The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-10-18
Our Worlds Fair Visitors Are
Speechless With Admiration
Of the Waterfalls.
SCENIC EFFECTS MARVELLOUS
Our Regular Exposition CorreS-
pOndent Tells How the Crowd
Is Affected by the Fairs.
Wonders.

ST. Louis, Oct. 1e.-Your readers
have no doubt noticed that have said
nothing about the wonderful spectacle
produced by the night illumination,
the cascades, the lagoons and the gar
dens l have not attempted descrip-
ton of this, the most impressively
beautiful feature of the exposition be-
cause it is indescribable. No words
that am able to command could
convey any conception of the dazzling
beauty and magnificence of this spec
tacle. What's the use of trying to
draw word picture" of this spectacle
when you haven't the words to do it
with and when the artists themselves
cannot depict its glories or transfer its
color and motion to canvas?
Jane has used her kodak industri-
ously and has taken pictures of it
from every conceivable point of view
but these 'snap shots" be they ever
SO beautiful, are fiat, lifeless and color
less things compared to the real spec
tacle. 1t is the only thing at the fair
that makes John speechless, He is will
ling to talk and write about everything |
else but when the thousands Of electric |
lights are turned on and the water be- |
gins to rush down from the sculptured
grotto in front of Festival hall and
goes splashing in cascades down to
the Grand Basin, he sits in dazed
condition and views it in silent awe
just like everybody else does.
This fair was not built on a fiat,
boggy marsh as was the Chicago fair.
II is true that 1t has no lake for a
background but it has picturesque,
wooded hills and ravines and these
have made possible landscapes, foun-
tain and cascades effects more beau
tiful than anything that could be pro-
duced on a prairie such as Chicago
used in building her fair. So far as
water is concerned st. Louis didn't
need the lake to produce these match
less water effects that constitute the
main picture of the fair Ninety
thousand gallons a minute go tumb-
ling down the three cacades, and there
are two miles of lagoons over which
launches and gondolas are constantly
gliding.
There are four hills which the ex-
position builders utilized to the highest
artistic advantage. On one Of these
Is the United States government
building, on another the japanese gar
dens and pavilions while the two CEN
trail prominences with the connecting
ridge, form the cascade effect. At the
center Of this ridge is Festival hall,
noble collonade forming the Terrace of
states, each terminating in a large pa
vilion. The side cascades have their
sources in fountains in the centers of Y
large basins in front Of each pavilion /
while the central cascade flows from a I
high grotto in front of Festival hall /
These torrents of water rushing over a
Illuminated steps at night look like I
stairways Of molten gold and green C
away to the summit of the
sculpture hill between gar {
dens of red and yellow Gamma and
sputtering geysers and spouting dol c
phins and
But said would not attempt to
describe this spectacle and will not. A
All that the crowd can say when it first n
bursts upon its vision is "Aw!" and b
Avs" all day long until late at night. t,
Better to do like John and say moth "
Ing. After John looks at it for an C
hour he wants to go over and watch IL
them feed beavers in the Forestry a
SO as to realize that he is still s
on earth. q