Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-12
EVERYTHING IS NOW READY I5Iagaa loDt all
 AndAll Atlanta Will Witness the .. -. .se ,s.. r Expos Opening. conILss. HEADS IN HIGH FEATHER
 ape eJ
 The Lakes Are Finishing Touches to Land 'sa t. aJ. scape o Surpassing Beauty tefe' = Gee vla
 z MIDWAY IS ALMOST FREE OF FAKE
 The'Art Department Is a Collection of Mas terpieces-A Great Crowd Expected r.b,s4H on "Blue and Gray Day. 3f ses The Children.
l, MIDWAY IS ALMOST FREE OF FAKE

- -EJEGslts
 7fu.Atfanta, Sept. 1.-The streets of Allan j ta are filled with a crowd which has been gathering for a week in anticipation of Y. the opening of the exposition The side i! walks are so crowded in places that it pis difficult for ladies to make their way : and the street cars are uncomfortably full
 na1 On the exposition ground several hun ,'dred men are at work putting on finish ting touches and clearing up odds and ends. The clear weather has been made the most of in covering the avenues with crushed limestone, and this blue paving, (which approximates the color of a blue sky, harmonizes with the green of the plaza and the terrace. The ornamental columns have just been set up at the grand stairway leading up the terraces around the plaza, and figures of heroic size are now being placed on these col uInns. The lakes are nearly full of wa ter, and this puts the finishing touches to landscape of surpassing beauty. The borders of the lake and the terraces are covered with sprigs of running honey suckle, which has taken on a fine growth during the recent rainy weather.
 The exposition officers are moving out to the grounds and the admission de- partment is fully organized Today large number of cashiers were employed by the department of concessions. The Midway is about ready for the opening and will compare favorably with the one at Chicago. There are fewer fakes and about as many good attractions. The foreign villages are being filled with peo- ple really imported. Two hundred were brought from Hong Kong for the Chi ilese village alone.
 The exhibits have been coming in for some time at the rate of 100 carloads per day and are nearly all on the ground. In the United States government building the exhibits are in place and make dis play in some respects better than the one at Chicago. This is notably true of the fishery exhibit. The department of for estry and mines, which the government board undertook to manage, are getting into superb shape and will surpass any thing ever made in America In the same Building the Argentine exhibit has been installed and makes fine appearance. V In the agricultural building the exhb- it's are about all placed. When the work of placing the Louisville exhibit is done the agricultural display will be complete.
 In machinery hall and in the man. ufacturers' building exhibits are getting into shape rapidly. New England shows up strongly in the exhibits, and the man. ufacturers from the land of steady hab- it's are going to reap a big share of the commercial benefits following this expo sition.
 The pictures going up in the art build ing are of exceptionally high character. Horace Bradley, chief of the department, says the display will rank with anything ever seen in America. He has kept out indifferent pictures so well that the dis play appears to be collection of master pieces. The exhibit will be ready by the opening.
 President Collier said this morning that the gates would open on an exposi- tion practically complete. The directors ate In fine spirits and the finance com mittee is serene. The heads of the de- partment are overwhelmed with work, but business is admirably systematized and there is less friction and less con fusion than would have seemed possible at this stage. The public comfort de partI1ent has it's hands full, but handles business with admirable dispatch. Chief Smith has arranged to have representa- tives on all the trains an hour out of town so as to place the visitors. The in- dications are that on all ordinary occa- siens the visitors will be comfortably quartered at reasonable rates. On great days there may be some crowding, but not long at a time.
 The department of publicity and pro- motion has billed Louisville, Knoxville and Chattanooga heavily on account of blue and gray day, on the 2lst of Septem- ber A great crowd of nearly 000 from the Grand Army of the Republic are ex- pected at Chattanooga, and about 15,000 Sons of Veterans are counted on at Knox ville The most of these will be in Att lanta on the 2lst.
 The opening day promises large at tendance. A movement is on foot to close all the business houses from noon till 4 o'clock, and almost the whole adult population of Atlanta will be on the grounds. An imposing military pageant will be.a feature of the exercises and ar fc haU Ia n hpr of ,aIthousand voices taken from the pub lie schools.
 The exposition management has recog- niZed the negro race by inviting Booker T. Washington, president of the Tuske- gee, Ala, Industrial and Normal rsti- tute, to deliver addresses. Washington is a pioneer in technical education among the negroes, and is man of exceptional ability. His speech is expected to be a significant utterance.
 The amusement feature of the opening day will be a spectacular production representing the storming of the Chinese fortress .Wei-Hai-Wei. Pain has the contract and has made arrangements to produce the spectacular at the lower end of the lake, where it can be seen over the water from the plaisance, giving the effect of a view of the battle from the sea. Five hundred people will be in the performance, and painting 300 feet long will be used as a background. The railroads are advertising heavily for the occasion, and great crowd is expected.
 The movement begun by the depart ment of publicity and promotion to bring 100, 900 school boys here makes wonderful headway. Schools from Virginia to Texas are arranging with the public comfort department to locate their pupils. These schools will come success siyely at dates selected by the chief of public comfort, SO as to avoid crush at one time. The exposition is working won darf,i1lu xvpll in all dAno If tp,ap gives every promise of immense success.
 "A Congress on Africa"
 Atlanta. Ga. Sept. 1l.-President Thir-