Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-10-08

all free. 10 De sure, Gu6 Oobt ptoc0c Ava
observation are generally occupied by
seats for which you pay twenty-five cents
If you wish; but that is an arrangement
with which NO one finds fault.
SOME CRITICISM.
With all this there are few minor
points about the management OF the
Pan-American to be criticised, and !
will suggest two or three. OF course
shall expect that future exposition man.
ayers will take due notice, and govern
themselves accordingly.
The first point Is the absence OF free
drinking water. In the government
building are few places where there is
running water, and one may drink from
public chained tin dipper, or from his
own drinking cup if he carries one, with
out price. Outside of that building
there is no place on the grounds where
any potable liquid, white, yellow or red,
can be obtained without pay, though the
drinking water costs only the insignif-
cant sum of cent glass. The water Is
furnished in so-called slot machines, at
several points on the grounds. The slot
machine used is a somewhat complicated
affair, requiring a person of some slight
degree of mechanical skill to operate it.;
and though ] regard myself as possessed
of just about that degree OF the afore-
said skill, my first drink cost me two
cents, because after had got about two
spoonfuls OF water, the machine got
away from me and locked itself, and it
took another copper to unlock it.
Among all the fairs, big or little, which
ever attended. think in this respect
of the lack of free drinking water the
Pan-American is unique.
There is also lack of any form of
cheap or rapid transit between the
separate parts of the grounds, which are
approximately mile long and half as
wide. Barges run between the Parkway
Gate and the Lincoln Gate, but are very
properly. not allowed on the principal
two-thirds of the grounds. The street
cars will land one at any convenient
gate, but once inside the gate, the pas
senger must depend largely upon his feet
to carry him. There are. however, sew
eral methods by which ono may secure
transportation about the grounds. He
may hire wheel chair and boy to
trundle it, at an expense of fifty cents
per hour, or a jinricksha at the same
price. He may pay twenty-five cents for
an electric launch ticket, and In due
course of time land somewhere within
quarter of mile or 80 of the point which
he wishes to reach. Or he may board
the Miniature Railway, and by paying
separate fare on each of several sections,
making the connections on foot, and
waiting till the trains move, he may in
time travel about two-thirds the dis
tance around the outer edge of the prin-
cipal portion of the exposition grounds.
If in place of this Miniature Railway,
which is simply toy, some practical
line of transportation had been estab-
lished, with reasonable rate OF fare, 1t
would have had good patronage and
been boon to visitors.
If had not witnessed the ceremony
of guard mount of the park police, /
should never have recognized those In
men who were charged with
the duty of doing police work about the
grounds. This is no complaint of the
way they did their duty, for with the ex-
ception of that one terrible affair in the
Temple of Music, the best of order has
been maintained. But remember that
at the Chicago fair it was almost i'm
possible to get out of sight of one of
those 1900 Columbian guards, reassuring
visitors by the mere fact of his presence,
and standing ready at all times to quell
a disturbance, assist in the care OF sick
or fainting person, or answer any sort OF
fool question that might be fired at him.
The Pan-American police are conspicu-
GUS by their inconspicuousness. l think
the Chicago idea the better one.
By way of minor matters, it might be
suggested that in an ideal ordering Of
things, ice carts, beer wagons, etc., would
do their work in the early morning, and
not be threading their way through the
crowds during the busy part of the day;
and that laborer in battered hat and
ragged and dirty frock and overalls,
wedding flower bed in the middle Of
the afternoon, is badly out of harmony
with his surroundings; but these are
slight matters.
The Midway, while not "the whole
push" as some have imagined, is still
worthy more or less of any ones time,
and another letter will be devoted to it.
A. E. r.