The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-05-28
THE WHITEClTY LIGHTED UP
No Scene or Spot on Earth to
Equal IL.
New Buildings Opened and What They
Have to slrow-Utal's Display Pro-
crossing at "A Rapid Rate-The
Territorial Colony.
Correspondence Of THE HERALD.

vels TO our eyes has been the experience OF
seeing the white city by night, in the
illumination of a million electric lights.
and the beauty which we had thought in
capable of being augmented by any
thought or touch, was magnitied into a
transcendent vision whose splendor, with
regard 10 some of our minds, at least, had
been hitherto simply unimagined. We
h2d'been ia the grounds during the after
noon, and just at twilight embarked in
an electric boat at the broad steps in front
OF the arts building, whose platform is
AT the northern end of the central canal,
and were carried in these modern barges
marvellous in their wonder of smooth,
swift and silent motion-along towar DIS
the spot in which the important feature
of the evening was to take place.
The scene of the illumination was the
space fronting and surrounding the Adj
ministration building and our course to-
ward the spot was by various Windings
through blue lagoons and canals, running
past the most prominent and beautiful OF
the splendid structures on the grounds.
Lofty buildings with majestic facades and
uomes end classic groups OF statuary
looked down upon us as we glided along;
gondolas lined with bright velvet cushions
and hangings and Dared by native Italians
in picturesque costumes of red white and
purple passed US in the canal; loads of
intensely modern appearing people
3ashionably dressed French German,
English and AneTicans-trim and alert
as the smart little electric craft in which
they sat, rode side by side with our own
boat, and in front and behind our wake
heightened out the blue and winding line
oil the canal, Its vista marked with
scenes more splendid and classic than
those which have made the fame OF
Venice 0r Greece. Yet their sight was
far from 'eing The most perfect of those
taken in our round. As we passed the
magnificent Liberal Arts building, at the
head of the Central canal and shot into
the Grand Basin in front of the Admins
tration building, the view comprised in the
scene surrounding us was something
absolutely perfect in its way. The central
lagoon or grand basin was a block of blue
water and COPIED evenly round with white
stone and with broad steps placed at in
tervals in their length leading down to
the water looked like blue strip of
canvas in frame. Across the walk or
promenade at either side are the splendid
white structures known as the Liberal
Arts and Agricultural buildings; at the
lower end the peristyle loomed district
with its line of classic figures ranged
against the sky, and at the upper end the
s
figures representative of the apotheosis
OF Columbus, was in full play-the great
columns of water rising high into the air
and flooding the broad steps at its base,
with the effect of 2 wide flowing river.
Around the white coping of the lagoon
tiny electric globes were placed at inter
walls of two or three inches, and as one
entered the lagoon these were cleaning
and dimming alternately in a brief full
ninary trial, producing a striking effect
with their wavering, lntermittant glim-
1ner.
Reaching the platform in front of the
agricultural building, our party left the
boat and mingled with the throngs OF
people crowding the bridges and banks
for view OF the coming illumination. 1t
was not dark enough at the moment for
the lighting to be effective, but as soon as
The shadows deepened wonderful trans
formation picture began to develop in the
beautiful scene First the row of lights
In the white coping at the waters edge
began to glimmer out at a gradual pace.
They were lit in sections, and as space by
space filed up with light the effect was
that of a ripple of gold creeping slowly
around the banks of the lagoon. Present.
~ the fronts OF the great white buildings
facing the water were outlined in arches
and curves OF glittering light;
then the administration building
spurted a triple row of gleam-
ing yellow globes outlining the
different stories and balconies below the
dome, and at last the great dome itself
blossomed ont with light, Its sides. cor
ners and pinnacies scanned with shining
Jets, locking like giant crown set with
Wonderful flashing jewels.
At the other end of the basin the arch
under the bridge below the peristyle, was
brilliant with a red light Illuminating the
ship-roading to the lake, and high above.
f1,a ri hrI1Gino f,,,f bn loft ~
the peristyle, the white search light of the
marine service played alternately on the
great golden statue of liberty near by and
the white fronts oil the buildings on each
side of the basin. Presently, up at the
northwest corner of the lagoon in front of
the administration building, q fountain
sent up a shower of shining water-a brill
liant Jet of sixty feet, cnangeful and re-
sDiendent each moment with every color
of the rain bow.
What the whole scene was with this COR
ruscation of lights, the background of the
cleaning white buildings trimmed with
their rows. curves and arches of yellow
electric globes, the white lights from the
iucandescents lining the avenues and
promenades, the varying poise of the
great, search light on the buildings and
1hrongs of people making black masses
of shadow in the scene, can neither be i'm
acined or described. Only those who
JiidN CLduNS 10 view ~ WIN aNbud1
can gain absolute sense of its beauty and
wonder.
People who were present, who have
seen places most noted for beauty the
world over, declared that no scene nor
spot on the globe could equal the mag
nificent sight. We went home after il
was over with something like an actual
sense of having been bodily transported
10 the scenes of the Arabian Nights tales
for nothing less than an oriental sp1endor
of suggestions could stand for anything
like an adequate impression of the scene.
AS series of brilliant tableaus lending
color to the daily unfolding plot of the
fair these weekly illuminations are
a giant success; and the whole
city of Chicago almost as it seems
at each recurrence of the weekly finales
are anxious to be present to applaud their
effort. 1t is thought that two hundred
and fifty thousand people at least have
been present each night of the ilIumina-
ton, and later, when the greater throngs
which are expected to arrive in June are
here, the number, 1t is thought, viii be
multiplied many times. The public are
delighted with and consider the illumina-
lions as a extra feature OF the fair. and it 1
would certainly seem that there is enough
connected with tse development of the
exposition apart from this to keep up a
sufficient degree Of interest without these |
displays.
livery day sees The opening of some
new building which has arrived at the
goal of completion III its arrangements, |
and each opens new mine of wonders to
The fair visitors.
Yesterday lndia's building was COM
pleted. and the followers of Mohammed
celebrated the event by throwing open
the doors OF the beautiful temple like |
structure, and dispensing oriental
tea to those OF the gentler sex who visited |
the place. Across the way 4 chime of