The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-02-05
MIDwlNTER FAIR.
CALIFORNIA MIDwINTER INTERNA- !
TIONAL oN.-DEPARTMENT !
OF PUBLICITY AND Promotion.
rwaalIr circ,,1,,. 7 a++a, NJ 1Q1

Nothing was lacking to make the offic-
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
shone 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 unimpeachable at
tractiveness.
The opening exercises took place on
grand stand especially erected for this
occasion, with seating capacity of 900.
The seats 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
72,249. 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 place
on the grand stand, Joined in unison in
the patriotic features of the musical
program.
When the opening overtures had been
played, James d. Phelan, the president
of the day, made his address, introduc-
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 harsh element in the air blew
across their brows. People from the
East took off their top coats, on this 9th
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. b. 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
M. 81. de Young, to whose fertile brain
and untiring energy California owes this
exposition%-when he arose to deliver his
address a 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 to 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
grand display of fireworks, but in the
interim the recreation ground was de-
serted, for every body 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.
It was in the concessions, however,
that the holiday spirit of the crowd was
made more prominently manifest. The
! '49 Mining camp Immediately established
itself as one of the most popular institu-
tions in the exposition. Seven thousand
people paid 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
far into the night: the Wild Animal
Arena, the Ostrich Farm, the Indian
Encampments, the Hawaiian Village,
the Vienna Prater, Heidelberg Castle,
the Aquarium, the Sea Lions, the Colo
RADIO Gold Mine, and the scores of other
concessions did big business, and
everybody seemed satisfied with the pat
ronage they received.
All this established beyond a doubt
the popularity of the Midwinter Exposi-
tion. Since the opening day there has
been an average daily attendance of
5000 people, or as many as paid admis-
sion so the great Worlds Columbian
Exposition during the first few days
after the official opening. Visitors are
loud in their praise of what they have
seen and are freely predicting that the
exposition will be an immense success.
The exposition management begin to
feel as if they could take time for a
good nights rest now and again, for
their undertaking has now been fairly
launched, and they are willing to trust
its drawing powers to prove sufficient for
its satisfactory continuance for the en-
| epfiTa form of civ roortI,a