Omaha daily bee., 1898-02-12
FOUNTAIN OF WINE A FAKE
Alleged Niagara Of Ruby Grape Juice Does
Not Exist.
NO SUCH FEATURE OF THE EXPOSITION
Fairy stery from California stili
Gives Cause for Worry, Despite
Repeated DcninIs from the
Omaha officials.

A Joke which was perpetrated more than a
year ago by party of exposition officials and
representatives which visited California and
other western points In the interest of the
exposition has come home to plague the Of
ficials who we're mainly responsible fec its
existence and Who are now kept busy deny
ing that thete was anything more serious in
tended than joke.
When the party referred to reached the
southern pact of California the wine growers
of that regicn revived scheme which had
originated In the fertile brain of some native,
and while exposition enthusiasm was on tap
1t was suggested that the wine producing
districts of California should install at the
exposition an exhibit of wine in the form OF
a miniature Niagara falls, with the pure
Juice of the grape substituted for water. 1t
was stated that such an exhibit would re-
quire 100000 gallons OF native wine and the
changes were rung on this old story, which
no one took seriously, as 1t had been sug-
eested In connection with the Worlds fair,
the California Midwinter fair and other eX-
positions, but had never been near realiza-
tion.
After the return of the exposition pilgrims
this story about the Niagara in wine was
repeated for the delectation of those who
stayed at home receiving additions with
every repetition, until 1t had become tale
to the effect that the California grape grow
ers had paid for space and would install an
exhibit comprising an immense wine vat,
containing 100000 gallons of wine, which
was to be surrounded by beautiful gardens
and enticing grott0s with all the blandish-
ments OF beautiful women and soothing
music and tho young men and women who
visited the exposition were to be invited
to enter and drink of the wine, without
money and without price.
This story was repeated with many
variations in the READY print newspapers
of the country and the result 1t that petit
tions have been circulated by all of the
temperance organizations of the country
r>->1csting against this wholesale destruc
tion of the young men and women of the
country and petitionng the exposition man
agement to exclude this awful exhibition be-
fore 1t had wrecked thousands of happy
homes etc. These petitions have been COM
ing into exposition headquarters at short
intervals for several months and
contain the signatures of thousands of per-
sons. They from all parts of the
country, principally from the west, and are
mainly the result of efforts on the part of
the members of the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance union. In addition to these petit
tions, letters have been sent to various
officers of the exposition, asking them to
authorize the use of their names in the
denial of these stories, "f there Is no truth
in them" and this has invariably been given;
but the food continues and the exposition
authorities are at loss how to correct the
impression, which seems to have become
general in certain quarters, that the ex-
position is going to offer unlimited
opportunities for the accumulation OF 'jags,"
delirium tremens and other old things.
1t may be stated, on the authority of every
officer Of the exposition and the managers
of the several departments which would
have to do with any such exhibit, that moth
ing of the kind is contemplated, that no ap-
plication for such an exhibit has ever been
made, that none Is likely to be made, that
no such exhibit will be made on the ex-
position grounds and that there is no
probability of any affair of this kind being
in operation in Omaha during the exposition.