The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-02-03
The Greatest Holiday in the History
of San Francisco.
THE GROUNDS CROWDED
In Some Respects 1t surpasses the Wold's
Columbian Exposition-Great Winter
in san francisco.

opened at noon, and San Francisco cele-
brated the greatest holiday in her his
tory. The streets were gaily decorated;
flags and banners were flying from
thousands of hagstaffs; the ships in the
harbor were decorated with the stand
ards of many nations, and business was
at standstill. Every road leading to
Golden Gate Park and the fair grounds
was crowded. with visitors. Many
crossed the continent to be here and
thousands arrived from all parts OF Cal
ifornia and the Pacific coast.
A great procession made its way
through the crowded streets to the
park this morning. Every car line was
packed to the utmost capacity. The
official programme, which included the
great street parade, followed by dedica-
tory exercises at the fair grounds, was
carried out in detail.
At daybreak heavy fog hung over
the city, but it gradually lifted and
after O'Clock the day was perfect. The
parade. which included four regiments
of National Guards, the regular army
troops from the Preside, Governor
Markham and staff, the fair officials,
civic societies and many confessional
features TO be seen at the fair, arrived
at the fair grounds at l o'clock The
order Of exercises was as follows
introductory address by the president Of the
day, James G. Phelan.
Prayer by Bishop Nichols.
America" sung by the Midwinter Chorus OF
Three Hundred Voices
Address by Governor Markham
Address by Director General M. Fl. DeYoung
Opening Exercises OF the Exposition.
Grafton by General w. H. L. Barnes.
1t is-let this be smphasized-a con-
trast to any exposition that the people
of America have yet seen. This con-
trast is favorably afforded in the build
ings and in the exhibits both. And
then the situation. 1t is between one
of the finest parks in the world and the
commanding cliff that overlooks great
expanse of the Pacific ocean, and at
whose base are countless seals, dis
porting on their native rocks. Along
side the fair grounds the ocean alter
nately murmurs and roars, and at all
hours beats worlds music-time on the
beautiful shore. Three miles off is the
famed city, the most cosmopolitan, per-
haps, of any in the country. The park
through W. ich you may go to reach the
fair is filed with werdure and flowers
as though the season were midsummer
The climate is heavenly. No; the scenes
here presented are not like others that
have been witnessed elsewhere on this
globe. Objects all told, the world, it is
certain, never saw a sight much re-
sembling it, nor any eKcelling it in its
own special intel est.
On how grand a scale it all Isl At
first it was a San francisco enterprise,
but soon the whole state, county after
county, was drawn into it from mo-
tives of emulation and pride. The
fever did not stop here. Oregon, Wash
ington, Idaho, Mantana and all the
mountain states were seized with 1t,
and all are worthily represented here
in appropriate exhibits; number of
them by commodious and pretty build
ings of their own. Deferring to future
occasions attempts at detailed descrip-
tion. it is in order now to present just
enough of the midwinter fair scheme as
will give an idea of its comprehensive
ness and grandeur.
Thought of by it's projectors as early
as May last in Chicago, actual prepare
tions for the winter fair las it is now
generally called, the prefix ''mid" hav-
ing been dropped by the officials in their
announcements) were not begun till a
month later.
Comparisons in size and style of build
ings, as in most cases, are odious. Only
for the purpose of clearness shall they
be made. Buildings that cover 16O
acres are numerous, and some of them
grandlv extensive, and each reader for
himself can estimate their number, size
and grandeur by reference to what he
remembers or has before him in picture
of the like structures in Jackson Park.
Half dozen of the buildings in Golden
Gate Park bear the same names, as
they are for similar purposes, as half a
dozen of the greatest buildings seen at
the worlds fair. They are not in ar.
chitectural style copies of those build