New-York tribune., 1901-05-01
BIG FAIR OPENS TO-DAY.
PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION NOT COM
PLETE, BUT NEAR IT.
CROWDS EXPECTED RAPIDLY PROGRESS
ING EXHIBITORS BACKWARD
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuSE.l

ING - EXHIBITORS BACKWARD
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.1
Buffalo, April 30.-The Pan-American Exposi-
ton was constructively closed to-day. To-mor-
row it will be constructively open. That will be
the chief difference between the two days. The
words "constructively closed mean that it cost
p cents TO get in. The words "constructively
open" mean that 1t will cost 30 cents to get in.
This is an important difference between the two
days. People have been admitted to the grounds
for months; that is to say. they have been al
lowed to come in by paying. Before that they
were allowed to come ins without paying. 1t
was the marking of a stage in the progress of
the preparations when the directors felt they
had done enough to justify them in charging
ADMISSION fee. 1t served to keep out such large
crowds as would be bothersome in the many
works OF preparation. and II added little
the exchequer of the exposition
tomorrow the show will be officially open, and
from now until :he end of the season there
must he an average daily attendance of 5000
persons in order that the exposition may
ray expenses To one totally unacquanted
with worlds fairs and their ways. the appear
ance or the exposition to-day must have seemed
all but hopeless There was litter everywhere.
the eye could not turn In any direction without
seeing unfinished things, there vast empty
spaces in many of the buildings and the roads
were of rubble and Stag and broken stone and
sand and clay. And yet the fair in II
highly advanced stage compared with the one
in Paris a year ago the day before it opened.
As the case in Paris the United States
Government building is in the lead regards
completion. or the approach to completion The
building itself is of the few which
entirely clear of stagngs. Its surroundings
by no means complete and perfect, but the
building has displayed itself. Besides. only
those who are accustomed to great fairs realize
how rapidly work go after it has reached
this stage. An army of men. with army's
equipment of horses and carts is at work. Paw
ing is going at rapid rate, and the visitor
OF tomorrow morning will many rods of
asphalt which the visitor of this morning
dreamed not of.
IN THE BUILDINGS.
In the buildings. exhibits are taking their
places If they rose through the ground by
magic. Decoration is in better shape than the
work of almost any other department, and
there will be festive appearance to-day at any
rate. Where the eye glance from the
end of one long building to another the range
will soon be broken by many booths inclos-
ures, pagodas and all the forms of structure
whereby exhibitors aim TO attract the attention
of visitors 10 their wares The stages are falling
from many of the buildings as II they were
shaken off. Paint and plaster are working
rapid wonders. Many a picture Of desolation
viii he turned TO one Of beauty by the simple
expedient Of turning the water into the canals
Banks Of earth speedily becoming grass
plats waste spaces springing up into groves
and barren tracts are beginning 10 blossom like
the rose. half-day's work with many carts
in bearing away rubbish will also make the
grounds different looking place.
All this is not saying that the exposition will
10 dN To-
this week: far from il. But the changes and the
progress are easy IN from day 10 day Two
weeks hence the visitor will find what will repay
him for miles Of travel. and month hence there
will be no complaint of unpreparedness 1t
should be said that the lack Of exhibits at the
present moment is fault of the managers
There are large spaces bare of exhibits at the
present moment which Were ready to receive
exhibits three months ago. Exhibitors simply
cannot be made TO bring their goods and set
them UP in time
As to the work the buildings themselves
ana the grounds, that was sadly set back by the
weather or the last weeks-the rain tha
winds and the snow-for Buffalo had one Of the
most enterprising snowstorms Of the season al
time when New-York was merely drenched
with rain.
An extremely good notion can now be had Of
now the fair as a whole is 10 look. In fact that
Is the principal thing that be had. The best
Ilihe lot ueIallS VIII be later. In form and ar
rangement the collection of bull lings is certainly
picturesque, ana many nne views OF architect
ural groupings are to be had. 1t has the effect
of a planned and ordered system of structures
lnsi cad of a mere rooted over space as was the
case with a great part of the grounds in Paris
and II shows consistency of design, instead OF
being tumble OF queer shaped houses as was
unfortunately true of another portion of the
Paris fair.
BRILLIANT PICTURE AT NIGHT.
There is no point of the appearance of the
Pan-American Exposition which is the subject
Of more talk than the colors used. The snowy
whiteness of the buildings OF the Chicago fair
Is missed and with IT departs the kind of ef-
fectiveness whicn gained by that means
The place has not that lightness and brllancy
which the Chicago fair had Nobody exclaims,
as so many did in Chicago that it is like
Fairy City" Sometimes the cooring is in good
taste and effective, and sometimes IT is rather
crude and heavy. In general II helps the ap
pearance of single buildings than that of
the collection of buildings looked altogether.
But whatever the exposition lacks or loses by
day it makes up by night. The evening view of
the collection of buildings is marvel of beauty.
And it is also beautiful-it might be said, espe-
cially beautiful-when seen at a distance. Then
the whole form Of the exposition is seen marked
out in fire. And the high electric tower the
triumph of the fair by day by night. rises
over il all. a glowing and shimmering pillar of
fairyand in the darkness. whatever ii is in the
day And this is sight which nobody who
comes to the fair need miss. Neither Paris nor
Chicago could show anything like II. and what
illuminatiOns they had were shown only
certain evenings But all the brightness of this
exposition will be displayed every night, and it
will be A picture to be treasured up and remenl-
bered by all who come.
The fact seems to be generally recognized
that, although the fair will be open tomorrow,
it's state will be in some respects only prelimi-
the crowds for which such preparation has been
made are expected to arrive before many days