The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-09-02
Fl HOME OF SATAN
JOE HOwARD'S AWFUL PROPHECY
REGARDING CHICAGO'S FUTURE.
Earth's Greatest, but Is Going to Go
Up In One Mighty Explosion.

by the fair in general and the Court of
Honor in particular. Certainly no man ever
looked upon a more frightful picture of
desolation, destruction and upsetment than
is now to be seen in Jackson Park, Chi
cago. The first intimation afforded me was
shown in the remnants of dear old, Steele
Mackaye's Spectacular. Doubtless you
remember the huge iron framing that stood
just this side of the entrance to the
grounds. The greater part of it remains, al
though some is gone, as much like what
the genius intended as a skeleton, partially
articulated, is like a full-grown, ieshy man.
At the immediate entrance stand a few
disheveled buildings. The roof is gone from
one, rain has stripped from others the
plaster, fierce winds have broken the win
lows in all, doors hang by one hinge, win
dow frames are broken in, steps are gone,
pla1,ks are ripped off here and there. On
some reads the legend: This property for
sale.'
Thanks to the generosity of Mr.. Field, the
Art Palace remains in its integrity. and
has partially been repainted. OF itself it is
an attraction worthy of a visit, even
though it were simply to look upon its
noble proportions, it's symmetric outlines.
Chicago is to be congratulated ON this, al
though much remains behind on which she
might have been congratulated had her
people possessed public spirit enough to
furnish material aid toward the secure
ment of a number of other architectural
triumphs which, like this Art Palace.
would of necessity be for time to come an
attraction and possibly a profit. / dare say
a valid objection to the Art Palace in it's
present place is its distance from the GEN.
ter of the city, and it is quite possible that
before years roll around it will be deemed
advisable. it being the only attraction re-
naming, to remove it from jackson Park
to some place on the front of the lake.
Wherever it is, however, it will be, so
long as it endures, a magnificent suggestion
of what might have been, as well as a
charming "Reminiscences of a most glorious
past. ~.
there ever, so far as recorded time can
show, anything more beautiful? In the
daytime 1t was a marvel, but at night
when the electric lights famed forth and
the many-colored fountains darted sky
ward, and the lagoon was ilumined along
its entire length, a veritable fairyland pre-
.sented itself to pleasure parties borne upon
the waters of the lake, a very vision of en-.
chantment to the multitudinous array Of
spectators along the banks.
1T is l. GONE.
The ingenious mechanism of the foun-
tain went up in fire and down in ashes.
The mighty fabrics on either side of the
lagoon, itself a ruin, disappeared in smoke.
The Casino. the engine house, the mighty
building on the left, the exquisitely de-
signed and expertly finished Peristyle-aH
these are gone, leaving a mighty wreckage
of twisted frames, distorted poles, bent
supports, charred timbers, desolation.
awful in its immensely. The gilded Statue
of Liberty, somewhat shorn of her glitter
ing coat, stands regnant yet, her back
turned. as Of yore, upon the restless waves
Of Michigan, her eyes turned toward a
scene more dismal than words could
picture, more desolate than phrases could
exploit. You remember the bulls? Well,
their pristine sturdity. One has lost a
horn, one a tail, one a foreleg, one a
haunch. Yet there they stand, looking
with mute establishment upon the %continu-
ity of movement on the lagoon's current
quite as competent, however, to appreciate
the wide horizon of destruction as scores
Of men and women who were picnicking
with evident pleasure and devoid of APP
parent grief amid the ruins of a splendor
which. in it's time, far outstripped and far
or their minds at any time conceived.
In common with many intelligent OBJ
servers, l had hoped during the fair that
Chicago would see pleasure and possible
profit in preserving the Court of Honor,
with it's fountains. it's statues. its huge
architectural triumph on either side of
never found favor with the moving spirits
of the fair, and Chicago, which hsd made
money during the exposition, and Is now
kindly to the project. When therefore,
the hand of the incendiary applied the
there was much surprise. 1t seems a harsh
judgment, possibly, but, to say the least, 1t
was a most singular coincidence that fire
and at such opportune time. 1t costs much
less TO remove debris than to pull down
and cart off maInpoth structures. What
ever may be the facts as TO the origin
of the fires, there can be no question that
money was saved the contractors by each
and every one. The work of removing the
twisted and tangled mass will be a tremen-
lars, involving the labor of hundreds of
men, whose united ingenuity will be taxed
gramme for preservation and settled a
question which babe fair to cause much
controversy, with possible Ill feeling.
BEST IN THE WORLD.
Chicago. which has the best system of
parks and of drives u the country thanks
to it's Park Commission-which is, I be-
lieve. a State organization, and which has
brains enough to exclude traffic teams from
pleasure drives. there being highways and
roads and streets enough without burdening
them-is to be benefited, however, by the
experience of the fair in this. Shortly
after the close of the fair it was deter
mlleu, dIu the NOrk Is now III progress, 10
extend the lagoon from the site of the
Women's Building, through the Midway
Plaisance to Washington Park, thus af-
fording a lengthy continuity of water
| course, on the bosom of which electric
launches and other pleasure boats can float
at the popular will.
Beautiful as the country drives are about
Boston, magnificent as are the roads in
| General Park. on the Riverside and up
through Westchester, there is nothing in
the whole United States which begins to
approach the hither verge of Chicago's tri-
lie drives. There are something like
twenty-one miles Of connected park driv-
ing, with lake views and lake fronts made
| delightful in the SultrieSt weather by the
never-ceasing breeZes from the great
waste of waters which, with monotonous
again Chicago has been spoken of as the
chief summer resort Of the great West,
and in spite of it's SCOT, its turmoil, its
noise and its everlasting push for the al
| mighty dollar, Ii is to men OF affairs and
to Families seeking rest and refreshment
a paradisaical spot-provided the pocket is
we'll filled.
And why so? Because while we hear oc-
| casionally in proverbs of beggars on horse
back. We never see them in real life en-
joying the exercise of eauinity, nor do we
find them speeding along the lake front
trotting calmly over the fower-lined boule.
ward, or shifting with obvious enjoyment
the refreshing breezes from the lake
Horses and carriages cost money. COM
Portable accommodations in first-class
ever, that even the poor in Chicago can as
we'll afford their ride on the elevated cars
to the North Side as the poor in New
York can afford the same sum with which
to ride to Central Park. or the poor OF
Brooklyn to Prospect Park. or the poor OF
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