Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-04-22
GETTING READY
FOR THE OPENING
Director of Exhibits Skiff Seys
Worlds Fair Will Be Ready
GROUNDS BEING CLEANED lip
twenty Thousand Men Are at Work,
nnd The Force VIII BE Doubled
II Necessary to Get Thinas
Ready for Opening.

st. Louis, April 17.-No a%pprehen-
sion need be entertained concerning
the opening day of the Louisiana Pur-
chase exposition, according to Director
of Exhibits Frederick Skiff.
All will be in firSt-class order, clean
roads and unobstructed paths, invit-
ing grcenswards beneath towering
domes of foliage, buildings, booths and
pavilionS in a state of completeness
never before accomplished, and the
whole Worlds fair one great model
city of resplcnd"nt palaces well flied
with exhibits Of every description.
Mr.. Skiff said when interviewed:
Ahead of All others.
eve are far ahead of any exposition
ever held. Everything is acceptably
complete. Two weeks before the open
Ing Of the Chicago exposition Jackson
park looked like an immigrants camp
when compared % the present fair; in
Paris the chaos was even more be-
wildering. but Tie success of both fairs
demonstrates conclusivcly what great
.hings can be accomplished by an In
.elligent concentration Of labor.
Just think Of the unique feat az
complishcd by he French government
on the very eve Of the opening of the
Paris fair, Thousands Of wOrkmen had
tried in vain TO clear away the debris
Of building materials, and some of the
main npthu nf tho nynnGitinn prnun1G
were more like barricadcs than any
thing else, when a supreme effort had
to be made to give the great fair at
least tho appearance of completeness.
AID what do you think they did? At
shutdown they put 10000 soldiers 10
work on the ground, and at the open
ing of the inaugural ceremonies thu
next morning everything looked as
clean as a whistle.
Double Force IL NccrsSnry.
mo, indeed, we can not get help
from similar sources in this case, but
We will double the present force if nee
essary, and get things INTO a fair way
OF completeness, There are now about
10000 men employed on the grounds,
and the work is progressing in such
a way that we need NOT entertain the
least thought or apprehension concern
ing the success of the opening day
Neither President Francis nor any OF
tho department chiefs feel Shaky or
that subject.
"Thc idea Of some men pretending
that it would take at least ten days
TO cart on the structural debris from
their places is simply nOnsensical
There is no space in the grounds that
could not be cleared within tire.
houyS.
Besides, | will tell this much: II
the individual exhibitors do not get
next week. why. then the exposition
will have to take matters into their
" hands and do 1t for them. =
Exhibit"rs Must Hustle.
Indeed, the great crowds will not
wait until the middle Of June. We vii!
have them here from tn" first day Of
next month. There will be IA mag
niticent attendance right from The
start, and for every day there VIII be
special meets that will attrac, ali i'm
mense of visitors.
"WithOut wishing to make any 700
aanguine assertion, | can safely repeat
that even the roads will be in fine or
der on opening day. The succession Of
heavy rains has done great damage to
the work Of the landscape and road
departments, it is true, but all will be