The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-11-16
MIR. JOHNSON AT HOME.
He Is Highly Gratified with the
Success of 0regOn's
Exhibits.

Mr.. A. j. Johnson, of whose splendid
services at the Worlds Fair on behali
Of the state of oregon the Astoriar
has before had reason to speak, is back
home again, with glowing account OF
the exposition, and with the two best
medals that were awarded in the whole
vast forestry building. When inter-
viewed on the subject of Oregon's For
estry exhibit, Mr.. Johnson said:
Although we had an exhibit that
compared favorably with any in the
building, 1t was not such as we might
have had If we had been given more
time in which to get 1t together. Our
space measured 24x35 feet, and in ad-
dition to this we were given credit for
several of the huge tree trunks that
formed the colonades of the building
itself Our exhibit was entered as a
whole in competition for the first med
al, as an instructive, comprehensive
collective and commercial exhibit Of
native woods, in the natural and manu-
factured state and we secured the prize.
The only other award made on the
oregon exhibit and 1t was the only one
asked for, was for manufacturing paper
from spruce pulp-an Astoria industry.
We entered written claims for recogni-
tion, claiming merit on special points,
and for having a complete classifica-
tion of local and botanical names.
Many of the other exhibits were only
labeled with common names. and were
really of no value. The California ex-
hibit was very beautiful, but not prop
erly classified There was too much
polish, and nothing of practical inter-
est. Ours was the only state that had
living specimens of the trees on the
ground. We exhibited some twenty
five varieties of evergreens each from
eight to ten feet high, and some of
Them very rare. Perhaps the greatest
object of interest for the crowd was
me section Of a spruce tree, 10 feet in |
1;ameter, and 2h feet in thickness, and
four tons. Every time we |
moved that block, even to turn 1t over, |
t cost $40, but it was the largest solid |
'ection of tree trunk on the ground |
We advertised it as cut from a tire eS05
Get in height and 300 years old. This
rec at the butt was 16 feet in diameter,
IND the section exhibitd had been cut
It height of of 26 feet. 1t was the
argest piece that the railroads were
Wiling too haul. All of this was per-
ectly true. California had some Sec
ions 16 feet in diameter, on exhibition,
'ut they had to be carried to Chicago
n sections. One big spruce block was
PRESENTED to the Central Park commits
iners of New York City, and now rests
n Central park We had perfectly
lear fir planks on exhibition that meas
Ired four feet in width, three inches
n thickness, and from fourteen to six L
cen feet in length. These were the
nvy of the Washington commissioners,
yho had nothing like them on the
round. The fact is, they did not COM
lence to get their exhibit together un.
i they had seen Oregon's and then it
'as too late. That much -tall1ed-of-
tile house, 1Ox1O, and 16 feet high, fin
'hed in native woods, was very much
dmired. We also had sections of sol
arieties of trees, all properly labeled
'ith common, local and botanical
ames. Our specimens of hard woods,
lch as myrtle, three kinds of oak and
lountain laurel, iwere admitted by
to be of the finest quail
y. To show how luxurious was veg
able growth in Oregon, we exhibited
section of elderberry bush 20 inches :
diameter"