Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-09

the finest array that has ever passed along
 the streets of San Francisco. After push ing and jostling against the good natured
 people who thropged the streets managed to scramble Oh to c Haight street car and rode out to the fair. Coming as had so recently from the east, and having been co impressed with the greatness of Chicsgo's mammoth "Whits Oity," 1t wss with . great deal of curiosity and contempt that entered the fair grounds for the first time,
 rather expecting to ses c collection of doll.
 houses in vacant lot But I must con- fees that l was struck with the beauty, completeness and sizs of the entire fair.
 To be sure 1t cannot vie in sire with the
 worlds exposition. but still it Is no snAM
 affair. The grounds comprise one hun dred and sixty acres In all, and there are seventy aix buildings. I had a long talk
 with . member of the original oop mittee,
 who told me that the fair had cost up-
 wards of one million dollars, and that over four hundred thousand dollars have
 bssn spent by the committee, the rest be- ing furnished by counties and private en-
 terpriss. On entering the grounds was
 greatly impressed with the excellent ar
 ranaement of the chief buildings They
 are live in number and are situated In the
 form of e large square. the inside of which
 is occupied by 6 beautiful park full of
 flower beds, statues and fountains- It
 would be appropriate to call this the Cream
 City, just as Chicago was called the "White City" for all the buildings gre made of 6 stusoo. preparation of a cream yellow tint
 which has very pleasing effect on the eye. Although yesterday was the open ing day. still 1t uouls not pay one to go
 to the fair for sightseeing for a month
 yet, as very few of the exhibits are uu-
 packed yet. l only visited the five main
 buildings, and 1t is of these that I wish
 to tell you something. The first build
 ing you come to as you enter the grounds
 Is the Administration building, which Is
 by all odds the b ndsomsst on the grounds. The outside Is of a terra-cotta color for
 one story, and then s delicate gilt and yell
 low. It is three stories high, with turrets.
 on which are flags of different eolors. and
 the whole is surmountsd by 6 dome, on
 which rests a statue of Liberty holding
 the national flag iu her hand. The build
 ing Is exceedingly tasty and we'll arranged
 inside, containing all the offices of the
 management. Some of the signs on the doors were a t:ite ambiguous; as for In
 stance, the Department of Promotion and
 Publicity. Private. Of course kept out
 Passing from the Administration building came next to the Horticultural and Agri
 cultural. This is built in the form of . oross, having 6 main part with fine glass
 dome and two wings. The exhibit in this
 building when arranged is to be of & very
 fine order; and already several machine
 companies have large display of farming
 implements. Perhaps the nestest display
 is the exhibit of the Posterville Land and
 Water Co. in the center of the building.
 They have erected a miniature Ferris wheel
 and loaded the giass cars with some of the finest oranges l ever saw, and which have been raised on their land. The ne 1t in or der as we pass around the quadrangle is the Fine Arts building, which Is 8 very handsome two-story affair. It is intended that this building shsll be permanent, and for that reason great care has bssD taken to make 1t an ornament to the park. On each aide of Ihe main entrance ia & large
 Sphinx, msjssticslly keeping watch over
 the portals. The entire front of the build ing is ornsmented with curious oarvings
 aud hiero2lyphfcs. The exhibits were
 only partly in place, but that of Poland
 was especially noticeable for Its many fine
 pisces O. art; and 1t Is only fair to say that
 California's collection Is one of the best In
 the gallery The largest building is that
 of the Manufactures snd Liberal Arts,
 which is rapidly getting ready for s com
 plete exhibit. In the center is the fine California bronze ststne of Eureka, which
 has typical scenes of the early California life depicted on Its sides. and which Is to be removed at the close of the fair to the City Hall, where 1t will form one of the Lick memorial group. Here, ss elsewhere, was very much pleased to see how Yale always comes to the front at the very frst; for the managers of the university exhibit are pushing work, and already have very creditsble showing of views of the various Yale buildings and grounds The last building visited was Machinery Hall, wbich with Its whiriing of wheels and hustle of workmen much ressmblea that great similar structure of Chicago. AL ready many of the exhibits from Chicago have arrived. and it is expected that this will soon be the most com oletely equipped
 building on the grounds Coming ont again wandered about the grounds in the great court and was much interested in the sights. One of the first things to catch my eye was the lofty electrical tower over one hundred and fifty feet high, where the numerous displays of fireworks will take place. In front of the Administration building is the magnificent allegorical fountain, which has typical figures ot | miners In the early days seeking for gold One figure Ia that of miner holding a | large hozs, from the nozzle of which flows | a large stream of water, casting its spray | high into the air, and in the evening. when | the fountain Is lit up by many colored eleo- | tric lights, showing all the colors Of the rainbow. Another very fine piece of stat uary is that of 6 man working elder | press iu front of the Liberal Arts build | ing. where the weary signt-seer may | a uencn hts thirst at will from natures \ fountain without cost; about the cniy | thing that does not cost st the fair. The numerous programme and guide book boys are dressed in blue, e much more pleasing sight than the relocated imps of Chicago,
 who were continually nsggiH2 you with,
 "Hsvefhcisl guidef' Probably the reason for this change of color is that Yale here
 again got the start of Harvard in doing s little general advertising. A feature pecu. liar se this expedition is the two-whseled
 sulky instead of the roll chsir. IL is easier for the occupant, but the poor attendant
 has a hard time of iil dld not go into
 the Streets of Cairo for the simple reason
 that they are not running iu full blast yet;
 but I expect to go to the fair again in about
 a month and will tell you sll about the
 queer things to be seen there which were
 not seen at Chicago.
 | The dedtcAtory services. which took | place shortly after noon, were Of very
 high order and .Issediugly appropriate
 There was a very hne opening address de
 lIvsred by the president of the day, Jsme'
 D. Phelan, in which he re; furth in Auire
 words the numerous rrssons for undertss' ing this exhibition ot California prcdue'
 tions. A tesutifat prayer wss Dtxs of' fered up by Bishop William Ford Nicholsi
 his supplicatinn for peace and plenty | throughout the Uaion being especially | touching. letter of the heartisst con
 gra,ulatlons from Fl Fl. Higginbothan
 president of the Columbian exposition was then read by the president of the day
 Then followed addresses by Governor
 Markham and Director General de Young
 The ditf=rent exercises were interspsrsec
 with music by the famous Iowa State band and a fitting climax 10 all the preceding re . | marks was the moment when Mre. d, Young pressed the electric button whicf set the wheels of the fair in motion, and which wac the beginning of sIx months o . constant amusement, education and prof , for the ma.ses. The sight, when this even took plsoe, was enc long to bs ienem bersd. The whole audience of fifty thou . sspd people srose, and wildly cheering ans . waving their hats and hsrdkerchIefs min 9led their voices with the booming of can non and the shrieking of whistles.
 The fireworks in the evening were a mos
 successful ending of 6 great day. At , quarier of eight o'clock the grandest py . rotechnic display ever teea on this coas r commenced, aud for two hours the heaven
 were resplendent with the meteoric bombs D set-pisces aud red lights. There were six :, ty-eight large set pieces, each of whicl r was worthy of mention. There was { magnificent portrait of the director gene
 | rsl in flame and color. and a cataract o r fire on . frame ons hundred feet high rep !, resenting Niagara Falls. After ten o'clock h | vhen left the fair grounds ss tired as
 | moytsl oould be, I said to myself hay