noticed that
from the mountain tops ice seen far below
looks black, running water appears per-
fectly still and dark and the white foam
Of Il cataract looks exactly like bank of
snow. Well, even from the top of the