The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-30
THE PAN-AMERICAN SHOW
Exposition Features Progressing
Rapidly Since the Storm.

the Main Group of Buildings Prnc-
tieaIIy Completed, But other Edi-
fees Delay ed-EverythinG to He
Ready ON the Official Opening Day.
BUFFALO, April 29.-At the Pan-Amer-
Jean Exposition there is now certainty
and buoyant expectation Until the past
three DAYS such has not been the case.
There was dread for a month previous to
last Saturday at the prospect of an IN
finished exposition for May !. Then the
big storm Of last week came with nine
inches Of snow. putting the grounds INTO
an impossible condition. breaking glass
roofs, inundating the electric fountain IN
the lake. and delaying the work Of con-
struction for two weeks. There was dis
may at-this
But a double advantage came with the
Storm 1t was a greatly needed nourish-
n,nt for the grass and shrubbery and all
floral life, and, more important than the
material benefit, it necessitated pest
ponement of the opening day ceremonies
until the day previously set for dedication,
May 20.
This delay is not called a postponement.
1t is a mere transposal of the opening
ceremonials, which were to include pro
cession, with speeches and music and
display of fireworks. to dedication day
on May 20. on May 1, the exposition viii
be open. The electric and water displays
will be as complete and effective on that
day as at any time later. The main
buildings will be entirely finished, the
scaffolding down, the intricate and varied
coloring complete. the statuary nearly all
placed one-half the flower beds filled and
partly in bloom and the Midway open and
running Bands Will give afternoon ana
evening concerts from Wednesday, games
will be held in the Stadium, and at night
the full glory of half a million incandes-
cent lamps will reveal the exposition in
fun splendor
fically completed. For four nights the
exposition has been in blaze OF light.
This test of circuit and OF lamps mas peeh
succe Ssful and is a revelation TO an elec-
tricians not intimately connected with the
construction. There are no arc lights TO
blare and sputter as there were at Chi
cago, but incandescent bulbs are every
where. on lamp posts IN mugs clusters
along the architectural lines OF facades,
on caves and roof beams, in crossing
lines on the convex surfaces of domes,
running TO the peaks of minarets and
20.000 OF them on the electric tower, out
lining the delicate tracery Of its ornate
filagreed panels
The fountains have not been tested, but
they are in readiness. The conventional
designs, in water. of wheat sheaVes and
lilies which are to be shown Will Ice in
operation the first day. Only one of the
great effects Will be held back. This is
the electric fountain in the north bay of
Delaware Park lake, in the southern por-
ton Of the grounds. 1t was submerged
by the rising water of the creek during
the storm, so that work on it has been
held back ten days The fountains in the
Great Central Court, too, will not be in
operation for ten days. Elsewhere the
V.
The Fountain of Nature and the Foun-
tain of Man, in the wings of the great
Esplanade, the wide parade ground of
the exposition, are waiting now only for
the steam that viii set them in motion.
and the great fountain in front of the
elrrtr-'" tower Intended TO be what il is,
q miniature Niagara, will be operated by
the same pumps.
= he violent storm was followed by the
removal of most of the scaGolding, re-
Vealing the rainbow-tinted buildings. This
makes the exposition architectlraily COM
plete inside the canal, which incloses all
The main buildings. The Stadium is yet
to have its race-track built, after the dry
ing Of the mud there. and the Triumphal
Bridge remains to be colored.
The only real delay is in the southeast
section OF the grounds, reserved for State
and foreign buildings. OF the State build
fngs, Misconsin's is the only one finish
e., and it is conspicuous in canary yell
low, on the bank of the eastern canal.
overlooking the great bridge and the Es-
planade beyond. Just behind IL is the IL
linois Building. with its frame up and
progressed so that 1t viii be in readiness
By May 20. The buildings for Michigan.
New England. and Maryland are In con-
dition similar to that of the Illinois Build
ing. and Ohio completes the list of States
represented with nearly finished build
ing. Near the Stadium, Canada has
S 10Th, "'''" VIII 'e III feaui''eSS OH the
The octagonal Honduras Building,
few rods southwest of Illinois and Wis
tna=frn he fret 1an
grounds to be completed and has not, as
yet. been Joined by another South or Cen
tral American country. Chile is erecting
the most substantial of the foreign build
ings, one of heavy steel and solid timbers,
but il Will be delayed until June. Cuba,
Porto Rico. and Guatemala will have
their buildings ready for occupancy by
May %, while the Mexican and Ecuador
commissions will be housed by May TO-
The frames for all Of these are up and the
surface work begun.
When the gided Goddess of Light was
hoisted Thursday last SO feet to the top
OF the electric tower, there to be seen
twenty-five miles away at Niagara Falls,
the browning sculptural feature among
SO pieces of statuary was placed in readi-
ness for the opening. The one criticism
of the statuary here has been that there
is too much of it, and those who complain
of that also lament the varied and luXuri-
Gus coloring that enters into every archi-
teciural detail and find fault with the
compactness Of arrangement that does
ings. These are mostly critics and Old
World students, impressed with classic
simplicity, while the Pan-American is
distinctly a study of the STYLES of the
opulent Renaissance, with statuary pro-
fuse as a tit setting. Only twenty-five
pieces of stdtuary remain to be placed
after May ]. There will be but one break
of any note-the failure to place four
copies Of Karl Bitters mounted Standard
Bearer. typifying the genius of the young
nation. on the pylons Of the Triumphal
Bridge
The storm was more severely felt by the
gardeners and the landscape architects
than by contractors or sculptors. Though
the snow has helped tulips, crocus, hya-
cinth, narcissus, and Jonquil bulbs and
what little grass there was. by giving
them moisture and warmth, il has pre-
scented a serious problem by turning the
red clay into deep. unmanageable mud.
The yellow crocuses are out now along
the canal margins, some grass is green
and growing, pansies in extensive beds