Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-12-05
AT ATLANTA.
A Stroll Among the Midway
Heights" Attractions.
Scenes from PIaza--Fascination of
Woman's Building.
State exhlbits-A Moment with the Works Of
Maine Authors.

| What do we think of the Exposition
Why, that it is something of which At
lanta and everybody who had any shar,
u 1t should be proud, to be sure. People
| who went to the Centennial and Chicagc
| may say it is small affair but we per
| sonally know nothing about them, and
do not base our opinions on what any
one else says or thinks, or has written.
! We saw great deal, we liked the most
| OF what We saw, and wished we could
have staid longer and seen more.
| The grounds, located north of the city,
and formerly known as Piedmont parF,
ara easily reached by the Southern Rail-
way and electric car lines.
1t is said the Exposition Company have
expended on improvements, aside from
! buildings, 81, 600, 600 From the great
! portico of the Fine Arts building-the
highest point Of observation on the
grounds-one can get an excellent idea
of their general arrangement One hun
dred and eighty nine acres are included
within the Exposition gates. We can
! hardly resist the temptation al the outset
to go down to the Plaza, half a hundred
feet below, and enjoy walk around the
pretty oblong park, u half mile in oircum-
| ference The wide paths, paved with
crushed limestone, running hither and
| thther through the well grassed grounds,
| divide them into ten parts Of different
| designs, and here we find beautiful plants
and shrubs and evergreens. We never
| passed certain point without wishing to
appropriate some of the delicate sprays
| for enclosure in the numerous letters we
were sending to friends at home, for we
had never seen their like before
The Plaza fountain never lacks for
admirers, nor does the lovely CLARA
Nicer, " the lake covering thirteen acres,
the greatest depth being twenty-five feet
We did not patronize the gaily bedecl,ed
gondolas or electric launches, but we did
enjoy strolling along the broad walk-way
which surrounds the lake, and watching
the little crafts, and listening to the
merry sounds which told of happy hearts
in their play day pleasure on the water.
By day or night there was something so
restful in the lake attractions. And this
reminds us,-of course il was our bound
en- duty to, at least once, note the attrac
tions Of the Midway Heights" and so
we took an evening for our observations.
Some of onr party avowed their intention
to visit all the principal points OF interest
Luckily for our physical natures pretty
nearly worn out by that time and our
pOcketbooks, which were showing signs
of collapse-we went first through the
believing lines of dark-skinned mascu-
lines, announcing the glories of "Cairo
Street. We watched the hideous camels
unwillingly rising from their devotional
pastures at the command Of their masters,
to take on their burdens of men, women
or children, who were bounced up the
street and back again, and were finally
let down by degrees on terra flrma.
We cannot forget the expressions of
terror for the what might have beer"
lingering on some of the faces, soon after
they resumed their normal relations to
this mundane sphere, nor shall we cease
to be solicitous for the unfortunate
maiden who slipped off the animals
back, and landed in no gentle manner on
the ground. Even the proverbial fem
inlne curiosity didn't prompt us to linger
long at the booths with their gaudy finery
and cheap jewelry, or to see all the gyra-
tions by way of dancing and fencing of
the stars in the procession that formed
part of the trappings Of some heathenlsh
sort of wedding and so, with one other
way out at the entrance, and as we said,
luckily for our remaining strength and
small coin, we passed without any temp
tation to enter, all the palaces and
villages, the Beauty show and Mystic
Maze, the Haunted Swing, and Monkey
Paradise, etc, stopping only to spend
dime apiece at the ostrich farm, and to
wonder what the keeper meant by saying
4 : b.. ii fan hnr he
that most of our genuine white ones were
black originally. Whether he was right
or wrong, it matters not. We were glad
to have seen the valuable, though a"K'
ward looking birds.
We are getting back to where we
started. for the only thing that made our
evening stroll really delightful were the
occasional glimpses we caught OF the
electric fountain on the lake below. HOW
the puppies and scar,ets and blues OF the
columns of water that rose hundred ana
fifty feet changed into greens and vel
lows and reds before our very eyes
Surely electricity has never accomplished
n prettier feat than in giving rainbow
glories TO the drops of water, even IN the
darkest night
Later we secured chairs for triie ana
saw from the shore tne WOHueriui oiapi'.
of fireworks, whose general features Were
enough to delight and rest US, but whose
| snecial devices, like Aladdn's Jeweled
trsc the mammoth revolving whesl-6o
| feet in circumference, the prlsmatlc
fountain in the center of the lake nearly
100 feet high, the portrait in outline OF
| President Diaz (the Mexican exhibit
being that day formally opened) the grove
Of ieweled palms, and the grand aerial
bououet of rockets seemed almost as me
rs the summer evening celebrations at
| Cobbosseecontec.
BEFORE and after commencing our
Midway detour we were by the lake
shore. and now we look around TO see
what is about us n,
Above the CLARA Meer' is the Plaza
of which we have spoken. and here we
seem to be in the center of a great amphl.
| theater. for on a succession of terraced
| stones. covered with grass and the white
and yellow honey suckle are grouped the
various buildings. n
The several levels of 30, 30, 40 ana %
feat above the Plaza, on which they are
, -. roanbad nv MANY flights OF