San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-01-06
THE MIDWINTER FAIR.
T.. THE GREAT CALIFORNIA Elk.
POSITION TO BE OPENED
IN A FEW DAYS.
How it was Begun in August and
What-it Has Grown to Be-The
Buildings-Exhibits--The Honor
ary Commission.

DAN RANClSCO, Jan. O.-Al-
though it has been impossible to
have exhibits installed in more
than one of the buildings of the
great Midwinter Fair the formal
services will now be held in a few
days. The fair, however, will not
be in good shape before the begin
ming or middle of February. Then
it will be show which even those
who studded the Worlds fair at
Chicago may find well worth a
visit. Certainly all that makes
the life of the far west attractive
to the Imagination will be illus
trated here as it has never been
before. Any reader of Bret Harte
or Mark Twain will find a typical
mining town of '49, with the chief
buildings and characters. More
than one hundred people will be at
tached to the town, and these will
include band of Indians. In the
regular mining department there
will be an elaborate display of the
working Of deep silver mining on
the COmstock Lode, which has
never been attempted before. The
entire gold output of California
will be represented in novel way.
A gilt sphere, nineteen feet in
diameter, will represent the weight
of the $4,000, 100000 that the gold
mines of the state have added to
the worlds wealth in fifty-five
years. The methods of the placer
and hydraulic miners, which have
been seen by very few people will
be illustrated by actual working
models of mines. The Chinese,
Japan, Hawaiian and South Sea
Islands display will also be more
complete than ever shown before.
The great Fair in the Sunset
City has been in preparation since
Aug. "a, when to the cheering and
plaudits of fifty thousand, the
ground was first broken. 1t has
cost four millions, and it is second
in extent only to the Paris and
Chicago eXpositions.
Sixty acres of the Golden Gate
Park have been devoted to the eX.
position. This space is covered by
five main buildings grouped about
a central concert valley, from the
centre of which arises an electric
tower, two hundred and sixty feet
in height. This tower is covered by
incandescent lamps and surround
ed by search lights, which
throw their beams on the foun-
tains and banks of flowers about
it's base, or light up with silvery
rays the cascade on Strawberry
hill towards the ocean and bring
into halo of light the merry
beating parties on the lake at it's
base, spanned by picturesque
bridges, or show the coliseum-like
observatory on the summit. With
out the main group of the Fair
buildings are the many private
concessions from the Midway
Plaisance and some that never APP
peared in Chicago.
The largest structure is the Man.
ufactures and Liberal Arts build
ing, 1862 feet long by 237 feet wide,
designed by A. Page Brown, in the
Moorish style. The effect of this
airy architecture is quite pleasing
to the eye as if done in stone. Over.
looking the main floor is gallery
about thirty-five feet wide extend
ing completely around the interior,
and above the gallery there is
third floor some fifty feet from the
main floor, opening into roof gar
den containing the many hardy
outdoor plants of California win
ter.
Next in size the Mechanical Arts
building, designed by Edward r.