Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-24
SEEING THE FAIR
Some Sid, lights on the St. l. ME Il
position by Special Corres-
pendent.
NOISE ON PIKE AT NIGHT
Roaring Of Animals Mingled With
CcdI;.n of d. the Mega
phones.

st. Louis, Sept. 2l-They were
standing in front of Creation" on
the pike. 1t was one of those hot
nights which 81. Louis occasionally
hands out to worlds fair visitors. She
was fat, puffy and shOrtwinded and
was vigorously welding a fan. Be
tween puffs she said:
Don't you think we ought to soc
that other show called Hereafter
Wiping the perspiration from his
face and looking at her with astonish-
ment, he beloved: Gee whiz. Isn't
this hot enough for you?"
You will see from this that we
have been down the pike. But | an
happy to say that I didn't yield until
we had made a most interesting jour
ncy through Alaska, CeylOn, East In
dia. the Indian school of Oklahoma
and the Palace of Agriculture. Having
slowed away in his stomach samples
of all kinds of breakfast foods, to
mato soup, pruncs. dOughnuts, choco-
late. hot biscuits. grape juice, jellO.
substitutes for coffee. pickles and
catsup. given TO him in the food sec
ton of the agricultural building. John
down the pike.
PIkc BcdIam ut Might.
The pike At night is the peppery sal
adj that goes with the educational feast
one gets in the exhibit palaces.
Mingled with the bcdlam of noisy
mcgaphones are the screams and bel
IOwings of Hagenbeck's animals and
the roar of the cannonading in the bat
tie Of Santiago. II is a combination of
lights. Clashins gOngs, moving excited
humanity and picturesque architecture
hat will lingCr long in ones memory.
When it comes TO costly, ornate archi-
lecture and really high class attrac-
tons il leaves the far-famcd midway
of the Chicago fair far in the distance.
Speaking of the curbstOne vernaCular.
il has the midway faded to pale pea
green tint. One attraction alone on
the pike | am told cost $75O,000. From
the snow-capped SUBMITS of the TyrO-
lean Alps at one end To Halc'S fire
fighters and the battle of Santiago at
the other there arc 30 different shows
in the preparation of which have been
expended between four and five mil
lions of dollars.
bhlGIN
In deciding which show we should
take in first it is needless TO say that
Johns nose for burning gunpowder led
us into the battle of Santiago. a most
fortunate decision however. for | find
il ranks as one of the big attractions
Of the fair. Sitting in an amphitheatre
we saw on q large sheet of water dl-
reCtly in front of us a faithful repro
ductiOn of the naval encounter in
which the Spanish fleet was destroy
ed. The ships are not toys, but real
ships in miniature. constructed OF
steel. with ports. guns and turrets.
These battle ships are II feet in
length and within each hull is hidden
man and the electrical apparatus
which drives the propelIers.
After circling around the bay for
time "A great gun from the turret of
the Texas bonms out upon the night
stiffness and the Spanish fleet is seen
creeping out from behind the head
lands. From that time on the combat
is terrific There is booming of can
non and flashing of shells from the
batteries on the hill and amidst it ali
an explosion on one of the Spanish
IlS'I~ ~ I''il ~t'I'iS lI5S lltH' = III i3l'
vessel hundred feet in the air.
Wonder of Electrical Science.
When the battle was over and the
Spanish feet was destroyed | wonder
ed how many of those who witnessed
il allowed their minds 10 get far
enough away from the thrilling real
ism Of the spectacle to reflect that
not only this spectacle but hundreds
of others at this fair are made posi-
bic by the modern development of
electrical science.
And We saw other things on tho
pike-hIt must get back to the hill
tops. the high lights" of this expo
s:tion. If you phase We must go back
10 the great floral clock in front of the
noble palace of agriculture and tell
you how We passed the time away
watching its great minute land move
five feet every minute.
John has heard that the state Of
New Jersey has great mosquito eN-
hibit on the grounds somewhere and
he has persuaded us to look il up"
He says if there is anything that can
beat the Missouri mosquito for size
and appetite he wants to see il.