The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-10-03
The Great Rice Be.-I Interesting Statistics Mr. Greene, Of
Crowley, States Valuable Facts.

radiance comes from the sudden heat
ing Of the wires in over two hundred
thousand glass bulbs. There il -
pause of few seconds whom this red
light becomes as lucent, shining
white, and in q moment on the purple
canvas of the growing darkness there
is revealed a picture ne words can
describe. Thousands Of people along
the Court of Fountains, the Esplanade
and the high plateau enclosed within
the splendid Pylons Of the Triumphal
Bridge, watch with amusement the
most marvellous transformation OF
the Twentieth Century. The splash
of waters from . thousand fountains
as it mingles with the music OF dis
tant bands and the perfume CT roses,
even the notes of the National Anthem
are lost sight of in the presence OF
this indescribable triumph of cleo
tricity. More swiftly than it can be
told the Electric Tower first seems
turned from wood into transpsrene
pearl and malachite, and its outlines,
its traceries, its beautiful ornamental
tions glow around the background OF
the night like = column of jewels
and fire conjured up by the wand OF
magician. Palaces. monoliths, pylons,
propyl@a, pergolas, stadium, foun-
tains, bridges, colonnades are swiftly
limned against the sky with . fiery
point of ambient light, until one can
scarcely realize the scene is the same.
Beautiful as the Magic City is under
the MONDAY sun or the softened glow
of the twilight its chiefest charm Is at
night. Slowly the horizon itself is
touched by the brilliant transtigura-
tion. 1t is as if an invisible brush
dipped in colors of luminous amber,
pink and rose had begun to paint
= colossal Aurora Borealis extending
over nearly half the armament. No
"Land of the Midnight Sun" nor
auroral display OF the Arctios can e.
csed in vividness of the coloring nor
extent of the space it covers, the
wonderful ethereal effects visible no
matter from what point of the csm-
pass one looks. As for the Magic
City itself every sparkling minarst,
every ornate dome. every frsttsd
archway, every shining column every
graceful palace, every towering
temple, pulsates with living life.
Searchlights that look life . million
sun rays focused to one dazzling disc,
cut from the surface Of q noondsy
sun, play on the scene until bswildsr-
cd by the glory Of light that was
never before on land nor sea, spon.
taneous applause bursts forth from
thousands Of people who have come
many miles to see what man has done
with the subtle fluid once controlled
by Jove alone. The echo OF the
applause, celebrating the victory Of
human skill over the material seems
almost to be taken up by the standard
bearers on top of the Pylons, COM
manding the entrances to the Trium-
phal Bridge. These four monoliths
are at this moment second in beauty
only to the Electric Tower. They
rise over the flowing waters like colos-
sal columns outlined in IRE, linked
by glitter shields of barbaric pattern
surmounted by equestrian statues,
two holding Tyres of Apollo, the other
two waving triumphal banners, all
standing out white againt the night,
fit heralds of such q victory! The
only thought that pervades the
surging masses is one OF triumph.
The shining Goddess.on the Tower be-
comes in an instant the personifca-
ton of victory. The waters that gush
like . miniature Niagara, from the
archway, tinted with the emerald OF
the mighty cataract, whose power
pulsates in ever sparkling bulb Of
beauty and brightness, in their linn
pid murmurs seem to re-echo victory
and send the magic word far along
the Court OF Fountains ~ An inspira-
tion to the white figures holding aloft
the stringed Tyres of Apollo.
As one, who would fain put the
picture in words, turns to leave the
indescribable scene, there is sinis-
ter. all pervading whisper Of victory,
and a consciousness that it remains
triumphant to the last. This vision
Of beauty, this scintillating, irrides-
cent Apotheosis of Light cannot be
reproduced by brush, nor tongue, nor
pen.
Mr.. John Greene, the general man
agsr of tho Crowley Rice Mill. is Wis
iting the Pan-American Exposition.
He gives me some information that il
rather surprising. He says that ten
car loads Of rice was shipped at one
time to San Francisco from Crowley,
and that the rice mills Of Crowley
supply the Western markets with IN
immense amount of that cereal. One
broker in San Francisco sold one hum
dred car loads during the season
from the Crowley Mill alone, which
il one of eight in that town which
supplies the Western market with
rice.
The Importance Of the rice indus
try can be estimated when it is un-
dsrstood that the population Of Crow
Ley il only i've or six thousand. Mr.
Greene says, "In Crowley rice 10 al
We think shout. all we know anything
about, all We dream about, and about