The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-06
OPENING EXERCISES or THE SOUTHERN
INDUSTRIAL FAIR.
A VERY AUSPlCIOUS BEGINNING
President I'm the White
House Touches the Electric sutton.
HIS Congratulatory Telegram and
President Wagner's Response Mr..
Depew's Opening Address-Immense
Crowd Present the Opening For.
malities successfully

Charleston. S. c., December 2.-With
imposing ceremonies. embracing a pa
rade of federal forces. and state militia.
confederate veterans. beautiful women
and cheering collegians; a programme
Of exercises graced by distinguished
speakers and with words OF greeting
from the president OF the United States,
the South Carolina. Interstate and
West indian exposition was officially
opened his afternoon. Conservative
Charleston and its thousands Of visi-
tors thronged the historic old town from
early morning. cheered the artillerymen
from the batteries in the harbor. threw
flowers at the old veterans and the
ladies occupying carriages in the parade
and gave enthusiastic welcome to their
invited guests. The day was set aside
as n holiday and all places of business
were closed.
In the auditorium at the exposition
grounds where today's exercises were
held. an audience of 1000 people cheer
ed the name of the president of the
United States, ave hearty applause TO
Hon. Chauncey NJ. Depew, the orator of
the day, listened attentively to the at
~ternoon'S exercises, and then Joined the
crowds inspecting the grounds and
Inarveled at the audacity Of Charleston
in undertaking an exposition of such
magnitude.
About 800 people, including the gov
ernor of South Carolina and staff. the
officers of the exposition, the board of
lady managers and the city council OF
Charleston, were on the stage OF the
beautifully decorated auditorium when
the exercises began.
senator Depew on entering, was CIV
en- an ovation by the audience; the
cheering continued for several minutes.
After welcoming addresses by F. A.
Wagner, president of the exposition
company, and Governor M. B. McSWee-
ny, Senator Depew was introduced by
]. Adger Smyth, mayor of Charleston.
The acoustic properties of the audi
forum are splendid and Mr.. Depaw was
never in better voice than when he de-
livered the opening address.
Then followed the exchange of greet
ings between President Roosevelt and
Mr.. Wagner and the exposition On a
signal from the White house was de-
clared open.
The fair. while not as large as other
expositions that nave been given, is an
exhibition of much merit and is ALREADY
an artistic success.
The exposition is not in the state of
preparedness, however, which its pro-
~jectors had hoped for. There lave been
delays which all similar enterprises
have encountered, but the chief deter
rent factor in the installation of exhib-
it's was the scarcity of cars to -rans-
port them here. Between two and
three hundred carloads of exhibits are
on the tracks at the park, but they are
rapidly being unloaded and put in place
by an army of men working twenty
four hours a day.
The principal object of the exposition
is to make a fully representative dis
play of the manufacturing progress and
commercial possibilities of the country
and particularly of the southern states.
A commercial problem at this time,
confrontS the south and perhaps the
supreme purpose of the fair is to solve
it..
The great advance in the number Of
cotton mills constructed n the output
OF finished products has created a sur
plus of cotton goods. Of this product
China was at one time the largest con-
sumner outside of the home markets.
The recent disturbance in that country,
however, has virtually paralyzed the
markets and the home surplus multi
| plies. The principal undeveloped mar
kets in close touch with the south are
in the West Indies, and it is hoped
through the medium Of full displays at
the exposition to establish trade rela-
tons with that part Of the world.
The exposition site occupies about 1G0
acres of land on the bank of the Ash
ley river with a frontage of z, 900 feet on
the liver. The architecture Of the
buildings follows closely the styles
which were introduced at the Chicago
Worlds fair.
There are eleven great departmental
buildings: The cotton and m
palaces. the hall of agriculture, miner
ais and forestry buildings and struc-
lures devoted to women. art, the negro,
transportation and machinery.
The administration building occu-
pies a commanding site. The cotton
palace covers $4,000 square feet of
ground area; the commerce palace con-
tains $4,000 square feet of floor space;
the palace of agriculture the same area,
the administration building s 1000
square feet and the transportation and
machinery buildings each about 10000
square feet. A commodious auditorium
seats about 1000 people. The United
States government, in spite of cailure
of congress to MAKE an ap-
position company having provided the
necessary accommodations for the gov
eminent exhibit recently seen at Buf-
falo.
The court of palaces, around which
the main exposition buildings are
grouped, is 1900 feet in length and yer
900 feet wide. This court contains l.
$780, 900 square feet and one of its unique
features is a sunken garden filled with
tropical plants grouped around an
electric fountain.
The woman's department is under the
direction Of Mrs. Sarah Calhoun ST.
monds, a grand niece of the great
statesman. Jhon c. Calhoun.
The Southern railway. in connection
with h Georgia railway today put on
two new fast trains between Atlanta
and Charleston The Plant system
similarly increased its Cha~rleston-Sa-
yannah service and the Atlantic Coast
Line will arrange new accommodations
shortly. The additions to the regular
schedules will be further increased
anuar 1st by the Inauguration Of the
regular winter fast service of these
roads. giving splendid travelling facil-
tiles etween Charleston and the out
side world
Washington. December AT pre-
ciselY at 2:40 O'Clock this afternoon in
i tho fa1aOr1n nh - 49, INIT $1,000