The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1894-02-09
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C1IlFoRNTA MIDwvTFa IHTFRxA. !
g1oEAL Egpos1TIoN, -DErARTNENT !
OF PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION.

DAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 81, 1884,
Nothing was Elcking to make the offie-
ial opening Of the California Midwinter
International Exposition success in
every sense Of the word. In the first
place, the sun came up gloriously, in a
SKY as clear as a bell, and all day long it
shoHe down upon happy San Francisco.
Happy was she in the thought that it
was her lot to be Graded in the lap of a
land where such weather is midwinter
possibility, and proud was she that she
had TO place before the thousands Of
people who visited her fair on that day
program of such incontrovertable ex-
cellence and Of such unirnpeachable at
tractiveness.
The opening exercises took place on
grand stand especially erected for this
occasion, witha seating capacity of 1000.
Theseats were all taken and tens Of
thousands Of visitors gathered on the
greensward in front Of the speakers
platform. The total number Of people
who passed through the turnstiles was
72,24S. Nearly ten thousand Of these
were in the procession which marched
in triumph to the exposition grounds.
There were more bands in this street
pageant than were ever before seen in
San Francisco. Halt a dozen Of these
musical organizations, occupying a place
on the grand stand Joined in unison in
the patriotic features Of the musical
program.
Wnen the opening evertures had been
played, James D. Phelan, the president
of the day, made his address, introduce
ing at its close the Rt. Rev. Bishop
Nichols, who offered up the invocation.
The assemblage stood with uncovered
heads in the warm midwinter sun, with
the green hills towering above them, and
not q harsh element in the air blew
across their brows. People from the
East took off their top coats, on this eth
Of january, and made Of them cushions
for their seats. As the bishop called
upon the Almighty to make glad the
heart of everyone present in this land of
sunshine, fruit and flowers, each visitor
from the snowbound districts undoubt-
edly said " Amen,
The scene was one that no stranger
could fail to be impressed with, and SO
it was also when the governor Of Cali
fornia Hon. H. H. Markham, came to
extol the managers Of the exposition for
the wonderful things they had accom-
plished within the five short months
which had passed since the original con
ception of the idea. On every hand
were material evidences of the beauty
and power Of this great Empire State of
the Pacific, and when Director General
NJ, a. de Young, to whose fertile brain
and untiring energy California owes this
exposition-when be arose to deliver his
address mighty shout went up and
honor was there accorded to whom
was due. Mr.. de Young bore his honors
modestly. Best Of all, his speech was
short, and when Mrs. de Young was
asked 10 press the button which should
set the machinery in motion, she did SO
gracefully, and this was all there was to
the formal ceremonies of the opening
the great Midwinter Fair.
The act Of starting the machinery was
signalized by the shrek of every whistle
in the exposition grounds, by the blare
and fanfare Of artillery within full sight
of the assembled multitudes. On the
same spot, when evening fell, there was
a grand display of fireworks, but in the
interim the recreation ground was de-
serted, for everybody made a grand
rush as soon as the opening exercises
were over to visit the main buildings of
the exposition and to patronize the con-
cessional features. 1t mattered not that
some Of the exhibits were incomplete as
yet, for there was enough TO keep all
eyes and all thoughts busy during what
was left Of that short afternoon, and
everything, finished or unfinished, was
novel and unique to everybody.
1t was IN the concessions, however,
that the holiday spirit of the crowd was
made more prominently manifest. The
40 Mining camp Immediately established
itself as one OF the most popular institu-
tions In the exposition Seven thousand
people pad their way into this conces-
sion on opening day, The Firth wheel
carried nearly SIX thousand, the Scenic
railway was loaded down all day and
Tar into the night; the Wild Animal
Arena, the Ostrich Farm, the Indian
EnpaTNnnlpftG rho HaUai1on Ni1lnnan