The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-11
WILL BE a GRAND AFFAIR.
How the Maine Industrial, Mechanical
and Cereal Exposition VIII Be Opened.


There will be burst of music, short
address from the Mayor of Portland, and
then His Honor Mayor Randall will
touch button and start to revolving the
machinery of the greatest exposition that
pen on Wednesday afternoon under the
big dome of the Armory auditorium
under which the giant Maine Industrial,
Mechanical and Cereal exposition is to
take place.
Wednesday is only few hours a way.
comparatively speaking, and so yesterday
afternoon all was hustle and confusion
in the auditorium. But it was confusion
with a method and hustle in an orderly
manner, for though the place seemed to
be filed with carpenters, electricians,
decorators, painters, exhibitors, employees
and one of two pretty girls, everyone
seemed to know what he or she was about
and to be accomplishing what they had
undertaken in an extremely rapid man
ner.
Eighty-fve feet from the floor of the
big building is the centre of the roof,
which is supported by huge iron girders.
Yesterday afternoon one of the exhibit
tors wanted some electric wires swung
from the top of the building, and SO
rlgger' was called in to do the work.
lhe man took with him rope and the
necessary materials for putting up the
wires. Then like monkey he ran up the
big girders, swung over the floor and
orawled up the sloping side of the roof
like fly on the ceiling. A slip or an
unsteady hold on the slippery beam
would have been certain death for the
brave man who unmindful of his dan
gerous position and with confidence
born of long experience in this very
work, he finally reached the centre of
the roof, swung his boz SWANS chair over
the girder and quietly went to work
strlnging up the wires which are to car
ry the current to turn the big building
into blaze of glory.
The basement of the building is to be a
veritable Midway Plaisance,'' only the
dancing girls will be absent and the
visitor may be disappointed in not find
ing any Cairo street. But here will be
seen a dozen or more shows of all kinds
and sorts. There will be the cinnomato-
graph, which is only another name for the
vitascope, a London Punch and Judy
show such as Dickens loved to describe,
the Passion play and three or four other
things of similar character In the
basement will also be the lunch counter
run by the proprietors of the Woodbine
restaurant on Middle street.
But of course the main floor of the
building is to be the centre of attraction.
At one end there is very elaborate
decorated platform in which the Ameri-
can Cadet band will be stationed during
the entire time that the fair is open to
furnish the best of music On this plat
form will also be seen the Governor of
Maine and his staff, and other notable
people who have accepted invitations to
attend the fair. One may see at this ex-
position something of everything. For
example there will be the magnificent
electric display OF the Belknap Meter
Company costing hundreds of dollars, the
display of the Lowell Cycle company,
which is the same as that shown by them
in New York and Chicago at recent cycle
expeditions in those cities. Then there
are many local exhibitions, all with some
thing novel and pretty to show. One will
not only see, but may drink all kinds of
light drinks which will be made on the
spot, eat all kinds of delicious things,
which will be cooked before your eyes
and given to you without cost. There
will be ice cream from the Highland
Cream dairy in the big barn where the
COW is on exhibition, hundreds
of pretty girls and something going on
all the time to keep the interest up
There is no doubt about it, the big fair
is to be one of the biggest affairs that
Portland has ever seen, and it will not
cost much to see it either.