The Van Buren press., 1895-09-21
GATES WIDE orEil.


Cs.tsn States and hternatIenal Expe.
sitlon At Atlanta 0psnsA hy
Presllent Cleveland.
ATLANTA, Sept. 1e. AT $50 o'cloch
this afternoon President Cleveland at
Gray Gables pressed the electric button
and set the machinery Of the Cotton
States and International Exposition In
motion. A tremendous throng was
present and = mighty cheer was sent
forth Is the gates were swung open.
There was an elaborate parade Of civic
societies and the military, under com.
mand Of Col. William Kellogg. q. s.. A..
The line Of march being out Atlanta q
famous Peachtree street, where houses
were In holiday attire.
LAR0KR TEAM TIE CENTENNIAL.
Tho Cotton States Exposition will sur.
pass anything Of the kind ever presented
In this country, with the single excep-
ton Of the Worlds Fair, It Will be
larger than the Philadelphia centennial
and three times as large as the New
Orleans exposition or the mid winter
fair. Its 16o acres Of ground are studied
with handsome buildings, there being
all told more than 800 buildings,
eighteen Of which are the large exhibit
buildings usual to great exhibitions.
The gates will be opened with pre-
liminery expenditure on the grounds Of
nearly b. 900. 900. To give an illustra.
tion of the magnitude ON which the
whole movement IL based, the music
alone for the exposition will cost more
than $50, 600. Fifteen hundred conces-
sions have been sold, on which the
exposition will realize ~ its percentage
600 900, and through the concessions
department already nearly e10O, 600 has
been secured by advance arrangement.
An artificial lake, called Clara Mere,
has been constructed ON the exposition
grounds. The feature Of this lake will
Be an electrical fountain which will throw
rainbow -c0lOred streams ut night. The
mechanism Of this Is ingenious. An
island i50 feet long has been constructed
in the center Of the lake. facing the
machinery building. The island Is
really an immense water tight struct-
ure, for beneath the water is an elec-
trical workr0om in which the fountain
operators will labor. The fountain has
been 30 located that It can be seen from
any Dart Of the grounds. The mechan-
ical appliances are such that the water
win rise to height OF 100 feet, assum-
ing the form Of differently hued flowers.
the colors constantly changing.
Congress has appropriated the sum OF
$3.50 600 for government building and
exhibit. The legislatures and leading
commercial bodies Of all the Southern
States have endorsed the enterprise,
and large number OF Southern States
have erected state buildings. Good ex-
hibits will be made by nearly all the
other states. But even more remarkable
than the local and National interest IN
the exposition Il the attention 1t has at.
tracted from foreign countries. Mexico
makes. complete exhibit Of her re.
sources, and . picturesque Mexican vii.
lage has been built on the grounds oi
the exposition. Guatemala will also
have . Guatemalan village, In addition
to fne general exhibit. Nicaragua
Honduras, Venexuela, and C0lumbi,
will also Hi space. Cuba will have {
fine exhibit Of tobacco and other pro.
ducts Of the island.
The European exhibits comprise Grea'
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Bel
gium and Russia. All Of these exhibits
are elaborate and artistically arranged.
There is lively Midway Plaisance
only It will be called Midway
Heights. - There Is to be q Cairo
Street, and German, Spanish, Japanese
Chinese and Indian villages. There Il
to be big revolving wheel, and no enc
- .ALn., eo.,o1tSo. That mill mo lro <l,<
Midway Heights an EXCEPTIONAL,
lively place. The electric fountain will
compare with that Of the Chicago Expo.
sition. The water will rise 15O feet,
and 1t will flow at the rate Of Is, OO(
gallons minute. One Of the features
Of historic interest will be the old
Liberty bell from Philadelphia.
Besides the Government building I he
following buildings have been erected
Manufactures and Liberal Arts, 2161
$40 feet; Machinery. 100x5OO feet
Minerals and Forestry, 60x220 feet
Agriculture, 15Ox30O feet Electricity
9fx25O feet; Transportation. 128x41;
feet Woman Building. 112x220 feet
Fine Arts Building, 100x245 feet Negro
Building, 1O0x80O feet. The building,
are imposing, substantial and rOomy
the designs being mostly Romanesque
The Mineral and Forestry Building Is ,
handsome mosaic Of all the woods to b'
found in the South. The HORTICULTURE
Building Is especially designed to maxi
q complete exhibit Of the fora of tn
South. Not the least interesting featur,
Of the exposition will be the negr,
exhibit, which will show the best worl
Of the negro race in every departmen
Of labor and its progress In education
and the industrial pursuits since tn
emancipation.
Piedmont Park, two miles from th
Union Station. is the site for tn
exposition. More than $500, 900 ha
been expended on the site. Inland lake
twenty acres in area have been con
structed. and nearly all the building
have a water frontage. A thorough
system Of transportation to and from
the park that will be adequate for tn,
largest crowds has been devised
Electric launches and gondolas will
furnish transport on the exposition
grounds.
Atlanta Is admirably adapted for tn,
holding of an exposition. It contains
population of about 100, 900. and it
citizens are intelligent and progressive
It is well lighted and has an improved
system Of sewerage. The streets ar,
we'll paved, and there are more thar
100 miles of electric street railway
Ten important railroads put the city il
close touch with the rest Of the country
Numerous conventions will be helt
there during, the exposition. Among
these will be the reunion of the Con
federate and Union soldiers. Amonl
other days will be the Nationa
Irrigation Congress on North Carolini
Day, October Z, Farmers Nationa
Congress, October 10, Road Parliament
Womon,a Eadorafion Of Clnhs