The leader., 1904-04-23
GETTING READY
FOR The OPENING
Director Of Exhibits Skiff Says
Worlds Fair Will Be Ready.
GROUNDS BEING CLEANED UP
Twenty Thousand Men Are mt Work,
and the Force win BE doubled
IL Necessary to Get Things
Ready for Opening.

st. Louis, April 17.-No apprehen-
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 greenswards 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 Respondent palaces well filled
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 aceeptably
complete. Two weeks before the open
ing of the Chicago exposition Jackson
park looked like an immigrants camp
when compared to the present fair; in
Paris the chaos was even more be-
wildering, but the success of both fairs
demonstrates conclusively what great
things can be accomplished by an in
telligent concentration Of labor.
Just think of the unique feat ac-
complished by the 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 paths Of the exposition grounds
were more like barbados than any
thing else, when a supreme effort had
to be made to give the great fair at
least the appearance of completeness
Aid what do you think they did? At
shutdown they put 10000 soldiers to
work on the ground, and at the open
ing OF the inaugural ceremonies the
next morning everything looked as
clean as whistle.
Double Force IL Necessary.
'No, 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 fair way
Of completeness. There are now about
10000 men employed on the grounds,
and the work is progressing in such
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
the department chiefs feel shaky on
that subject.
1.-THE idea of some men pretending
that it would take at least ten days
to cart off the structural debris from
their places is simply nonsensical.
There is no space in the grounds that
could not be cleared within three
hours.
Besides, will tell this much: II
the individual exhibitors do not get
their places into shape by the end OF
next week, why, then the exposition
will have to take matters into their
own hands and do it for them. .
Exhibitors Must Hustle.
Indeed, the great crowds will not
wait until the middle Of June. We,will
have them here from the first day of
next month. There will be a mag
nif1cent attendance right from the
start, and for every day there will be
special meets that will attract an i'm
mense concourse of visitors.
without wishing to make any too
sanguine 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, 1t is true, but all will be
In good shape when President Roose-
welt presses the button"