The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-01-15
CHICAGO VIEW OF THE
ST. LOUIS WORLDS FAIR.

From the Chicago Tribune.
st. Louis is bent on having 4 great
Worlds Fair. and is going TO have its wish
fulfilled. One cannot be around the head
quarters for any length OF time examining
plans and seeing the vast possibilities they
lead to without being fully convinced OF
that feet.
1t has become evident that if the Fair IS
70 be held next year the most macniiicent
feat of construction ever accomplished IN
the world is directly ahead of the manage
ment. The plans call fer the expenditure Of
$1l .CG0.Glt on grounds and buildings. and Of
this $S.0D0. COO is 10 80 into buildings. Isaac
8. Taylor. the Director of Works and chair
man of the Board of Architects, says he eX-
poets to he ready for construction n thirty
days. The other architects are not so hope
ful.
How many skilled workmen do you oti-
mate will be REQUIRED to carry out your
pians?" was asked of Mr.. Taylor.
From ..10 to 10,000.''
Where are You going to get them"
There will be no trouble on that scO-e.
We have had applications from several
thousand whO want to come on as soon as
we are ready for them. We are now neCn-
tiaiing with the trades unions. We find
their officers disposed to be entirely fair il
the contracts We want to make with them
before the work begins
The chest OF the White City has bae1
stalking through the streets OF the q d
French settlement ever since the proper
cOmmcmoratiou of the centennial of the
Louisiana Purchase began II be d'SruSs d.
y site on the Mississippi. the m ~
which led directly to the purchase by Je:-
fcrson. would have been most appropriate.
BUt no, Chicago had a water front. 81.
Louis wanted no water in its Fair. In al!
the subsequent details the omnipresent pur-
pose has been 10 avoid anything which
.pErlt rFSnIr in ~ aricpnu I4.uaEn JSlt
and 1919.
In the early days OF the project the late
George i. Davis. who was Director Gen
eral at Chicago. made a speech at :. dinner
in which he said that st. Louis with $i",-
0Go.eo might give as good al exposition
as Chicago had given. With that standard
IN view. st. Louis went out ard got net only
The S15,Gy).GO but s.. 2o50,Co 10 more. ThS city
contributed sl0,o0.020 of il. the United
States Government gave $3.50, 90. ard the
balance came from miscellaneous sources.
With that vast fund in sight ii did look to
the loyal pcOpl" Of the town that they
would never hear from departing guests:
Very good. you know, il one had not been
TO Chicago In 1.93.'
This is why -. I.ouisars have become 50
nervous over the lo.g delay in getting
started. Every event that looked like IL
start III real construction has sent Il tTtTior
through the town. There was high Cere-
mortal over the driving of the first stake.
People said. New they are off" But they
We're not. Then last December the break
ing IF ground WIS celebrated. when the
thermometer was below zero. Why t Cou ii
not have been put off until the Pleasant
weather to-day i not clear, Tor the start
ers were called back to :he past. a1d until
yesterday nothing more had been Coue.
The people OF the North did not wait more
eagerly for news that Mcclellan had at last
begun IL movement on Richmond than nave
the impatient people for news that the
work OF building the Worlds Fair was, IN
scoth. really begun. This week lea men
and 100 teams were put TO work on the site
of the Worlds Fair To construct the siulct.
that will run through that part Of the.
grounds to be occugied by the main group
vi buildings.
Taylor, the Director Of Works. belongs II
the type of Ineu who achieve success by
force of reSiSt!eS5 energy. Ii P!e%ses hini
10 think that he is the directing lead OF
what he says is going to be the greatest
feat of material construction in the history
of the world. III the comrlittee gives n+
the word TIE Fair will lie up in eight
months" lie remarked SrinliY to-day. "LN
it give the word Taylor il % huge pro-
portions. III physical appearance he comes
uear ones ideal of the King of the Morse
men. No one has ever accused him Of much
artistic instincts. That part mas been
added by the Fair officials by an assistant,
who is said to have brought to 81. Louis the
longest suit of art ever seen west OF the
Mississippi.
Then tnere viii: be 4 director of eXplcita-
ton and Il director of concessions and adj
missions. The former will be named in Il
day or so. but the latter is some way off.
no one yet knows where the st. Louis
Midway is To BE-, hut it viii probably ad-
Join the Skinker road. The officials have
come to the conclusion that the midway is
the least of their troubles Midway attrac-
uons come without calling. The country is