The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-01

southern aspect throughout The central
or double story portion is designed for
use chiefly as an art gallery, while thu
rooms for officials and the press are on
the sides.
The other buildings are to be chiefly
Romanesque and of the following di-
mansions: The Manufacturers build
ing, $40 by 216 and 60 feet high, with a
tower teaching 100 feet from the ground
the largest building on the grounds
except the great Government building;
the Machinery building, 100 by 500
and 60 feet high; the Agricultural
building, 800 by $50 and 60 feet high,
with a 100 foot tower; the Minerals
and Forestry building, so by 500, with
general elevation of 30 feet and a cen
tra1 octagonal tower so feet high; the
Electricity building, 81 by $50, and
elevation of 90 feet, with 100 foot
tower The grounds are far more diver
sified in every way than those Of the
Chicago exposition, and though Lake
Michigan is necessarily absent yet it is
believed that other features of the topog-
raphy will more than compensate for
that.
The city is 4, OSO feet above sea level,
and the summers are singularly cool,
while autumn is dry and bracing beyond
description. The drainage is ideally per-
feet. Every rod of ground for days
ride in any direction from the city is of
historic interest To the west are the
blue mountains to the east and south
the gently rolling hills. The city is a
happy combination of northern and
southern IN its structure and includes
all civilized races in its population.
Owing to the topography, each princi-
pal building viii occupy a commanding
enainencc, and from the towers one can
overlook those fields W here SO many sol
dierly regulations were made and SO
many soldierly careers ended Just 81
years before.
There will be special features of rare
interest, the most important being an
exhibit by the cOlOred people. It viii be
the first of the kind and viii be valu-
able proof to the world of what progress
the freedmen have made. General J. r.
Lewis, formerly of the federal army,
has taken great interest in the matter,
has procured lists of the colored men in
the several states who will take action,
and these will form state organizations.
The special committee in charge of this
branch consists of w H. Venable, owner
of the Stone mountain granite quarries;
ex- Governor Rufus B. Bullock, Gen
eral Clement A Evans, and J. @. Ogles-
by, president of the Commercial club
Congress has granted an appropriation
of 5000, 600 for the government exhibit
and if practicable the government build
ing of the Chicago exposition viii be
removed and set up in its entirety at At
lanta.
OF the six main buildings, the con
tract for five was let to Mr. Bradford
L. Gilbert of New York, and that for
the Administration building to Mr..
Walter T. Downing of Atlanta Mr..
Gilbert built the great Illinois Central
depot at Chicago, which cost 50, 0O0,
900 and is said to have been put through
from cornerstone to the crown of the
spires in shorter time than any other
building of equal size in the world He
is quite an enthusiast over the site and
says it gives greater possibilities than
any other exposition ground in the
world His design for the Machinery
building is rather new in the line of ex-
position structures It is to be simple
cute in the interior, giving the largest
available space, with IN exterior finish,
having touch of the renaissance, and
large porticoes, with immense pillars on
each of the four sides 1T is my aim, .
he says, ssto construct building whose
size will not be apparent at first, but
which will grow on the observer.
Atlanta is a very new city, with
well, by the opening Of the exposition
its population will be about 100, 600, of
whom one-third are co1ored. Though
survivors of the Confederate army are
now but few in the south compared
with the general population. yet there
viii be reunions of various old COM
mands, and as the yearly meeting of the
Grand Army of the Republic viii be
held at Louisville next September an
earnest effort will be made to have the
entire body go to Atlanta. If it does,
there will be the grandest reunion Of
the blue and gray ever held
T. v. McKINsTRy