St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-22
WHITE CITY ECHO.
DIRECTOR GENERAL DAVIS IS
SIZES AN EXHAUSTIVE RE-
PORT.
u
HISTORY OF THE BIG FAIR
FROM IT'S INCEPTION TO CLOSE
COMPACTLY GIVEN IN FIVE
EHAPTERS
n Is A GIGANTIC PRODUCTION
6oand in Twenty Volumes and
Containing Fully 1000 Pho
tOgraphs.

CHICAGO, July N.-The report of
the director general of the Worlds
Columbian exposition, Hon. George
r. Davis, has just been issued. 1t
gives a history of the inception, or
ganiZation and administration of
that great enterprise. 1t is a plain
business document. 1t does not at
tempt to write the exposition, or
any one connected with it, either up
or down. 1t so describes purposes,
processes and events as to set them
clearly in array, especially before
such as may hereafter become in
terested in the solution of similar
problems. Although written and
edited with the purpose Of securing
the utmost brevity consistent with
the production of a complete and in
telligible narrative the work is neceS-
Sarily voluminouS. 1t occupies about
$500 pages of printed and type-writ-
ten matter, mostly the latter, illus
trated by 1000 photographs. 1t is
bound in twenty volumes, besides the
catalogue of exhibits, consisting of
nearly 2,4OO octave pages in double
column nonpareil type; the cata-
logue is made part of the report.
The matter is thus described: The
narrative of the director general
occupies two volumes; collateral
papers, forms and statistics, ar
ranged in appendices, three volumes;
the reports of the chiefs of the
great departments, fifteen volumes;
the catalogue, two volumes. The
SCOPE OF THE REPORT
will appear from a brief resume of
its contents. The history of the eX-
position is described in five periods,
each terminated by some notable act
or event. To each a chapter is de-
voted, with one upon the exhibits
and one upon the close and the dis
tribution of exhibits. The first chap
ter covers the period of inception.
1t begins with the proposition to
commemorate the great deed of
Christopher Columbus upon the 400th
anniversary of the discovery of the
new world; describes the steps taken
to secure the celebration to Chicago;
the agitation of the project among
citizens and it's discussion by the
press; the first formal movement of
the mayor; the organization of a
committee of citizens, followed by a
sharp and vigorous campaign at
Washington, in which the nation
watched the arena, and awarded the
victors wreath to Chicago. This
period ends with the passage of the
enabling act of congress April 25,
1890, and the collateral legislation
of the state of Illinois and the city
of Chicago.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
describes the several organizations by
which the great enterprise was con-
Quoted: the formation of the local
board and of the national commission;
their membership, officers and rules Of
procedure, and the condition which led
to a discrimination between their
powers and a delimitation of their
respective fields of action; the cleo
ton of a director general; the formu-
lation of the compact, the creation of
a board Of control and afterward of a
council of administration; the organi-
cation of the board of lady managers
and the events which brought that
body into line as part of the exhibit
ing force; the establishment of the
great departments and the appoint
mcnt of chiefs; the formulation of the
classification and of the regulations
promulgated for the government Of
the complicated interests involved,
both domestic and foreign. Among the
important events of this period were
the determination of the site for the
exposition and the provision by sub
scriptionS of citizens and of the munic-
ipality of Chicago of the millions of
dollars required by congress in the en-
abiing act. The period ends with the
proclamation of the president recog-
nizing the performance by S1licago of
the conditions precedent an inviting
the cooperation of the nations of the
world in the Quadri-centennial cele-
bration.
The third chapter in two divisions
discusses the development of the ex-
position. Under the head "Construc-
ton" is shown the work of the COM
mlttee on grounds and buildings, the
naming of expert advisers as to land
scape, engineering and architecture;
the construction of a board of archi-
tectS; the progressive steps of the
presentation of designs, the location
and construction of buildings, with a
brief account of the various forms of
service called into activity in the
preparation of a city equipped in all
respects to receive hundred thousand
exhibitions, to entertain royalty and
at once a million of visitors, and to
protect property valued at more than
a hundred million dollars. This was
one phase of prepare tion-the equip
ment of a local habitation for the ex-
position.
The other phase of preparation was
promotion Vigorously active both al
home and in foreign lands.
VARIOUS COMMISSIONS
were sent abroad to the metropolitan
cities and the courts of Northern Eu.
rope; to Southern Europe; to the coun.
tries OF Central and South America; tc
Africa; to farthest Asia, and even to
the islands of the seas. Special dele.
gates secured from Spain and from the
Vatican authentic and priceless histor.
lc documents relative to the discover.